Pope Leo XIV’s Tipperary connection revealed in 20-year-old photo

On June 29, 2005, members of the Augustinian community, together with the then General of the Augustinian Order, Fr Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, attended a special chapter mass in Fethard Abbey celebrating 700 years of one of the oldest functioning churches in Ireland.

Fethard-based photographer Joe Kenny captured the occasion on camera 20 years ago, and remembers the occasion fondly. The photo shows John Meagher OSA, General of the Augustinian Order, today’s new Pope, then Fr Robert Prevost, and the newly appointed Provincial, Fr Gerry Horan OSA, at Fethard Abbey.

“It was a huge event for the Augustinians. They were celebrating over 700 years in Fethard and they had a big chapter mass in Limerick, and they all came over to Fethard then. I took loads of photographs of them,” Joe told the Irish Independent.

Joe didn’t converse with the then future Pope, but did take a photograph of the American, who is now the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first Pope from the Augustinian order.

Joe also wrote an article about the event in conjunction with his photos, in which he shared: “At the time of the Confederation of Kilkenny, when Catholics were given a brief ‘breathing space’ from persecution, the Augustinians were able to hold their provincial chapters in Fethard in 1643, 1646 and 1649. The Provincial superior actually lived in Fethard from 1646 to 1649.”

The chapter of 2005 was presided over by Fr Prevost, who was the 96th Prior General of the Augustinian Order. On the evening of June 29 that year at least 60 Chapter fathers arrived in Fethard to celebrate mass in the Abbey in its centenary year.

“This visit was organised long before our prior, Fr Gerry Horan, was chosen to be Provincial of the Irish Province. As one of the first acts at the new Chapter, Rev Fr Prevost will confirm Fr Gerry as the next Provincial, on 27th June,” Joe wrote in 2005.

The largest ever gathering of Augustinians took place in Fethard Abbey on that Wednesday evening, when over 70 friars broke from their week-long Province Chapter being held at Limerick University and visited Fethard with Fr Prevost, then based at St Monica’s Curia, Rome.

Chapters are held every four years to deliberate the life and work of the Irish Augustinians here in Ireland, and in their overseas missions in Nigeria, Kenya, Ecuador, and friars also working in USA. Canada, Australia and England.

During the Chapter mass held at the Abbey Fethard the Prior General confirmed the following named men in office — four Province counsellors: Fathers John Hennebry, rector, Good Counsel College, New Ross, Richie Goode, chaplain Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Pat Codd, St Augustine’s Limerick, and Michael Brunnock, prior, St Patrick’s Rome.

Also, Province secretary, Paddy O’Reilly, prior St. Augustine’s Ballyboden, Dublin (native of Cashel), Province bursar Michael O’Sullivan, John’s Lane Priory, Dublin.

The new Provincial (leader) of the Augustinian in Ireland was named as Fr Gerry Horan.

“Fr Gerry is a Limerick man who spent 20 years teaching at the Order’s school, St. Augustine’s Dungarvan,” wrote Joe. “Fr Gerry has been the prior of the local Fethard Abbey for the past four years and is well known in Fethard Secondary School where he acts as school chaplain.

Fr John Meagher OSA celebrated the mass and Fr Horan, the new Provincial, preached.

“There was a large congregation of Fethard people at the mass, which was marked by wonderful singing from the choir. A group of local ladies provided a lovely meal afterwards for all the Augustinian visitors in a marquee in the Abbey garden,” Joe concluded.