Fr. Dermot Patrick Cleary C.P., R.I.P.

Fr. Dermot Patrick regularly walked around the grounds of Mount Argus, with its beautiful church and monastery, deep in thought and observation. For many years he was the maintenance guru because he knew the place so intimately. It was here he died after a long illness in the early hours of Wednesday 22nd June 2005. He was 73 and had ministered as a priest for almost fifty years.

Born Dermot Cleary July 5th 1931 in Lisson, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh he entered the Passionists Congregation and was Professed October 23rd 1950 in St Gabriel's Retreat, The Graan, Enniskillen. After his priestly studies in St. Joseph's Retreat, Cloonamahon and St. Paul's Retreat, Mount Argus he was ordained May 26th 1956. His first twenty years ministry was on the Passionists Parish Mission Staff. It was in the Ministry of preaching that he spent most of his time. He loved poetry and was often able to weave a poem or poetic image beautifully into his sermons.

In 1982 he became the "Foreign Mission Procurator" with responsibility for collecting funds for the Passionist Work in Botswana and South Africa. In 1992 - 2002 he was chaplain to An Garda Siochana, attached to Mount Argus.

Dermot Patrick loved the company of good friends and indeed he had a capacity to make good friends wherever he was based in various parts of Ireland and Scotland. During his time with PAM, as Foreign Mission Secretary, he could combine good fun of card games and weekends away with hard fund-raising work. Great friendships had lasted and developed from that time. One such friendship with Margaret and Linda resulted in the beautiful upkeep of the Lourdes Grotto on the Mount Argus avenue.

Dermot Patrick left PAM in 1992 to begin a 10-year stint as Garda Chaplain, a task to which he warmed and gave his all. His not to be forgotten sermons preached at major Garda events touched the hearts of all who attended. He prepared so diligently for such events, using the late Gregory Allen's history of An Garda Siochana from 1922-1982 inscribed by the author. He continued to accompany Garda on pilgrimages and trips abroad along with his successor Father Joe from 2002, a true mark of that friendship. The trip to Bosnia while still Chaplain stood out in his memory. It was on the golf course that friendships were truly cemented with PAM, Garda and members of his Passionist communities. He loved to take photographs at Passionist gatherings whether to capture the occasion or simply to gift them to the participants.

Passionists preach Christ crucified. At the heart of Dermot's preaching on the Cross was a belief in a God who loves and values us so much even in our sin, that he was willing to reach out and draw troubled people back from the abyss. His favourite party piece was the beautiful recitation called " The touch of the Master's hand". This image of a life gone badly out of tune like an old violin but made beautiful again by God's touch was something that Dermot truly believed in. This was something he experienced in people whom he had reconciled to God through the sacrament of confession, and indeed in his own life in different ways.

Although Dermot loved the things of earth his primary gaze was towards the things of heaven and God. He continued to love good preaching throughout his life and he was very encouraging if he thought you had preached well. Even in his final sickness he made an admirable effort to leave hospital on Good Friday to attend the "Seven Last Words" of Jesus from the Cross proclaimed by seven Passionist preachers, accompanied by the music of the Garda choir in Mount Argus. Afterwards he made another superhuman effort to concelebrate mass everyday and to listen to the preaching during our Novena of Hope in honour of Blessed Charles at the end of May. It was something he was determined to do and was to be his last great community observance. No sooner was the Novena over than his health deteriorated to the point of exhaustion. No doubt Blessed Charles to whom he had great devotion and Mary, the Mother of Holy Hope, interceded for him as he made that final journey into God.