Obituary Notice
This obituary notice has been digitally processed from a scanned archival document. Some words may be imperfectly rendered.
. out«-through~ the. gates: of.’ General ma, 4 Young nobleman and his groom rode les | in was “Flock. of Christ, by Cardinal Wiseman. He Ls “Lygoti’s residetice at Spring Hill it Worcester-:. was . dlmost twenty-nine | years of age. ‘ shire ahd. urged their mounts. towards: the | : nearby hamlet of Broadway. °, The ‘voting fioblefnan. was the “ Honourable | Charles Regitiald “Packenham, of: a -distingtiished’” family.of Protestant Irish getitry,. Captaiti -o sin the First Battalion: of Grenadier Guards. and a nephew of the “' Iron Duke” of - Wellington. 2, Th: the young mat’s “+ detetthination butned—a determination whic ~y had taken possession: of hitn despite femon- stfanée, advies’ and the: pleadings, of his ébthtddés and familys “Lf you'like to be a’ <3 Roriaih: Catholic; thatis tothing-‘to / me," his hele, Genetal, Lygory. had pléaded; ~ life as a Passionist! am) a. finely:tempered mind, with which . he ms explored. the great literatures of. Englatid, ’ Fratice’ atid Getinany. -Rotisseati’ ahd eyes, a fiteof strong’. . . adniittéd one and ‘the other returned ) promising and well-bred a, youth should “Rot bé ‘allowed to meet with such a. on . dégrading fate, they thought. “‘‘ The gayest . felloW’in the tegimetit,’’ was how his boon: - / .'. 6Otipariions liked to deseribe‘him. Besides ,,. this gaiety vf his, the voting officer. possessed Fr. Paul Mary Packenham (1821-1857) AAR Saturday ‘afternoon in May, 1881, “On the’ Beast “of the’ “Assiimption, 1850, Charles Pakenhatn was received into. the “ This “new maditess,”” of Which the General ‘had..sidken, was no madness. to him, who : had-heard within the’ cdll to -higher things, to. thé* glorious - vocatioti of: poverty and — sactificé,toa renuhciation of all save the - Cross, ‘to discipleship with the- Crucified oo Cbut why, this new madness 2°’ Surely the _, Gddd: Saviour ‘could: not. have meat. that fot such as you? Mark my words, you'll» die ih-a, ditch.”. His mother had besought.” ‘> him it her letters.not to dishotiout theif . -. 1 howse, and his sisters had declared that they. * had prefetted he were dead’ than, waste his * Rite Hitnself; to the ‘bate cell. ofa. * Passionist:.. When the horsémen attived at . Broadway, the door of the Passionist: Retreat . General with 4 note of farewell.” to the. SAKENHAM. As a novice, ‘atid’ later asa’ sttident; Was Hdted for-his singulat piety, © espécially: fot his practice. of charity. and. ~hinnility;. He had éntered with the intention of becoming a! humble laybrother, but’ his — - Supériors, seeing his urlique qualities; urged him towatds the Sacted Ministry. ' Stoties _.« ‘of the virtues of Brothet Paul Maty (his new ° ‘religious name) were soon to be related in the hduses of his Order. Loved atid rever; enced by all who knew him, while still a-- “student, he was’ appointed to 'thée position of Vice-Master of Novices and was ‘deemed Newrian weéte alike familiat to him. The- \,. wtitinigs of the English Cardinal opetiéd his | i, eyes tothe falacies of Anglica theology. ~* ‘Av 4 Newmail ‘tatight me ‘the - beauty of « . teligion,” he déclafed. But it was Alphotisus ' Ligouti who produced the final key to the. ><" City. ott a’ Hill,’ ‘the Rotnan’ Catholic: ee _ fas _ little public chtirch at Broadway. . Only four fit to’ preach at evening devotiotris in the yeats after: his entry into the’ Congregation . Of the ‘Passion had passed, when he was | ~ ordained ptiestat Oscott College, on the 29th oy te _Sépteinbet, the feast of St.' Michael. the, ~ Atchafigel, Protector of: the Congregation. © ree -. Father. Paul Maty was sent to’Rome, as i. Ditéctot of a group of students, whereit was thought; ai improvement in his health, . which -had catiged corisiderable : coficern, * tight: tesult. - After-a.stay of éight months. -— | learnof his appointttieht as Rector of the in Rorié, he was tecdlled to England. . Ott teaching Lotidon, he was amazed to. \. \
Fr. Paul Mary Packenham (1821-1857) 7 atid his striking humility were spoken of _ by, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. |” K/ HEN little mote than six months had _l."" passed at Blessed. Paul’s Retreat, he + _ was laid low with a Serious illness, in Lent, * 1857. He became so exhausted that. the: doctor. pronotinced his case hopeless.’ The ' |... Shockitig news of his sudden. death. spread _|- |. across the cityof Dublin on the first day of “| Match; Hé had promisedto make an appeal | ' that very day for the Poor Clare Orphanage, . _ |, »Hatold’s Cross, in the Jesuit Church, Gardiner Pee Street . .‘To quote otie ‘newspaper: , ‘‘ All Dublin -., mouthed over him, with an alinost universal “ekyOf sottow.”’. The police wete. called upon “- # Po control the crowds: that, blocked the e, eh te . I, ehittes' leading to the monastery. They’ a gaat aes va iueRLAM’. K6. . | 77 phessed forward to see the remains of “ the ee Pte P SEIMEI FAUL RARE TPARENHAMD SE, "Hdend of the poot,”. of him who had spent- y ~ otily. a few years in the Fold but-had. ‘spent at i a ~ a ; a aa a ° ¢ Paar gee 5 . cay t -fiest: Basstorist toutdation of ftish: ‘geil thet itt saintly fashion ‘and ‘saintly’ is, Says : a" This new: Retteat ‘Was at Moitit. Afgus, ith, itt do WAY itténded to Atticipate the j rien Os fhe patish ot Rathinines, Dublin, “Nobed ys Way ded to aiticipate the judgement of bubted that the destities of the Congrega-.-—- tidtt in teeland wete in the hands of a, tani. | whe Had ‘all ‘the high’ qtidlities which his“ { { thé Chath ot to signify heroic sanctity. | _ Spositiot demanded. The Hottourable Fr. - Ignatius: (Spencer), C.P. (a telative. of Sir. -s.Winstott_ Churchill) was afterwards to write: {' It might séem that Providence had catléd ‘Rin amohgst us of purpose to be the leader’ “of our fitst coloiiy in this country.” + TN. 1856, on. the Feast. of Our Lady’s . ™ Assiiniption iftd, Heaven, Father Paul | Mary Pakeritiain celebrated the first Mass at . Mount. Argtis in a foom of the. old house, ‘which théy called‘ Blessed Paul’s Retreat,” "cattery theit Holy Foutider. a oo Phe life of the little community was to be, ' fr6ught with povetty and hardship, for they. ~*~ had settled’ at Mount Argus without a” "farthing.th their’ possession, télyitig on the | - botitity, of the Crucified to see: all thifgs ‘atight, The holy Rector practised extreme . poverty, affording fot otily inspiration to the other‘religiotig but also. to the poor of the ‘ *" neighbottthbod, Strict'as:he was in discipline, | “ the love: Which. the ¢éminunity bore him | ‘ pevet abated. He was seen as. the -cotplete. ‘atiof God, gentle, athiable atid always. the jita of a> tectéation petiod.-°. His vittué | “radiated: fat-out into the: streets of the, eit) | ‘
Source: Obituary Notices, Provincial Archive, St Joseph's Province. Passionist Congregation.