Fr Bernard O’Connor was born on 18 April 1934 in Ballymore, Co Sligo. He was educated in Ballymote Boys NS and St Joseph’s College, Ballinasloe before joining the Columbans in Navan in 1952.
After ordination in Dalgan Park on 21 December 1958, Bernie was appointed to the Philippines. After language studies in Tagalog, he began his many years of work in the Archdiocese of Manila. His first years were spent in Silang and Binangonan but from 1969 he was engaged in Student Catholic Action. This was a dynamic ministry founded by the Columbans in 1936. Bernie served, mainly in Far Eastern University during the turbulent years of Martial Law when all student organisations were suspect and many banned.
Having served as superior in the district of Luzon, he returned in 1988 to parish ministry in Malate until he was appointed to Britain in 1995. Mission Awareness and House Manager were two of the roles he had held during his thirteen years in Solihull and, as he put it, up to the last he was still seeking news veins on the coalface of British mission.
During all these years, Bernie suffered from poor health and he returned to Ireland to begin dialysis treatment in 2009. Eventually he needed treatment three days every week but always tried to bounce back as quickly as possible. As one of the first Columbans to develop computer skills along with his cryptic crosswords and stamp collection he always had ways of coping with the long hours of treatment and recovery.
Bernie will be remembered for his droll humour, for his hope and indomitable courage, a witness to all of us on how to cope with life’s difficulties. He died suddenly on 17 September 2017. May God reward this generous and faithful missionary and priest.
