Category Archives: obituary

The Faith Community of St Michael’s Parish, Inchicore, is deeply saddened to announce the death of our beloved Parish Priest, Fr Louis McDermott OMI. 

Fr Louis came to St Michael’s on January 5th 2011 and has remained with us ever since – only taking a step back when his health deteriorated in recent years.

A native of Garristown, North County Dublin, Louis was a great man of the people with a quick witty sense of humour.  Even in the middle of recent suffering he found time to smile and have fun.  His mind remained razor sharp and interested in all that was happening in the community to the very end. 

Louis had a strong commitment to the Oblate mission for justice, peace and the integrity of creation.  He spent time in the parishes of Darndale, Liverpool and Southampton helping empower people and building local communities.  He was a man who believed strongly in collaboration and synodality in all he did. Here at St Michael’s, he encouraged lay participation at all levels of Parish life and helped build strong leadership teams. He encouraged the employment of a female pastoral worker for gender balance and fairness. 

Louis actively participated in local organisations such as the Kavanagh House, Inchicore Regeneration Forum and Our Lady of Lourdes local national school. 

A keen and skilled sportsman, Louis had played with Dublin Minors before joining the Oblate Fathers in 1969.  In his later years, he went on to enjoy Golf (with an excellent handicap). He was interested in sports of all kinds and had a strong allegiance to the Dubs, St Patricks Athletic, Liverpool FC and Leinster. He also greatly enjoyed horse racing.  

Fr Louis was beloved of many people near and far and he will be grievously missed by the whole St Michael’s community. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to his beloved family, relatives, friends, and the Oblate Community.

Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann!  Solas na bhFlaitheas dá anam uasal. 

Pádraigín Clancy, Pastoral Associate, on behalf of St Michael’s Parish.

Funeral arrangements information on the link below:
https://rip.ie/death-notice/fr.-louis-mcdermott-o.m.i-dublin-8-dublin/511405/

During the summer months our faith community suffered the sad loss of Sr Luarena McCormick RSM [ late of Emmet Crescent] who died in Our Lady’s Hospice, Harold’s Cross, Dublin, on 29^th July 2021. 

Luarena is survived by her sisters Betty and Margaret, her brothers Charlie, Liam and Frank, her sisters-in-law Mary and Aideen and their families.  

Luarena was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin, on the 6^th of July 1942 to Teresa Brady and Arthur McCormick. 

She was finally professed in April 1969 in Carysfort Park, Blackrock, Co. Dublin having entered the Mercy Congregation there in 1963.

She spent her teaching years in the Secondary Schools of Golden bridge, Inchicore and Mourne Road, Drimnagh and in the Irish Prison Service.  She also taught in the Prison Service in North East Brazil for three years.  

On receiving news of her death, one former pupil at Golden bridge wrote ‘ I have fond memories of Sr. Luarena from school, a lovely gentle human being’. 

In the last twenty years of her life Luarena’s consciousness of the sacredness of the Earth deepened. She lived her life out of this awareness and shared it with an urgency bourne out of a profound understanding and commitment to right relationship with God’s creation. She did much work for Eco-Congregation and at her funeral mass celebrant and dear friend, Tom McCabe OMI, spoke beautifully about Luarena’s gift for hospitality and of her ‘ breaking the bread of creation’.  

Luarena never lost her zest for life and was an inspiration to us all in the Parish as she bravely bore her illness. As one Parishioner said, ‘Luarena combined all her hard work with great good humour and fun’.  In spite of her physical suffering she remained committed to Parish events attending; liturgies, reflection groups, book clubs, Irish conversation classes, as well as baking delicious cakes for the community and weaving St Brigid crosses with the children at Our Lady of Lourdes NS.   

In her latter days she was graciously cared for by the staff in Our Lady’s Hospice Harold’s Cross, in Catherine McAuley Nursing Home Beaumont and St. James’s Hospital.

Her funeral mass was a tribute to her life’s work in education and social and climate justice. She had asked the choir and musicians at St Michael’s  to sing and play at her passing which they did beautifully.  It was a particularly nice nuance to learn afterwards that Luarena had taught our two flautists, Martina Condon and Ann Macken.  

The people of the Parish extend their deepest sympathy to the Religious Sisters of Mercy and to Laurena’s family of origin, her many friends and especially her life-long anamchara, Sr Agnes Coll, on their sad loss.   

We wish Luarena eternal rest and eternal joy. May her memory live on in our mind and be an encouragement and inspiration to us all. 

Solas na bhFlaitheas, a Luarena a stór, go luighe an chré go héadtrom ar do cholainn uasal.

Pádraigín Clancy, on behalf of St Michael’s Faith Community.