St Theresa’s Church parishioners gather to remember late Fr James Meehan
SERIAN: Rev Fr James Meehan, who passed away on July 23, is fondly remembered by the people here whom he had served on three separate occasions.
In remembrance of him, a requiem mass was held at St Theresa’s Church here last Friday and celebrated by parish rector Rev Fr Paul Herry, who said in his homily that the late Fr Meehan was a good, faithful and well-respected priest.
The church itself was packed during the mass, which also saw members of the Catholic Senior Citizens Fellowship ( CSCF) presenting the choir.
The late Fr Meehan was born in November 1933 in Glasgow, Scotland. He was the fourth of seven girls and three boys in the family whose father was an army railway worker. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 12, 1959 at Mill Hill in London and set sail for Sarawak on Oct 10, arriving at St Francis Xavier Church in Kanowit on Nov 20 the same year. He is most remembered for serving in Serian three times, firstly from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second stint from 1966 to 1971, and finally from 1986 to 2012.
His third stint in Serian made him not only the oldest priest in the Serian Parish, but also the longest serving priest. He had also served in Kota Padawan and Bintangor, and was known to be able to speak Iban, Bidayuh and also some Hakka.
Following his retirement, he moved to Kuching on Feb 29, 2012 where he resided in Mother Mary Priests’ Retirement Home in Stutong.
The funeral mass for the late Fr Meehan was held at St Joseph’s Cathedral last Saturday, followed by burial at St Joseph’s Cathedral cemetery.