October 1

FR. DONAL HALLIDEN was born on May 25, 1923 in Banteer, Cloyne diocese, Ireland and died in the Dalgan Nursing Home on October 1, 2011. He was educated at Lyre N.S. and St. Colman’s College, Fermoy, both in Ireland.  Father Donal entered the Old Dalgan in Shrule, County Mayo in1940, and transferred to the new college in County Meath in 1941. He was ordained priest on December 21, 1946. Father Donal was one of five of the Halliden family who followed a religious vocation.  Fathers Bill and Jerome were ordainged Columban priests.  Father Donal was assigned to the Philippines in 1947 and served there for a record sixty-one years until he returned home and took up residence in St. Columban’s Nursing Home in 2008. His initial appointments were to parishes in Northen Mindanao: Plaridel, Aurora, Ozamis City, and Iligan City. In 1964, he was assigned to campus ministry in Centro Escolar University, Manila, a position he occupied for the next thirty years. In 1994, he spent a year ministering at Lucan Community College. When he returned to Manila in 1996 he worked in the Region’s Mission Awareness Office until 2008, when he returned to Ireland.

Kind and courteous, he very much appreciated the care of the nursing staff during his final years. He died in the Dalgan Nursing Home on October 1, 2011.  Father Donal is buried at Dalgan.

Fr. Donal Halliden  (seated, second from left) 

 FR. LAWRENCE RYAN was born in 1935 at Muckalee, County Kilkenny, Ireland. He died as a result of an accident on October 1, 1995 at Pagadian Hospital, Philippines.  Father Lar, who was a brother of another Columban priest, Martin Ryan, came to Dalgan in 1954 having completed his secondary education at St. Kieran’s College, Kilkenny. He was ordained priest in Dalgan on December 21, 1960 and appointed to the Philippines. He worked in a number of parishes in Mindanao, including San Miguel where he was the first pastor. After refresher courses in Ireland, he was appointed to hospital ministry in Pagadian Diocese. It was in the Pagadian area he received his fatal injury when another motorbike severed an artery in his groin.  He died of cardiac arrest some hours later.  Father Lar is interred in the cemetery chapel in Paglaum, Pagadian Ctiy.

Frs. Charles Meagher and Lawrence Ryan on their 25^th Anniversary to the priesthood

Father Lar in a tricycle

FR. DONALD WODARZ was born in 1936 at Browerville, Minnesota, USA.  He died suddenly on October 1, 1994 at the Columban Mission Institute, Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia.  Father Don entered St. Columban’s, Silver Creek in 1953 to study for priesthood. He was ordained priest on December 21, 1960 at St. Columban’s Seminary, Milton, Massachusetts, USA.  He was appointed to study theology in Rome. Assigned to the Philippines in 1963 he worked in the archdiocese of Cagayan. In 1970, he joined the formation staff at St. Columban’s, Milton, MA and was named rector there in 1973. Returning to Rome for missiology studies he gained his Doctorate in 1980 and then took up an appointment to St. Columban’s College, Turramurra and at the Pacific Mission Institute. He subscribed regularly to THE FAR EAST and The South Pacific Journal of Mission Studies. Father Don is buried at Northern Suburbs Cemetery, Sydney, Australia.

Fr. Donald Wodarz

October 2

FR. VINCENT McFADDEN was born at Durango, Colorado, USA in 1911. He died on October 2, 1970 in Westminster Hospital, California, USA. Father Vincent’s family returned to Ireland in 1924. He studied at St. Eunan’s College, Letterkenny and at St. Columb’s College, Derry, Ireland before coming to Dalgan in 1931. He was ordained priest there in 1937. Assigned to Mindanao, Philippines, he saw his church destroyed by Japanese bombs. He helped President Quezon, fleeing from the Japanese, to escape to Australia. He himself was captured by the Japanese and interned until 1945 when he returned to the U.S. where he was engaged in promotion work. He was Superior at St. Columban’s, Brooklyn [1952-58]; St. Columban’s, West Chester [1960-64]; St. Columban’s, Los Angeles [1964-67]; and at St. Columban’s, San Diego [1967-69].  Father Vincent is buried at Drexel, Pennsylvania, USA.

October 4

FR. JOSEPH SHIELS was born in Paisley, Scotland on March 3, 1930 and grew up in Derry, Ireland.  Ordained on December 21, 1953 he was appointed to Mindanao, Philippines, serving in Ozamis, Clarin, Lanipao and Tangub. In Lopez-Jaena, 1963 to 1972 he helped tenant farmers to increase their income by planting bananas between their coconuts. Terms in Aloran and Jimenez followed. In 1977, he studied Pastoral Counselling in Chicago before returning to Mindanao as pastor in Pagadian. A student in the Mindanao State University, Marawi while he was chaplain in 1982 said his sermons kept her from losing the faith. After a short stay in Lianga he was in Linamon, Suarez and Buru-un, all in the Diocese of Iligan, until 2003. Back home, he served in Desertmartin and in the Waterside where he wrote Christian Transition. In failing health, he retired to the Dalgan Nursing Home. He died peacefully there on October 4, 2015.

Father Joe on a horse

October 5

FR. GABRIEL KEOHANE was born at Bantry, County Cork, Ireland in 1939. He died at Doctors Hospital, Manila, on October 5, 2000 having suffered brain haemorrhage a week earlier. After his secondary studies at St. Colman’s College, Fermoy, he came to Dalgan where he was ordained in December 1963. Assigned to the Philippines, Father Gabe spent all his missionary life in Mindanao. He is buried at Cagayan-de-Oro City.

Father Gabriel hearing confession