Fr Teddy loved and remembered by all
FR Teddy Molyneaux passed away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on March 20, 2019. He was predeceased by his brothers, Andrew, John and Maurice.
He was born on October 28, 1936. His parents were Jack and Kathleen. He went to Deringdale Primary School; St Michael’s College, Listowel; and Clonakilty Agricultural College before later deciding on the priesthood.
He was ordained in All Hallows with 44 others on June 17, 1962. He chose South Africa for his mission. He was 20 days on board a massive ship, Sterling Castle. The first city that he entered was Cape Town. It was there that he met large numbers of African people for the first time in his life.
It never dawned on him that he would be living in a different culture. That night, the boat covered 300km along the coast, finally arriving in Port Elizabeth where he was met by a local priest.
The following day, he was met by Monsignor Murphy, who told him that Cradaek, 300km away, was to be his first parish.
He travelled all alone on a journey that took nine hours, and he arrived to a great welcome. He was shocked by the poverty shacks and the squalor. What was wonderful was the excitement of the community at getting a young priest.
He worked in a number of different parishes over the 56 years. He built a church in Motherwell, two crèches and a school, all through massive fundraising efforts steered by him in Ireland.
As you all know, Fr Teddy played his part in the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa. He bravely stood forward and helped the newspaper editor Donald Woods to escape South Africa when he was being hunted down by the Apartheid security police as depicted in the film, ‘Cry Freedom’.
Donald Woods’ son, Dillon, paid a great tribute to Fr Teddy when he attended his Funeral Mass. The churches were packed for both ceremonies.
He was also a great supporter of the Kerry football team and he always managed to be home for the Munster final and would return to South Africa after the All-Ireland final. He will be sadly missed by his brother, Dan; sisters, Mary and Kitty; and sisters-in-law Teresa and Rose.