Peter Kenny was born in Ballydangan, Athlone, Co Roscommon on 13 July 1933. He was educated at Camcloom NS and St Joseph’s College, Garbally, Ballinasloe. He came to St Columban’s College, Dalgan Park, Navan in 1952, and was ordained priest on 22 December 1958.
After ordination he was sent for post-graduate studies in Canon Law in Rome. Having acquired his Licentiate in 1961, he was assigned to the Region of the Philippines, and the parishes of San Narciso and San Antonio in the district of Zambales where he served for the following six years.
After this first term, he was appointed a member of the staff at St Columban’s College, Navan; this was a challenging assignment at a time of great ferment and disruption in seminaries all over the world.
In 1974 he was appointed once more to the Philippines. He spent the next twenty years in the parishes of Santa Rita, St Joseph’s and San Jose Ruiz, all in Olongapo City. The last four years of this period of Peter’s life were dedicated to working with the indigenous Aetas in Poonbato.
From 1995 to 2003, Peter was assigned to Mission Awareness ministry in Australia. This involved a great deal of travel, promoting the Society and its magazine.
In 2003, he shifted continents once more as he was assigned to Mission Awareness working from the Columban house in Los Angeles. He spent the following fifteen years in this ministry. During this period his eyesight began to deteriorate and he suffered with a number of other medical problems.
In 2018 he moved to the Retirement Home in Dalgan. He settled in very well, and in spite of his poor eyesight he participated well as a member of the Dalgan community.
He was always blessed with a capacity to adapt to so many different situations, to make a wide variety of friends, and to maintain those friendships over the years. His death on 11th March at Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan, came suddenly and unexpectedly. We will miss his gentle presence.
May he rest in peace.
