Death of veteran mayo priest in sydney

 

A KILKELLY born priest, Fr. Brendan Shiel, has died in Sydney, Australia. He was in his 91st year.

 

Fr. Brendan arrived in Australia, after some health problems, without a visa in 1952. He was allowed to stay and went on to become the oldest parish priest on full-time duty in the Archdiocese of Sydney.

 

When he retired in 2011 at the age of 87 he joked: “I don’t want to be carried out, I want to walk out.'

 

At the time of his retirement, his Archdiocese, in a statement, paid tribute to his contribution to the Church in his adopted country.

 

“His presence reminds us of the great debt we owe to the Catholic Church in Ireland who were the main group in planting the faith here.'

Fr. Brendan’s funeral will take place in Sydney. A memorial Mass will be celebrated in St. Celsus Church, Kilkelly, on Saturday, May 2, at 11 a.m.