by Lyndsay Freer
Fr Kevin O’Donoghue, SM died recently at Wellington’s Home of Compassion aged 91. His priestly and Marist life of 67 years spanned a wide range of ministries and activities — as teacher at St Bede’s College (where he was also a sports coach), as parish priest in Wellington and Christchurch for 17 years, and as a member of the Marist missionary team preaching parish missions throughout New Zealand and Australia.
A man of many interests and talents, he was known especially for his love of music and as an accomplished pianist with a fine singing voice.
The eulogy at his Requiem at St Mary of the Angels in Wellington on the feast of St Jean Vianney paid tribute to his capacity for friendship, his scholarship and wisdom, and also of his fine preaching, his love of gardening and his kindness and wise advice.
For a long time in the Society of Mary, there were two Fr Kevin O’Donoghues.
The one who died in 2015 had a passion for photography and was nick-named “Kodak”.
According to a Marist Messenger article in 2015, this Fr Kevin “submitted a photograph for every issue of the NZ Tablet and later . . . in the Zealandia which eventually became NZ Catholic”.
The lovely Fr Kevin O’Donohue married Linda and I in the side chapel of St Mary’s Church, Manchester Street, Christchurch where my parents also married and both had their funerals. He did a fine job. We’re still married some 46 years later. R I P.
Kevin Milne
The lovely Fr Kevin O’Donohue married Linda and I in the side chapel of St Mary’s Church, Manchester Street, Christchurch where my parents also married and both had their funerals. He did a fine job. We’re still married some 44 years later. R I P.
Kevin Milne