Commemoration in Offaly parish marked 50th anniversary of Cardinal Heenan’s death

EARLY November 2025 marked the 50^th anniversary of the passing of Dr John Carmel Heenan, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster.

As both of his parents came from the parish of Seir Kieran, a memorial Mass was celebrated in St Kieran’s Church, Clareen. The Mass was said by Most Rev. Dr Niall Coll, the Bishop of Ossory, assisted by Fr Michael Reddan, SVD, Adm., in the presence of a large attendance of parishioners. This was augmented by many relatives of the Cardinal who travelled from Birr and other places in the Midlands and from further afield.

The Cardinal’s parents were James Carmel Heenan and Anne Pilkington, who both grew up in the vicinity of Bell Hill, Clareen. James emigrated to England at the age of 19. It was while on a visit home, at Easter 1898, that he and Annie became the last couple to be married in the old parish church in Breaghmore (where the New Cemetery is now). They set out for England soon after the wedding, where James worked in the Civil Service, at first in the House of Commons and later at the Patents Office. James and Annie settled in the town of Ilford and had five children – James Joseph; his twin George who lived only a few hours; Mary Ethelreda (later Mrs Reynolds); Francis Kieran (who also became a priest); and John Carmel the youngest.

In April 1918 at age 13, the future Cardinal went to a Jesuit-run grammar school in London, St Ignatius College in Stamford Hill. At age 17 he went on to Ushaw College, a Catholic seminary in County Durham. Although the food was poor and he thought of leaving, John Carmel persevered in his studies of Latin, Greek, French, English, as well as Logic which he particularly enjoyed. Summer holidays would often be spent with his relatives in Birr, the Pilkingtons, from where he got to know well his parents’ native parish of Clareen.

In 1924, the young seminarian went to Rome to study at the Venerable English College on Via di Monserrato. Six years later, in Ilford where he grew up, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Brentford. It was then back to Rome to complete his Doctorate in Divinity, after which he was posted as a curate to the Essex town of Barking.

In 1936, posing as a psychiatrist rather than a priest, Dr Heenan undertook a hazardous months-long trip to the Soviet Union that included visits to gatherings of believers driven underground by the regime. This experience only reinforced his great distrust of Communism. In 1937, he was made Parish Priest of St Stephen’s Parish in London’s East End, serving there for a decade including the years of the Second World War. During the Luftwaffe’s “Blitz” on London, he acted as a local night-time fire warden and took part in search and rescue efforts from burning buildings.

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In 1951, Dr Heenan was made Bishop of Leeds. In August of that year, there was a memorable welcome “home” to Clareen. As recorded in the Midland Tribune of that time, the long-serving schoolmaster Seán O’Neill began his address of welcome by saying: “We bid you a hearty welcome – Céad Míle Fáilte – to Seir Kieran, the birthplace of your parents who loved their homeland dearly. … Claiming you as one of our own we have watched your career with the keenest of interest, and have rejoiced at each step you have taken on the road of God’s honour.”

In the course of his reply, the new Bishop spoke of his “tremendous joy” to be there, and said that no address of welcome he had received gave him more pleasure than this one, because he regarded Clareen as his “home town” – the village where his father and mother were born, married, and brought up in the Catholic faith.

In 1957, Dr Heenan became Archbishop of Liverpool. Although his social views were trenchantly orthodox, and although Catholic/Protestant animosities still ran deep in Liverpool, the energetic young prelate attained great popularity in the city. It fell to him to choose the winning re-design for the new Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, the original design of which had stalled due to cost overruns. Completed in 1967, the Cathedral is colloquially known as “Paddy’s Wigwam” and has become an iconic part of the Liverpool skyline.

On September 2^nd 1963, Dr Heenan was made Archbishop of Westminster, and thereby, Head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Less than two years later, in February 1965, he was created Cardinal by Pope Paul VI. In August of that year, the new Cardinal received ecstatic liturgical and civic receptions in Birr, Banagher and nearby places, and came to Seir Kieran to say Sunday Mass for the parishioners’ intentions, and also in memory of his late parents.

Among those concelebrating were Fr Carroll (Adm., Seir Kieran), his elder brother Monsignor Francis Heenan, and his nephew Fr Michael Reynolds. The Cardinal took the opportunity to visit the homes of his Heenan, Pilkington and Mooney relatives, before attending a luncheon reception hosted by Fr Carroll in the Parochial House.

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Speaking to the media shortly after his elevation to the College of Cardinals, Dr Heenan stated that: “A Bishop is a pontifex - a builder of bridges". He wanted to build bridges that "will be spiritual bridges, but not the less durable on that account."

As society changed, it would pain and perplex him to see increasing numbers of priests and nuns applying to leave the religious life. During Vatican II, he was reported as being “cautious about reform but loyal and determined to implement the decisions of the Council”. He fostered enthusiastically the ecumenical spirit of the age, notably through his friendships with the (Anglican) Archbishop of Canterbury and with the Chief Rabbi of Britain.

Early in 1969, Dr Heenan was invited to preach at Canterbury Cathedral. Notwithstanding a noisy protest led by Ian Paisley outside the building, he became the first Catholic prelate to preach there since the Reformation.

In January 1967, Dr Heenan’s brother the Monsignor passed away and was buried in Seir Kieran at his own request. During the War, “Father Frank” (as he was better known) had served as Chaplain to the Allied Forces in France and the Middle East, and had never entirely regained his health. The Cardinal said the funeral Mass, which turned out to be one of his last visits to Clareen. His own health started to fail in subsequent years, and on November 7^th 1975, he died in London at the age of 70.

Although the Requiem Mass in Westminster Cathedral was not an occasion of State, among the congregation were the then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his wife Mary. An obituary in the New York Times stated that the life’s work of this great Churchman had "earned him the reputation for always leaning toward the poor."

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At the start of the recent memorial Mass, the Cardinal’s cousin Mrs Una Anderson Ryan (who had travelled from Limerick) brought up to the altar a presentation of his personal breviary. This gesture was greeted with thunderous applause. Bishop Niall received the breviary on behalf of the Parish, to be kept and treasured for future generations.

In the course of his homily, he evoked a man who was “warm, approachable and deeply pastoral”. He recalled Dr Heenan’s sayings that apply just as much to the present day, such as “faith is caught more than taught”, and “The greatest need of the Church is not for more change, but for more saints”.

Bishop Niall concluded that “Today’s commemoration is also about us”, and cited one of the Readings, “Zeal for your house will devour you”. Without such zeal, he suggested, something is missing. On behalf of both himself and Fr Michael, Bishop Niall commended the choir and all who had participated in the Mass. He included in his thanks the altar servers, the children who had read the bidding prayers, their parents and teachers, the readers and eucharistic minister, and Jimmy Blake who had compiled the Mass booklet. Recalling Fr Reddan’s years on mission in Paraguay, Bishop Niall remarked that he was clearly not just a “maintenance man” and was still every inch a missionary.

Everyone was then invited to the Parish Hall for soup, sandwiches, buns/cakes and a cup of tea. The hospitality, efficiency and friendliness of the Hall Committee was deeply appreciated by all who sat down to eat and to chat. The buzz of conversation lingered well into the afternoon, sending many an echo down Memory Lane. It seemed to encapsulate how John Carmel Cardinal Heenan, although interred in Westminster Cathedral a long way from Clareen, has long since come home.

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