Fr Michael Cryan RIP
The death as taken place of Fr. Michael Cryan on Monday, 28 May 2007 at The Villa, St. John of God Hospital in West Leederville, Perth.
May he rest in Peace
Michael Jerome Cryan was born on July 20, 1924 in the parish of Ballaghaderreen, Achorny.
His primary education began in 1929 at the Sisters of Charity, St Francis Xavier National and De La Salle Brothers, St. John’s Monastery School, Secondary at St. Nathy’s College, Diocesan College of Achorny.
He began his formation years in 1942 at Navan, Ireland. He was ordained at Dalgan by Bishop Kyne of Meath in 1948.
After ordination he did a Postgraduate in Education at De Paul University, receiving an MA in Education and Psychology.
His first missionary appointment was to Fiji in 1951. He taught at St John’s College, Cawaci, with Marist Fathers, a school for Catholic Fijians – preparing them for major seminary and other forms of higher education and became the first headmaster of Xavier College, Namosau, Ba, established by Bishop Foley and Columbans. He developed a card system for teaching English to students as a second language since English became the language of education.
In 1960 he was appointed to Australia due to ill health and while recuperating was on the staff of St. Columban’s Seminary. From 1965 – 1994 he was Chaplain to St. John of God hospital, Rivervale, Perth and Chaplain to St. Vincent’s, Hostel and Nursing Home, Guildford, Perth where he worked during his retirement .