Fr Michael Morrisey SSC
Fr Michael Morrissey RIP
(1926 - 2008)
Fr Michael Morrissey died suddenly on 23 August 2008 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Navan, Michael was born on the 15 August 1926 in Clonreddan, Cooraclare, Co. Clare. Educated at Cooraclare N.S. and St. Flannan’s College, Ennis, he came to Dalgan in 1945. He was ordained on 21 December 1951. |
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He was a member of the first group appointed to Korea at the end of the Korean War. He was assigned to San Jung Dong in Mokpo in 1953. This was the area where three Columbans had died during the first phase of the war, and at this stage great efforts were made to meet the needs of people for food and clothing. Michael found himself a curate to a Korean priest who knew no English: he always claimed that communicating in Latin over breakfast was a great incentive to learning Korean. At a time when physical strength and stamina were needed, he was very much in his element and by 1957 he was opening a new parish in Posung before returning to Mokpo in 1962 as pastor of San Jung Dong.
By the time he went for a sabbatical to the U.S. in 1981 he had seen this southern province of Korea develop into a diocese and archdiocese. One indication of the change was that from just seven Korean priests in this area in 1953, the number grew to 36 in 1980 and over 200 today. Inspired by a new vision of Church, Michael returned to Machondong in Seoul in 1982 and to the industrial city of Ansan in 1987. When Korea was the ‘tiger economy’ of the day, and gearing up for the Olympics, he became involved in the push for workers’ rights in his parish. He was one of three Columbans forced to move on when pressure was applied to the local bishop. With the population of the Seoul area passing the 12 million mark, he was drawn into the Columban effort to provide parishes in new areas of the city and opened the parish of Keumkokdong in 1991.
He began his work with the Korean community in the USA in 1995 in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Declining health obliged him to return to Ireland in 2001, but members of the Korean community followed to celebrate his Golden Jubilee with him, and to acknowledge a lifetime of service to Korea and to its people. May God reward this generous and committed missionary priest.
May he rest in Peace.