John Harrington was born
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| Fr Wilfrid Harrington OP |
He joined the Irish Province of the Dominican Order in September 1946 and ordained a priest in Rome on February 28, 1953. Before joining the Dominicans he was a boarder at Newbridge College. Coming from far away Cork he had never before seen a rugby pitch. His immediate reaction on seeing the goalposts in Newbridge was to say that their size made it very difficult for the goalkeeper.
Travelling from Castletownbere to Dublin you reach halfway while still in Co. Cork.
He studied at the Dominican studium in Tallaght, the University of St Thomas in Rome and the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem.
Wilfrid Harrington was a special person. He was a great scholar and a perfect gentleman, one of the kindest people I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet.
On completion of his scripture studies in 1957 he moved to the studium in Tallaght, where he lived until yesterday. He was the longest serving member of the Tallaght community.
A student of Wilfrid's in 1957 recalls how he brought the Bible alive. His students at the time referred to him as the young Turk. And that was something he was until the day he died.
Thirty years later, a student who sat at his feet in the 1980s, could not believe the life and excitement Wilf brought to the first 11 chapters of Genesis. “His course on the Pentateuch was simply fascinating,” he said.
Wilfrid appears in Wikipedia, where there is a list of some of the books he wrote.
On the academic side, the Bible was his life. But it was more than that. His favourite book in the New Testament was the Gospel according to St Mark, and Jeremiah was his favourite prophet.
In 1989 Wilfrid was awarded the STM (Master in Sacred Theology) the highest Dominican academic award.
To celebrate the publication of his 25th book he was presented by the then provincial, Fr Tom Jordan with a new laptop in St Mary’s Priory Tallaght. Soon after the lunch he disappeared, noticing his absence, the late Fr Redmond Fitzmaurice smiled, saying: “He’ll have his 26th book ready by the evening”.
On one occasion preaching at Mass on the parable of the person seeing the splinter in his brother’s eye and never noticing the plank in his own (Matthew 7: 3 - 5), Wilfrid said that the plank in his eye was the Vatican.
In older age on being taken to hospital one day in an ambulance, the paramedic asked him if he had any allergies, he immediately quipped: ‘yes, bishops’.
The late Fr Ephraim MacCarthy, who was on the teaching staff in Tallaght with Wilf, said to him one evening over a cup of tea that the only way he would lose his infallibility would be if he were elected pope. Fr Ephraem would have had a slightly different understanding of the hierarchical church than Wilf.
Along with teaching Dominican students, he also lectured in a long list of other universities and academic institutions, including the Priory Institute, Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, the Church of Ireland Theological College. Every year he taught at summer schools in the United States. His favourite venue was the Department of Religion at the University of Vermont.
He also lectured the Irish Dominican Sisters and Nuns in their communities and when the Dominican Sisters had their noviciate in Bancroft in Tallaght, their novices attended his lectures in the Dominican studium in the priory. He taught the Westminster Diploma at Mauckross Park.
The late Sinead O'Connor, who studied Old Testament Scripture at the Milltown Institute under Wilfrid, dedicated her 2007 album to him.
But there was far more than teaching to Wilf. He was generous, gracious and kind, pastorally tuned and a saintly confessor.
The late Fr Eddie Conway, who was prior in Tallaght, said of Wilf that he was the busiest man in the house but he would never refuse a call to the hall door to meet and speak with someone.
Fr Donal Roche, who was Wilf’s prior for nine years, said that he would often approach him offering to hear confessions for him, saying: “I’ll do that for you, you have enough to be doing”.
“He would be one of the first to write down his name to do the wash up after supper, though he seldom if ever came to the evening meal. He had no airs or graces whatsoever,” Donal said.
Wilfrid was the nephew of Fr Reginald Harrington, who preceded Fr Louis Coffey as provincial. Reggie, as he was known, only did one term as provincial. And thereby hangs a tale. Reggie, like his nephew was a kind man, humble and gentle. His style did not suit the ‘high and mighty’, the arrogant ones, those entrenched in clericalism. They had the power an made sure he would not be reelected.
"The Harringtons were on the side of the students and not on the side of power,” words from a contemporary Dominican.
In January last year Wilfrid lost the sight in his second eye, making him totally blind. For those 16 months he was bed bound. For a man who spent his life reading, rising every day at approximately 5am, now not able to read must have been the cruellest of blows. He took it all with such calmness and serenity. The staff who cared for him were in awe of his attitude. Indeed, a special word of thanks must go to the staff and Fr Donal Roche, who cared for him with such dignity, attention and grace.
In recent weeks I regularly visited Wilfrid, and as with the staff and Donal, I was blown over with his serenity, calmness and graciousness, his belief in the loving God. I never once heard him complain about his plight. On one occasion I told him I was in trouble over something, he immediately smiled and said: “why am I not surprised”. On a later visit I asked him did he believe in the devil. He replied, telling me it is blasphemy to say there is a Devil.
Wilfrid until his health broke down regularly celebrated the Sunday morning Mass in Irish in the priory church in Tallaght.
He was a man of inspiration to the moment of his last breath.
May Wilfrid John Harrington rest in peace.
Wilfrid's body will be reposing in the large parlour in St Mary’s Priory, Tallaght on Easter Sunday from 3pm to 5pm, reception in the priory church at 5pm. Funeral Mass at 2pm on Easter Monday. Burial in the community cemetery.
3 comments:
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal
Fr Jack, as we knew him was my Mom's first cousin, he was the kindest, most sincere and gentlest person. The exact description of a gentleman. He was not boastful. In fact it was only my digging online that I found out just how prolific a writer he was and how important in the world of scripture and theology he was. Having Sinead O'Connor dedicate an album to him blew me away. But I remember the man, who visited weekly with my parents, when I was young, he never showed up without at least 6 bars of dailymilk chocolate for my brothers and I. My father died in 1998 and he came every Thursday to visit with my Mom. When he became unable to leave the Priory, my mother kept up the visits but now at his abode. He was so wonderful to my Mom and she will miss him dearly. For me, he was Fr. Jack a loving and wonderful Priest Uncle. He gave me hope that there are truly pure and good men in the world, particularly in the world of the Catholic Church. You sometimes have to search for them as they are quiet and unassuming individuals. Fr Jack was one of these wonderful men.
Edel Murphy
A Beautiful tribute Michael. I’m sure Wilfred is resting in the mercy and love of God of which he constantly preached. I’m always grateful to have been taught by such a beautiful human being.
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