Obituary Notice
This obituary notice has been digitally processed from a scanned archival document. Some words may be imperfectly rendered.
Fr. Jerome Smyth. (1844-1918) 462, | Father Jerome (Smyth) of the Purification. The late Fr. Jerome of the Furification - in the world, Thomae Smyth - wes born at Longford, the chief town’of the County in Ireland bearing the same name, in T6844. “When but a boy, the vibtuousness of his youthful life seemed a happy presare of his priestly vocation, and caused his parents to send him to the Diocesan Seminary, St. Mel's Collere. Havinz successfully finished his philosophical course, he was trans- ferred to the Trish College, Yaris, and here it was that the day of his Passionist vocation dawned. It happened that he often visited owr church, then situated at Rue ‘de Berri, and intercourse with our religious led to a wish to join the Congregation. Naving satisfied himself that God had called him to religion, he applied for admission to Fr. Tgnatius Paoli, then Provincial of the Anglo-Hibernian T'rovince. We was accepted and entered the Novitiate at Broadway, Worrcestcrshire in J.864. The year he spent as a Passioni.st novice may be summarised in a word - his every action bespoke fervour, while he perseveringly laid that foundation of virtue which stood the test of many Later years. He was professed 27th November 7865. To a religious of such piety as was his, his.ordination in I870 was the fulfillment of his hearts desire. Owine to his great prudence of Character and recognised ability, he was appointed spiritnal Director of Students at Mount Argus. In I87T-72 he was one of the community of the newly-established Retreat in Relfast. Wer. Paoli, Bishop of Nicopolis and Administrator of Yalachia and Moldovia, who knew Fr. Jeromé's stirlin»: qualities, invited him to Bucharest, and on his arrival made him Master of the Novitiate at Cioplea. © This position he held till the Retreat became the diocesan Seminary: he remained in it as its first Superior. Later on he returned to this Province, and at the Provincial Chapter of T8841 was appointed Rector of Mt. Argus, Dublin, which office, however, unforeseen events forced him to resign two years afterwards. Tt was at this period of his life that Fr. Jerome was called upon to bear one of those heavier crosses which it often pleases God to lay upon the shoulders of some of his devoted servants; but he bore it as he did all else in a Christ-like fashion. Owing to a sudden reverse of fortune, his aed ‘parents were left penniless: Fr. Jerome sought and obtained permission to leave the Congresation in order to support them, He accomplished this devoted duty of filial charity whilst serving as a secular priest in the dioceses of Newport and CLasgow. Released from this charge by his parehts! death,-he sought re-admission into the Consresation. He was accepted and returned to owr mission in Bulgaria. On his way thither he was clothed at our housc in Paris, and after a noviceship of 6 months, was professed in the church of SS. Cyril and Methodius, Sistor, Bulgaria, by the late Mer. Doulcet. It was dne to an unfortimate error on the part of His Lordship in not sendinga ‘notification of this fact to our Mother house in Rome, that the usual Obituary Notice failed to reach the varions Provinces of the Congresation, as the Secretary General had no record of his re-admigeion. We in this Province, however, who knew all the facts, did, when we received the sad news of the good old religious! death, offer all the suffrages for the repose of his soul. To know Fr. Jerome was tp love him: he had a noble, unselfish nature which en- shrined many a trait of which the best might boast. Probably his chief characterictic was zeal for souls. Of the many virtues that graced him, it seemed to reigm as queen. Tt was a fitting sequence of hig strons Irish faith. This zeal showed itself at every tur of his life, but especially in his preaching, in his lons hours in the confess- ional, in the promptness and willingness with which he attended the sick and afflicted, of his parish. | Wis: devotion to the Nlessed Sacrament too, was as fervent as it wae constant. A prelate who knew him well once described him as a "verus. homo Dei". As the years rolled by he also moved speedily along the highway of holliness.. ' ¥or years before his death he was stricken with blindness. To a student, as he was this affliction met have been very keen, but he never murmered, bearin; his cross as he had done during another dread trial of his earlier life, in glad imitation of his suffering Saviour.
: , The Vicar-General of our mission in Bulgaria wrote the following short but truly affecting panegyric of Ir. Jerome to the writer. of this notice:= "Le Pere | Jéréme nous a quittd le Ter. Nars 1918, pour entrer dans L'éternité. Le pauvre pere etait avelgle dépuis quatre années. Jl a passé tout ce temps ou couvent (a Roustchoidk) , et a montré une patience vraiment angéligque, se contentant de tout, et — ne murmurent jamais sur son malheur. Puisse~t-i] ne pas noug oublier 1A havt...esees Le frére Jean L'a soigné jusquiau dernier moment". Such is a brief sketch of the life of Fr. Jerome of the Purification - a worthy Passionist in the truest and deepest sense that .the words can bear. His labours are w over ‘and the eternal respite has come; mayehe indecd not foreot us his still exiled brethren, and may he ever pray for our mission in Bulearia which he served so well in life. May he rest in peace.
Source: Obituary Notices, Provincial Archive, St Joseph's Province. Passionist Congregation.