Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2 — The Georgia Bulletin, June 20, 1985
Filipino Slain
Murdered Priest
Remembered Here
In Ireland
Students Are Ordained
For Service In Atlanta
BY GRETCHEN REISER
A young Filipino priest
who was murdered while
saying Mass May 17 in his
home parish, had served
three years ago as an
escort for Father Jack
Druding and Father Tony
Green of the archdiocese
while they were visiting the
Philippines.
Father Alberto Romero,
35, was “a very bubbly per
son, very outgoing,” when
he traveled with the two
priests from Atlanta,
Father Druding recalled
last week. During their
January 1982 visit, “he took
us all over the place. He
seemed to be very loved by
the people.”
The priest, who was serv
ing in the Diocese of
Dipolog on the island of
Mindanao, was brutally
slain during Mass in front
of his parishioners, Father
Druding said. The local
bishop, Bishop Felix Zafra
y Sanchez of Dipolog, has
said in news reports that he
believes members of the
rebel New People’s Army
killed Father Romero
because he had spoken out
against communism.
Father Romero had visited
East Germany while a
seminary student in Rome,
the bishop said, and upon
returning to the Philip
pines, spoke of the pro
blems of a communist
society.
He was the second priest
to be killed in the Philip
pines recently. Italian mis
sionary Father Tullio
Favali was killed April 11
in the same area. The
deaths of both priests were
mourned publically by
Pope John Paul II during
his weekly audiences.
Father Druding said the
Filipino priest, a native of
Mindanao, had just return
ed to the islands from
studies in Europe when
they arrived and so he was
as eager as they to travel
around the island and visit
villages. “He was always
laughing and smiling -
that’s the thing I
remember most about
him,” Father Druding
said.
Pastor of St. Mary’s in
Toccoa and formerly an
assistant pastor of St.
Philip Benizi in Jonesboro,
Father Druding had travel-
Father Jack Drud
ing, pastor of St.
Mary’s Church in
Toccoa, who was a
friend of the mur
dered Filipino priest.
ed annually to the Philip
pines and through his
visits, arranged a
cooperative effort between
St. Philip’s and a mission
church in the Philippines,
which the Jonesboro
Catholics helped to sup
port. The church, St.
Michael’s, later changed
its name to St. Philip Benizi
to honor the relationship
between the two parishes.
However, Father Druding
said that he had not return
ed to the Philippines since
1982 because of concern
about political violence.
He reflected that it is dif-
ficult for American
Catholics to realize that
every day Catholics in
other parts of the world are
in danger and even “dying
for their faith.”
BY GRETCHEN REISER
Archbishop Thomas Don-
nellan will travel to Derry
in Northern Ireland June 29
to ordain Rev. Mr. Patrick
Donaghey a priest for the
archdiocese.
The 36-year-old priest
candidate is expected to ar
rive in the United States in
late summer and he will
begin work at Corpus
Christi parish in Stone
Mountain. Rev. Mr.
Donaghey is the son of
Charles and Rebecca
Donaghey, both of whom
are deceased. A student of
philosophy and theology at
the Institute of Philosophy
and Theology in Dublin, he
also studied at St. John’s
College in Waterford where
he received his diploma in
theology.
Prior to his commitment
to the archdiocese of Atlan
ta, Rev. Mr. Donaghey
worked with the Congrega
tion of the Holy Redeemer
and served for two years as
a lay missioner in Brazil.
After his ordination to the
diaconate last year, he
served at St. John
Neumann parish in
Lilburn. His ordination to
the priesthood will take
place at St. Bridget’s
parish, his home parish in
Derry.
Rev. Patrick
Donaghey
To Be Ordained
Another candidate who is
studying for the priesthood
for Atlanta, Rev. Mr.
William Hickey, was or
dained to the diaconate in
March and will be spending
several months this sum
mer and fall working at St.
Jude’s parish in Sandy
Springs. He had been sta
tioned at St. Thomas
Aquinas parish in
Alpharetta as a
seminarian.
From Edenderry, County
Offaly, the home parish of
the late Father Vincent
Mulvin, Rev. Mr. Hickey,
28, received his diploma in
theology from St. John’s
College in Waterford and
had worked as a chef
before entering the
seminary. His parents,
John and Brigid Dillon
Hickey, are deceased.
He will work at St. Jude’s
through October and then
return to Ireland to com
plete his studies in
preparation for ordination
to the priesthood.
Rev. William Hickey
Ordained Deacon
In the photo captioned
AWARDS which ap
peared on page 3 of the
June 6 issue of The
Georgia Bulletin
Thomas Brassington
was incorrectly iden
tified as David Brass
ington.
Correction
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