Columban Missionary, Fr Kevin O’Rourke’s “great missionary contribution” was recalled at two commemorative events which took place on the same day in Cavan Town and the Korean capital, Seoul last week. Both events were organised by the Irish Embassy in Korea.
The Mass in Cavan to mark the anniversary of Fr Kevin’s death in 2020 was arranged by the Embassy in conjunction with Kilmore Diocese, the diocese in which Fr Kevin O’Rourke grew up. Columban Fr Liam O’Keeffe was the main celebrant, a friend of Fr Kevin’s, who served on mission with him in Korea.
Two other Columbans, Fr Norman Jennings and Fr Kevin Fleming, a classmate of Fr Kevin’s, attended the Mass which was held in the Conaty Chapel in Kilmore Diocesan Pastoral Centre. It was also attended by four of Fr Kevin’s nieces and the Chairman of Cavan Town Council.
Fr Liam’s greeting in Korean to the people of Korea at the start of Mass can be heard here:
In a post on social media, Irish Ambassador to Korea, Michelle Winthrop, said of the commemorative evening in Seoul, “Last night we honoured the legendary Fr Kevin O’Rourke, with his family, friends, colleagues and fellow Columbans. Priest, philosopher, linguist, translator, poet, friend to Irish Embassy. Mass was held in Cavan simultaneously.”
In his homily, Fr Liam recalled how Fr Kevin died peacefully in the loving care of Dr Luke Yun, his wife Regina and their dedicated staff on 23rd October 2020 having suffered a stroke eleven months earlier. His remains were interred in the mausoleum at Chunchon Diocese.
Fr Liam told the congregation, “Fr Kevin was unique among Columbans in that he found a new way of missionary involvement in a Confucian and Buddhist culture.”
Fr Kevin won the 25th Daesan Literary Award for his Harvard-published ‘The Book of Korean Poetry: Chosŏn Dynasty’.
“At a very early stage, Fr Kevin saw the richness of Korean literature and folklore as a priceless treasure waiting to be revealed in a translation to the wider world. He saw this as his missionary task and dedicated his whole life to it.”
Fr Kevin O’Rourke arrived in Korea in 1964. He studied the Korean language for one year and began his pastoral work. A year later he returned to language school for more studies. After this he studied for a Master’s degree in Korean Literature.
“This was a first for Columbans in Korea,” Fr Liam explained. He continued his studies and obtained a Doctorate in 1982, “the first foreigner ever to have achieved such an honour”.
Columban missionary Fr Liam O’Keeffe.
“While teaching English at Kyung Hee University Fr Kevin immersed himself in the world of translation. His dedication and learning began to bear fruit, with the publication of books of poems which were met with acclaim.”
“In 2006, Fr Kevin was made an honorary citizen of Seoul and a few years later bestowed with the highest award the Korean government can give.” According to Fr Liam, throughout this time Fr Kevin worked diligently at his chosen task with the encouraging support of his Columban brothers and sisters.
In 1989 Fr Kevin won the Korean National Literature Prize for his translations and was granted an honorary South Korean citizenship in 2007. He was also awarded the presidential citation for services to the Korean language and literature by President Lee Myung-bak in 2009.
Speaking to Columbans.ie, Fr Liam explained: “We were very proud of him. He was a very humble and ordinary member of the Columbans. His formation in Dalgan would have made him very available to his classmates and the other people around him.”
Fr Kevin, Seo Jeong-ju and his wife with fellow Irish poet Brendan Kenneally in 1995: “The mood was magic”.
According to Fr Liam, Fr Kevin was “without question the most decorated Irish person in Korea”.
“His view was that in the Korean culture and literature there is a great wealth to be shared with the wider world; but it needed to be translated into English. And so he set about that. That was his life’s work really.”
Some might question how that fitted in with a missionary’s task, but he believed that it was a genuine missionary endeavour. The Columban superior in Korea at the time gave him his full support.”
Irish Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, inaugurates the ‘The O’Rourke Library’ at the Irish Embassy, Seoul on St Patrick’s Day, 2010.
For Fr Kevin, this endeavour was about enabling people to encounter Korea through its literature.
Fr Liam explained that Fr Kevin had “a deep knowledge of Korean language, culture and Korean ways. He was able to teach some Koreans about their own language and their own culture. He mastered the language in order to translate well.”
During Mass in Cavan Fr Liam offered a prayer for the Korean people. You can listen to the prayer here:
May Fr Kevin O’Rourke rest in peace.
