Dillon, Fr Sean
November 06, 2013He distinguished himself on the football field at inter-college level and while he was a seminarian he won an All Ireland junior medal with Kerry. He came to Kiltegan in 1944 as one of 25 students who spent the next nine months in Humewood Castle following the Spiritual Year Programme. He did philosophy and theology studies in St Patrick's, Kiltegan and was ordained in Killamoat on March 25, 1951 by Bishop John Heffernan CSSp. retired Vicar Apostolic of Zanzibar (Archdiocese of Nairobi).
Sean was appointed to Ogoja in Nigeria and did two tours there. His first appointment was to Wanokom where he ministered with his classmate Terence Beagon. Because he was very adaptable he was moved to three other missions for short periods during that first tour.
In his second tour, he worked in Izzi in present-day Abakaliki Diocese. He was then appointed to promotion work and spent 1956-57 visiting parishes and schools in Ireland. He was then sent to join the promotion team in the USA and was a very successful fundraiser there and in England until 1972.
He then retired from the priesthood and married Lyla Murray. They lived in England until 1985 when they moved to Bray, Co. Wicklow. Sean taught in Tallaght until 1991 when he reached retirement age.
After Lyla's death in 1996, Sean decided to seek readmission into the Society and made the first move in 1998 when he came to see Fr Kieran Birmingham, the then Superior General. The matter was referred to Rome and Sean was readmitted to the Society on St Patrick's Day, 2003 after a year of supervised prayer and reflection.
Sean returned to fundraising in the summer of 2004 helping with the Promotion Programme in England. Although now in his late 70s he was undaunted by the long car journeys involved. On his return to Ireland he divided his time between Kiltegan and Listowel where he looked after his brother, Thomas. When Thomas died, Sean moved permanently to Kiltegan where he became fully involved in the life of the community and did a lot of work in the used stamps department.
Sean enjoyed good health until the summer of 2012. From then onwards, his mobility became severely limited until finally he became dependent on a wheelchair to get around. He moved to the 'care unit' early this year and died peacefully there on Thursday October 24.
Sean is pre-deceased by his wife Lyla, his brothers Dermot, Michael and Thomas and three other brothers who died in infancy. He is survived by his sisters-in-law, Ann and Bridie and their families and by Lyla's relatives who remained devoted to him to the end.
May he rest in peace.
The Kerryman, November 6th 2013 Tweet
