Henry Peel OP - a holy man, one of us

The remains of Henry Peel lie in St Catherine's Chapel at the Dominican Priory in Dominick Street.

His body lay in state in that room all night and the candles were lit at first light this morning. His removal will take place this afternoon arriving in the main church at 17.00 .

People will gather, pray and talk about Henry.

Fr Diarmuid Clifford will preach at the removal this afternoon and the provincial of the Irish Dominicans is due to preach at the Funeral Mass tomorrow.

A significant number of people in the area were touched by Henry and speak highly of him. He was a popular confessor. A woman who lives in Dorset Street said this morning that he was 'a simple and kind man, a holy man, but one of us'.

In the death notice in today's Irish newspapers, we read "Deeply regretted by his brother Bill, sister-in-law Eva, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, his Dominican Confreres and his many friends".

Last week Henry told me how touched he had been with the kindness he had received from his family in the days he was in hospital.

The death notice is striking. 'Dominican Confreres' - why is the 'Confreres' with an upper case 'C' but all other connections and relatives begin with lower case?

No doubt it will be the 'lower case' people who will shed the tears in these days.

It is seldom you see a Dominican cry at the funeral of a fellow Dominican and that of course is understandable.

Priests need to rid themselves of every vestige of clericalism. And the hints of clericalism show themselves in so many ways and in so many places.

"Henry was a holy man, but one of us."