Rev. McGRATH, W. Aedan SSC
莫克勤神父
Father W. Aedan McGrath, S.S.C.
R.I.P.
Father W. Aedan McGrath, a priest of the
Columban Mission Society for over 70 years and a pioneer promoter of the Legion of Mary in
China, died in Dublin, Ireland, on 25 December 2000, aged 94.
Aedan was born on 22 January 1906 in Dublin, Ireland and educated at Belvedere and King's
College, London before entering the Columban seminary where he was ordained to the
priesthood on 21 December 1929.
Appointed to China in 1930, he soon got involved in directing the organization and
expansion of the Legion of Mary in China.
Describing the beginning of his association with the Legion of Mary, Father said it began
when in one of his early mission assignments he was over-whelmed by the task of visiting
the 24 stations in his mission parish. "I asked for another priest to help", he
said, "and instead I was sent a copy of the handbook of the Legion of Mary."
He did not think starting a praesidium would help but to keep his bishop happy, he
recruited six men with no particular qualifications. When he was forced by a political
situation to be away from his parish for two years, he returned to find to his utter
amazement these men had proved excellent evangelisers and from that point on he became a
Legion of Mary organiser.
During the Japanese War, he was instrumental in saving the women in his town from physical
abuse by soldiers because he had once met the movie star Loretta Young and the commanding
officer was a fan of hers.
Following a visit to Dublin in 1946, he returned and was instructed to start the Legion
all over China. "Within half an hour, the first praesidium was formed in what was
probably the most sophisticated university in China at the time in Shanghai.
From Shanghai, he went to Hankow in central China and then up to Beijing where he did the
same. The success of the Legion was not lost on the Chinese authorities.
In September of 1951, Father McGrath was arrested and jailed because his work for the
Legion of Mary in China was judged subversive. He spent the next two years and eight
months in prison, much of it in solitary confinement.
After his release from prison and expulsion from China on the 1 May 1954, Father McGrath
spent the rest of his life worked tirelessly for the Legion in Europe, Asia and the
Americas eventually ending up in the Philippines.
In 1980 when Father McGrath was already in his 70s, he was asked to go to the Philippines
where he established countless branches of the Legion. He continued in this work to the
end of his life.
Father McGrath was well known in Hong Kong and he continued to visit his friends in the
Legion here up until 1997. Although small in stature, he possessed extraordinary vitality.
He had a great capacity for friendship and will be sorely missed by his many friends.
香港及中國聖母軍創辦人
莫克勤神父安息主懷
香 港 及 中 國 聖 母 軍 始 創 人 莫 克 勤 神 父 (W. Aedan McGrath) 於 二 ０ ０ ０ 年 十 二 月 廿 五 日 安 息 主 懷 ， 享 年 九 十 四 歲 。 莫 神 父 為 愛 爾 蘭 人 ， 四 ０ 年 代 在 中 國 創 辦 了 聖 母 軍 ， 發 展 極 為 迅 速 。 一 九 四 九 年 離 開 中 國 ， 來 到 香 港 ， 再 繼 續 開 創 聖 母 軍 。 在 最 近 的 十 年 ， 他 雖 然 已 退 休 ， 但 仍 在 香 港 及 東 南 亞 一 帶 繼 續 推 動 聖 母 軍 的 發 展 。
香 港 聖 母 軍 為 悼 念 這 位 香 港 及 中 國 聖 母 軍 的 創 辦 人 ， 特 別 安 排 於 一 月 十 四 日 （主 日） 下 午 二 時 半 ， 在 西 灣 河 聖 十 字 架 堂 ， 舉 行 追 思 彌 撒 。 香 港 督 察 區 團 神 師 駱 鏗 祥 神 父 籲 請 本 港 聖 母 軍 的 神 師 前 來 參 與 共 祭 ， 本 港 聖 母 軍 團 員 一 起 為 莫 神 父 祈 禱 。
2001 年 1 月 7 日
