Fr Cornelius Cleary RIP

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Fr Cornelius Cleary 1934 - 2008

Cornelius Cleary was born on 13 April 1934 in Curraghpoor Co. Tipperary. He was educated at Curraghpoor N.S.and the Abbey School in Tipperary before coming to Dalgan in 1951.

Ordained on 22 December 1957, Con was appointed to Korea and, following his
brother Sean who had been ordained in 1953, he too was assigned to the diocese of Kwangju where he was to spend nearly all of the next fifty years. When he arrived the country was still recovering from the devastation of the Korean War. One of his earliest appointments was to the island of Huksan, eight hours out from the mainland in the Yellow Sea.

Subsequently he was appointed to Cheju island and was pastor in Muselpo and
Sugwuipo before his first holiday in Ireland in 1965. Con then did further studies in Corpus Christi College in London and returned to Korea to design and develop a catechetical programme for the Archdiocese of Kwangju. At a time of remarkable growth in the Church, this comprehensive programme was adopted and much appreciated by most of the dioceses in Korea.

The Kwangju Uprising of 1980 was a traumatic experience for Con as he witnessed the brutality of the Korean Army in quashing the protest of students against a dictatorial military regime. Ten years later, in a more democratic climate, his account of those days was the only one written by a foreigner to appear in a book on the event. The few years he spent on vocations promotion in Ireland in the 80's were surely a welcome break and a chance to reconnect with home. He returned to work in Korea at a time of huge migration to the cities. His building of the parish of Yansandong in Kwangju City was part of a Columban response which led to the founding, development and later handing over of 50 city parishes in a ten year period.

Con's life and work spanned the growth and development of Korea and its church from its wretchedness after the war to its prosperity and maturity of today. Con's way was one of total effort and commitment and that applied as much to his golf swing as it did to the study of Korean life and language. His dedication, his gentleness and care for others, means that he will be fondly remembered both here and in Korea. After being confined for prolonged periods in various hospitals, he died on 25 April 2008.

May he rest in peace.