Tribute at passing of 'giant of the diocese'

The late Monsignor Sean Cahill ministered in Enniskillen during some of the most difficult days of the troubles, and especially at the time of the Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen in 1987.

The Diocese of Clogher has paid tribute following the passing of Monsignor Sean Cahill, the retired Parish Priest of Enniskillen, a Vicar-General of the Diocese of Clogher for many years and also a former President of St Macartan’s College, Monaghan.

Monsignor Cahill died peacefully at the South West Acute Hospital Enniskillen on Monday evening last, following a long illness which he bore with “great dignity and an acceptance of God’s will”.

A priest of the diocese for sixty years, his Funeral Mass will take place on Friday, July 24. The occasion will also mark Mons Cahill's sixtieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

Born April 24, 1934, Mons Cahill the son of the late John and Margaret Cahill (nee O’Halloran), was born at Latlurcan in Monaghan town.

Educated at Monaghan CBS and later at St Macartan’s College, he studied for the priesthood at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth after which he was ordained by Bishop Eugene O’Callaghan on July 24, 1960.

From 1960 Fr Sean was a member of the teaching staff of St Macartan’s College, Monaghan, being President of the College from 1974 until 1981.

He was appointed Parish Priest of St Michael’s Parish, Enniskillen in August 1981 where he served until his retirement in 2007.

Appointed Chaplain to His Holiness with the tile of Monsignor in 1981, he was also a Vicar General of the Diocese of Clogher from then until 2010.

Following his retirement as Parish Priest, he ministered to the people of Maguiresbridge in the parish of Aghalurcher, Co Fermanagh until 2018, during which time he also fulfilled, with great enthusiasm and some notable success, the role of Diocesan Director of Vocations.

Monsignor Sean was brother of the late Fr Martin Cahill, a priest of the Diocese of Clogher who died in Magh Ene (Bundoran-Ballyshannon) parish in 1988.

Upon learning of Monsignor Cahill’s death, the Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Larry Duffy, said that the entire diocese had lost a “great servant, a priest who had given that service to the Lord through his priesthood and through leadership in both education and parish life.”

He went onto describe Mons Cahill as “one of the giants of the diocese in his time. Throughout his sixty years of priestly ministry he gave generous service to God’s people through teaching, education leadership, parish ministry and assistance at diocesan level. He began his ministry just a the Church prepared for Vatican II. He witnessed many changes in the Church and in wider society and he negotiated all these in his own inimitable way – always prayerfully and with great energy.”

He noted that Mons Cahill always had “high standards” and expected those who worked with him to “do their very best” to attain those same standards of service. “He always saw this as a response to the call that he and all of us receive through our baptism. It was that same sense of vocation that enabled him to contribute immensely to important developments in the fields of education, marriage and the family, vocations to the priesthood and also in the area of inter-Church dialogue.”

This dedication to both faith and Mons Cahill's parishioners was indeed borne out during his ministry in Enniskillen during some of the most difficult days of the troubles, and especially at the time of the Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen in 1987. “His faith-filled compassion and leadership, together with his outgoing and gentle personality, touched the hearts of many people, regardless of  religious background. He walked with people in “the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties” of life,” said Bishop Duffy.

Tributes were also paid to Mons Cahill by Most Revd John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh, Church of Ireland, who spoke of his sadness upon learning of Mons Cahill's death.

“Monsignor Cahill has been a friend of the Church of Ireland clergy and people in Enniskillen and wider Diocese of Clogher for many years and was an extraordinary diligent parish priest and counsellor in the Diocese,” he said. “And many people from the Church of Ireland community will have experienced the depth of his friendship and will have benefited from his wisdom and astute judgement.”

Mons Cahill is survived by his brothers Hugh and Owen, his nephews and niece and a wide circle of friends.

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, attendance at the funeral will be restricted. Mons Cahill’s body will be removed to St Michael’s Church, Enniskillen this Thursday evening, to arrive at 6.30pm.

His Funeral Mass will take place on Friday (24th) at 12 Noon, followed by burial in the Convent Cemetery, Enniskillen.

The funeral liturgies will be broadcast via https://www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/st-michaels-parish-eniskillen and on the Enniskillen parish website: http://www.saintmichaels-parish.com/.