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Migrant priests to be honoured in Rome
By Noreen Bowden | May 31, 2007
The Irish community in Rome will be celebrating the lives of two priests, one an Irish native who worked in Rome and the other who came from Holland but worked in Dublin.
The Basilica of San Clemente will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the excavations undertaken by Dominican priest Joseph Mullooly. Fr Mullooly was born in Longford in 1812 and in 1840 left for Italy, where he entered the Dominican Order. He became superior of San Clemente in 1850 and remained there for the rest of his life.
A letter-writer in today’s Irish Times reveals that the basilica’s weekend celebrations will include a concert and a mass sung by the Dublin-based Lassus Scholars; the Irish community in Rome is expected to attend, along with the Irish ambassadors to Italy and the Holy See.
Additionally, hundreds and possibly thousands of Irish people will attend the canonisation of Charles of Mount Argus. The Passionist priest was born in Holland in 1821, and came to Ireland in 1857 after stints in Belgium and England. It was while he was in England that he first came into contact with emigrant Irish people who were living there after fleeing the famine; he began then referring to the Irish as “my people”.
Blessed Charles became known for his powers of curing both mental and physical ailments. He spent most of his life in Ireland until he died there in 1893. He was beatified in 1996. He will be canonised by Pope Benedict on Sunday.
Learn more about Blessed Charles.
Topics: Church, EU, Latest News | 1 Comment »
August 24th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I live in Wheeling West Virginia and my grgrgranfather James Mullooly was Fr. Jos Mullooly s first cousin and growing up together There were so many dispensations of affinity in our family there that he was probably more that first cousin. My aunt was visiting St. Clemente one day and was shocked by this marble bust that looked so much like her dad s brother who was also Joseph Mullooly. She made this known to the clergy there and they invited her upstairs and made quite a fuss.