Fr Terry was first to honour St Oliver with new US church
Drogheda man spent nearly half a century serving the people of Georgia
THE death has taken place in Atlanta, Georgia USA of Drogheda born priest Rev Fr. Terry Kane retired pastor of Hartwell parish in north Georgia.
Fr. Kane was born in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda on Christmas Eve 24th Dec., 1941.
He was the youngest son of Matthew and Mary Ellen Kane (nee McCann) 99 George’s St., Drogheda. He attended school at St. Vincent’s Sisters of Charity in Fair St. moving later to St. Joseph’s Christian Brothers.
As an altar boy in St Peters Church, he expressed an interest in the Priesthood and was encouraged by the late Monsignor Stokes to enrol at St. Patrick’s College Armagh. Later he studied at the Jesuit Apostolic College Mungret, Co. Limerick and then going on to study for the Priesthood at St. Patrick’s College Carlow and was ordained there at the Cathedral of the Assumption on 8th June 1968 by Bishop Patrick Lennon of Kildare and Leighlin.
Fr. Kane was among 40 Irish priests drawn to the mission territory of Georgia, USA by Monsignor P J O’Connor vocations director of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
During his 49 years of Priesthood Fr. Kane served the people in many parishes including Cathedral of Christ the King, Most Blessed Sacrament and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Atlanta also St. Thomas More in Decatur.
In April 1978 he was appointed pastor of a parish in Snellville Georgia where a new Church was been built.
In choosing a name for the Church Fr. Kane suggested Saint Oliver Plunkett who had been canonised in 1975. Fr. Kane had attended the canonisation in Rome and was also familiar with the many pilgrimages that visited the shrine in his native Drogheda and of the special devotion there was to the Saint.
He got the approval of his Archbishop and St. Oliver Plunkett parish Church in Snellville, Georgia, was the first church in the USA to be named after the new Irish saint.
Fr. Kane was later pastor of St. Catherine’s in Kennesaw, and his concluding years as a pastor were spent at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church Hartwell where he served from 1998 until his retirement due to ill health in August 2010.
Fr. Kane made annual visits to his family in Drogheda, he had many relations and close friends in Ireland and kept in touch with them.
On his trips home his routine was to visit his relatives throughout counties Louth, Armagh and elsewhere he was always interested in the changes and development of their local areas and he was well informed on the local history of places he visited.
He introduced many American visitors to places of interest in this region and throughout Ireland.
For recreation, he played golf with his priest colleagues and he was a keen follower of all Irish sporting events. When he retired his Archbishop wrote to him and thanked him for his many years of devoted service to the Church and noted the joyful companionship he brought to his colleagues and the forward looking disposition he brought to all his contacts.
His parishioners included many Americans of Irish decent and a large section of the Hispanic community who have deeply regretted his passing.
He spent his final years in a nursing home and died peacefully in an Atlanta hospital on 17th May.
Two days earlier a close friend Monsignor Leo Herbert a native of Enniskillen Co. Fermanagh also died in Atlanta both had been students together at St Patrick’s College Armagh.
Fr. Kane is survived by his brothers Christy and Patrick, sisters Eileen Power and Lucy Kane Drogheda , Sr, Maureen Kane Presentation Convent, Castleisland Co. Kerry and Clare O’Doherty Raheny, Dublin sisters in law Mary and Ann Kane, brother in law Sean O’Doherty.
He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Sr. Anna Kane St. Clare’s Convent Mayobridge Co. Down.
The funeral Mass for both priests was concelebrated by Archbishop of Atlanta Wilton D. Gregory, Bishop Luis R Zarma and the priests of the Archdiocese also Rev Pat Carroll P P Cabra Dublin (cousin) and FR. John Kieran Sandy Springs, GA. a native of Ashville, Collon took place on May 24th at the Cathedral of Christ of Christ the King Atlanta.
The eulogy was given by Fr. Paul Flood. Family members attending the funeral were sisters Sr. Maureen Kane and Lucy Kane, John Kane, Patrick Power, Terry Power, (nephews) Rosemary Brown, Carmel McCarthy (nieces) Rev Pat Carroll (cousin) and Mary Cabezas Finnegan cousin from Charleston. South Carolina.
Fr. Kane was later interred in the grounds of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church Hartwell, Georgia. his last parish.
A Month’s Mind Mass will be offered in St, Peters Church Drogheda on Sunday 25th June at 11am.