On March 10, Father Patrick “Paddy” O’Donoghue passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family. He was 88. Born on Oct. 27, 1937, in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, to Dr. and Mrs. Patrick O’Donoghue, he grew up in a devout and large Catholic family with six sisters and two brothers. 

As a youngster he grew up living in the southeast of Ireland, a place rich in tradition and natural beauty. Following primary school, he studied at Knockbeg College, a secondary school in County Carlow, then entered St. Patrick’s College/Seminary, also in Country Carlow. On June 10, 1961, he was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary by Bishop Thomas Keogh.

Less than three months after his ordination, the young Father O’Donoghue found himself teaching religion at Bishop Toolen High School in Mobile. In October 1965, he was assigned to the North Alabama Missions. 

In a 1965 article from the local Jasper newspaper, Rose Melody (Lovett) writes about the priest’s new assignment with the North Alabama Missions. She mentions his work, split between Birmingham, Jasper, Haleyville, and Winfield, equated to a total of 250 miles on Sundays alone, not counting Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays on the road to teach high school students, celebrate Mass, lead inquiry classes for adults interested in the Catholic faith, and offer counseling.

While he was ministering to the most rural parts of Alabama, in 1966 he became an American citizen. A year later, he was assigned as pastor of St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Jasper, then he was reassigned as pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Decatur in 1973. Eight years later, Father O’Donoghue found himself in Huntsville as pastor of a church he named, Church of the Good Shepherd, now Good Shepherd Catholic Church. In 1993, he was assigned as pastor of Holy Infant Catholic Church in Trussville and served faithfully until his retirement in 2004. 

While it was written by Melody in that 1965 newspaper article that Father O’Donoghue felt a certain “kinship” with the “Southland” being a native of the southeast of Ireland, following his retirement, his homeland called him back. Close to family and close to his beloved Dr. Crokes Gaelic Athletic Association Club (Gaelic football and hurling), he lived his retirement well, blessing all those who crossed his path. 

His Requiem Mass was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney on March 13 with burial at New Cemetery. 

Eternal rest grant upon him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.