Obituary Notice
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Fr. Leonard McCabe (1895-1966) OBITUARY NOTICH OF FR, LEONARD, C.P. With the death on April 2nd, 1966, of Fr, Leonard Maccabe, the Province of 8t. Joseph lost one of its great missioners, Born at West Calder, Midlothian, August 29th, 1895, Fr, Leotard of the Sorrowful Virgin (Thomas Augustine Maccabe) saw eatly the life to which God was calline him and joined the Cohgregation when he was sixteen yeare of are, Having madé his novitiate at St, Gabriel's, Mnniskillen, he was professed on July 24th, 1912, After the usual course of sacred studies, he was otdained by Archbishop Whiteside of Liverpool at. Sts Anne's, Suttoh, on February 28th, 1920. He then began a life of apostolic work that must be styled extraordinary in ite activity and variety, Missions and retreats were his chief work, of course, and there can be few places in these countries in which he did not preach at one time or anothers Tut he was to engasze in other fields of the apostolate with the devotion he had ehowh and the success he had gained in the work of missions ahd fetreats. When Dri Herbert Vauchan, Superior of the Catholic Missionary Society, appealed to the relitious orders for help, Fr, Leonard was ah obvioue choice for the Provincial to appoint to thie work, For many years he laboured up and down the cotthtry with the "otor- Missior" in the company of such distinauished figures ae Dr. Downey (afterwarde Arch- bishop of Divérpool), Canon Arendzen, Fr, Owen Dudley, Fr, Martin Dempsey and Fri George Nicholson, 0.88.8, The newly- fornied Catholic Hvidence Guild also attracted him and for many years he spoke at the variotts outdoor platforms in lnglands : | Hé broke new ground in the apostolate, ‘Missions to workers! canpa are a common feattire of the apostolate today, They wete Hot so in 1932 wheh Frs Leonard preached a mission in a régervoir schéme workers! camp oh the Yorkehire moors ~ a iiiedion described by a Catholic paper of the day ag “unique in Boeland", ye
Devotion to Our Lady wad a marked nobe of bis epiritual life and united to bis apostolic zeal led him ndturally to support the Legation of Mary that had berun in Dublin not lone after Br. teonard had commenced his miseionary labours: Tn friendly aseociation with Frank Duff, its founder, he did much to introduce the bezion into Bheland and his devoked wark far it won hit the honour of Laureate mewoer, He was ag active in the apostolate of the ven as he was in that of the spoken word and featured prominently in the religiotts journals of the twenties and thirties, writing interestinely on a variety of estibjects, Wheh war broke ott6 in 1939 he became an Army Chaplain ahd served with the Bighth Army in ite African and Italian canpaignss High courage and selfless devotion to his men woh him e deserved reputations When the war wae over he took up once again the work of missions and retreats, a work that wae to end only with hie death: his pertod of his life included a term as Rector of St. Pavl's Retreat, fikley. ‘The vigorots health he habitually enjoyed had indeed deteriorated to some degree in later years but there was no indication that death wae hear when he entered hospital in March for ah operation for an obstinate internal inflammnet- ions The operation was successful sand he seened to be makins a r00d recovery but complications set in and he suddenly became dangerously i11, He met the crisie with the fortitude native to him, perfectly resipned to the will of Gods He died peacefully in the evening of April end. His funeral took place at St, Joseph's, Highzate, on April Sth and wae attended by a large mimber of hie brethren from both Provinces in addition to a Large con -razation of parishioners, friends and relatives ad well es many hnune,s The Cardinal Archbishop of weetminster was represented by his Auxiliary and Vicar-General, Bishop Cagey.
¥rs Leonard now lies amons his brethren in the waugolcum in the grotinds of St. Jogeph's, Highgate, The memory of his inspiring life will long endure. He served the Congresation well over a long life. He was not indeed free from the faults that are a part of the human condition but it is no mere charitable tribute to say of him that he was a grvat Pasgionist, He had a great pride in the Conzrezation - ite potential and its echievewments, On missions and retreats he wae tireless in the search for souls and distinzuishsd for his 200d example and for his adherence to the hallowed cust- ons of the Provinces Ho was a missioner in the great tradit- ion of the Consregation - zealotts, talented, versatile, He preached an extraordinary number of missions, Precise figures are not available but after his death four hundred and thirty one sermon manuscripts were found in hie room = sufficiently eloquent witness to the industry and apostolic zeal that’ were the pattern of his life, May he reet in peace,
Source: Obituary Notices, Provincial Archive, St Joseph's Province. Passionist Congregation.