Great sadness at death of people’s priest
TRIBUTES are flooding in for the muchloved Fr Pat Moore who bucked national mass-going trends in a warm-hearted ministry that attracted thousands to church in Duagh up until his retirement due to ill health last year. Asdee native Fr Moore (59) passed away at the Bons Secours Hospital, Tralee, on Monday, two years after he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
He was a priest who lived Christ’s message in its ‘purest, truest’ sense, friend Jimmy Deenihan said on Tuesday as he paid tribute to a visionary cleric who spearheaded numerous projects – not least the Duagh Sports and Leisure Centre in Fr Moore’s beloved final parish.
Fr Moore connected deeply with ordinary people through his great humour, seemingly endless compassion, and a gift for communicating the mystery of a universe he passionately believed to be a reflection of a benevolent God.
His charisma was seen in full effect late last year when thousands attended the launch of his book ‘Weathering a Storm’, which told the story of his struggle with cancer.
HE was a priest in the ‘ truest, purest’ sense of the vocation whose drive, vision and warmth transformed the life of the parishes he ministered in.
North Kerry is in mourning for one of the region’s bestloved clerics this week following the tragic death of Asdee native Fr Pat Moore, two years after he was initially diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
Former minister and close friend Jimmy Deenihan led tributes this week describing Fr Moore - who would have turned 60 next month – as a priest who lived Christ’s message in its ‘purest and truest’ sense.
“He was what priests are supposed to be all about, people who bring communities together and promote and encourage what is good in the community.”
Deenihan worked closely with Fr Moore on a project that was to herald a new era for the village of Duagh where Fr Moore served as parish priest from 2004 until his retirement due to ill health last year - the local Sports and Leisure Centre.
He said Fr Moore’s drive was a major contributing factor to the success of the project. His relationship with the village was key.
“He had the trust of his community and that was always reflected in the number of people at his Masses in Duagh over the years. He always attracted large congregations and people always commented on his sermons.
“They would always be very appropriate and would reflect what was going on in society at that moment.” Even when the Church was in the news for the wrong reasons.
“He was always very honest about the failings of the Church but at the same time he never apologised for being a priest and for having a strong message...and who lived in every sense the life of Christ in its truest and purest sense.”
At a time when young people were leaving the Church in droves, Fr Moore was attracting them in in Duagh, close friend and chairperson of the Duagh Sports and Leisure Centre Anne Scanlon said.
“Like many parents I would have had a job getting my teenage children to Mass every week, but they wanted to go to Fr Moore’s Masses. Whatever gift he had, he made you feel as if he was speaking to you directly even at a packed Mass,” Ms Scanlon added.
“Duagh parish was in a very dark place when Fr Moore came here, there were various issues at the time. It took a very special man to turn the parish around and by God but Fr Moore transformed the place.”
Among many other projects, he renovated the parish church, established a special community garden and set the wheels in motion on the sports hall.
“He threw €100 of his own money onto the table the first night the committee met with the rest of us following suit. He said later that if someone hadn’t been prepared to make a similar gesture they shouldn’t have been on the committee.”
Now, Duagh hopes to commemorate their beloved cleric by renaming the centre Halla Moore - a bilingual pun he would have loved.
Friend Billy Keane paid tribute to a people’s priest. “He was very much a man for people. He never judged anyone, he was there to listen and though his words of advice might have been minimal he would have spent long thinking about them...It was a real mark of the man that he played Danny Boy on the church bells in Duagh for our emigrants at the height of the recession.”
Removal from Lyon’s, Derry, 4 - 8pm today ( Wednesday) to St Mary’s Church Asdee for Requiem Mass on Thursday at 11am, followed by burial at Aghavallen Cemetery.