Fr Oliver Whyte RIP

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Fr Oliver T. Whyte SSC (1921-2009)

Fr Oliver Whyte was born in Barnaderg, Tuam on 11 July 1921. Educated in Cloondahamper NS and St Jarlath’s College, Tuam, he came to Dalgan Park, Shrule, Co. Galway in 1940 and was ordained priest on 21 December 1946 in Dalgan Park, Navan, one of a class of twenty-nine. He was appointed to Shanghai, in 1947, to study Korean, but by 1948 he was working in Huchow, China. With the increasing persecution of the Church in China, he was assigned to Mindanao, Philippines, in 1951.

He spent many years as parish priest of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte and later Agusan, Cagayan de Oro City. He was a tireless worker. Not only serving the community with its many villages in the mountain which was not always a peacful place. He still had the enormous energy to have Chapels built in every village and the parish church. He also had the High School constructed to provide second level education for the children of the parish.

In 1981-1983 he was in San Francisco for surgery on his back. Appointed to Ireland in 1983, he served as Bursar in Dalgan for a three-year period, followed by many years on Mission Promotion and Vocations work. In 1996 he celebrated his Golden Jubilee of Ordination and visited once again the parishes in which he had served in the Philippines where he was joyfully welcomed by many old friends. He retired in 1996 but continued to visit his wide circle of friends in the US and Ireland.

Oliver was a colourful character: there was a childlike quality about him which led him to embellish his stories with a measure of exaggeration. The stories grew further as they were retold in Columban gatherings and Oliver enjoyed adding to the myths. He was dedicated, genuinely kind, helpful and generous. He will be missed by all of us, and  stories about him will long be retold. He died on 5 February 2009.

May he rest in peace.