My ancestors - O'Meara - Contents
Fr. Paddy O'Mara
Fr.Paddy O'Mara, Apr 1906.
See full size and original.
Fr. Paddy O'Mara, S.J., Jesuit priest,
born 13th Mar 1875,
educ Clongowes, Co.Kildare 1888-93, was in The O'Rahilly's class 1890-3 [Bourke, 1967],
see picture 1890,
joined Jesuits 1893,
studied Germany 1893-6,
taught in Melbourne, Australia 1896-1903,
[Lavelle, 1961] describes him as
"a Jesuit scholastic in Australia",
studied at Milltown Park, Dublin, 1903-7,
ordained Aug 1907, Milltown Park, Dublin
[Lavelle, 1961]
by Archbishop William Joseph Walsh,
Archbishop Walsh's
Episcopal Lineage
(tracing a bishop's consecrator,
his consecrator, and so on)
in turn
can be traced back to
Scipione Rebiba,
appointed Bishop 1541,
Rebiba is in fact the
"Y-chromosome Adam"
of the modern Catholic church, the
origin of over 90 percent of the modern Catholic hierarchy's Episcopal Lineages,
including
John Paul II
and
Benedict XVI,
worked on missions round Ireland 1907-16,
at one time he was rector of
Crescent College, Limerick,
he is
listed with address with Jesuits at
Rathfarnham Castle
in
[Thom's, 1914]
and
[Thom's, 1917],
interrupted
in WWI
when he served as a
British Army chaplain 1916-18,
served in France,
during the
final German offensive in France
(Mar-July 1918) he was asked to bury many dead,
the troops withdrew,
firing became heavy, his ambulance staff withdrew,
he stayed alone to bury the many bodies, including several
Portuguese,
the Germans took the area soon after he left,
for gallantry under German fire he was decorated by
Portuguese government 1918
with the rank of
Officer of the Military Order of Christ,
(todo) see British Army record,
worked on missions round Ireland 1918-27,
listed with Jesuits at
Rathfarnham Castle in
[Thom's, 1926],
settled in Dublin 1927,
he was a priest at
St.Francis Xavier's church
(also here
and here
and here),
Upper Gardiner St, Dublin, from
think 1927
until death 1969,
he is listed at St.Francis Xavier's,
Gardiner St, in
[Thom's]
1929 on,
he was known there as
Fr. "Pom" O'Mara (after his initials P.O.M.),
he married his niece Eithne
to Dick Humphreys 1929,
conducted the popular "Public Holy Hour" at St.Francis Xavier's for many years,
author of 4 booklets on the
Holy Hour,
which sold widely,
he was in charge of Children of Mary Sodality
at Sion Hill convent (and school), Blackrock,
and Children of Mary Sodality at St.Francis Xavier's,
think he was also at
Belvedere College,
[Muffie de Courcy]
told a story about him:
at the end of mass he would always ask the people to
"say a prayer for my mother" (died 1910),
years later, attending a dying man, gave him last rites, asked him to
"say a prayer for my mother";
after he left, the dying man turned to his wife and said:
"Gosh, I thought Fr. O'Mara was going to ask me to bring a parcel to his mother",
he traced the family tree, apparently left work with Jesuits,
(todo!) find it,
see article, think 1957
on his "Sacerdotal Golden Jubilee" (50th anniversary of ordination),
hence must be 1957, though the age they give for him implies 1959,
they also say anniversary is July 26th,
in 1967 he celebrated 75 years in the Jesuit order,
see
Irish Times,
August 16, 1967,
and
August 17, 1967,
the above says he has been organising retreats in Gardiner St for 40 years,
and his pamphlets have sold over 1 million copies,
he was the oldest Jesuit in Ireland at his death,
died hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin, 23rd Mar 1969, age 94 yrs
[GROI].
Fr.Paddy and his sister Mary, 1895.
See larger and full size.
O'Mara family gathering
on the occasion of Fr. Paddy's first mass, 28 July 1908.
Apparently rear of Hartstonge House
(doesn't look like it).
See full size.
See similar shot.
(Left) Fr.Paddy O'Mara as a young priest.
(Right) Fr.Paddy O'Mara,
Cashel House.
"Stuck 1922" (i.e. stuck in album 1922).
Fr.Paddy O'Mara, 1955,
Killiney.
See full size
and original.
Fr.Paddy O'Mara. From article, think 1957.
See full size.
Fr.Paddy O'Mara, portrait, Sept 1958.
Fr.Paddy O'Mara.
See full size
and original.
