Fr Whelan celebrates 50 years as a missionary priest
Siblings Mary O' Sullivan, Dan Whelan, Fr Seamus, Pat Minchin and Veronica McCarthy
Five decades of pastoral care and helping to develop services for his community were celebrated when Fr Seamus Whelan marked his golden jubilee as a missionary priest.
Fr Seamus returned home from Argentina, where he’s been based for the past 50 years, back to Borris to mark the wonderful anniversary. He was joined by several other priests from the Pallottine Order of Missionary Priest as well as Fr Rory Nolan, PP Borris, and members of his family. It was fitting that the anniversary Mass was celebrated in the Sacred Heart Church, Borris, as this was the village where he was born and raised.
His is the son of the late Jack and Kathleen Whelan, The Forge, and is one of ten children but sadly three of his siblings, Peter, Joan and Rene, are deceased.
Fr Seamus was ordained 50 years ago in Thurles, Co Tipperary on the 8 June 1974 and almost immediately left Ireland to work his missionary work in Argentina.
He has dedicated his life to helping the poor. Among his many achievements, he has been involved in the building of a school in the parish of Mercedes where 1,000 children now attend each day. He also oversaw the restoration of St Patrick’s Church in Mercedes which is of Gothic architecture while he also organised the building of the Fr Tony Staklelum Centre in the Parish of San Antonia de Areco. The centre provides support for mothers and children from less privileged background.
These successful projects would not be possible without the support of his family, friends and neighbors in Ireland who donated much-needed funds and for which he was very grateful.
His jubilee celebration was a wonderful occasion for Fr Seamus who got to celebrate after Mass in the Step House Hotel, Borris, with his siblings and nieces and nephews, his family and his many friends in the priesthood.
