Johnny Oliver Woods was born in Drogheda, Ireland on December 1934. Having been an acolyte in the Church of St Malachy, he entered the Dominican Order just before his seventeenth birthday.

He studied philosophy, theology and scripture in Cork , Dublin and Rome where he got his degree in theology. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 13, 1958 .

A communicator from the time he arrived in Trinidad in 1960 he showed a special aptitude in communications. In whichever parish he was sent he became a pioneer in its weekly film show and in the production of choral records.

Johnny preached in almost every parish in Trinidad and Tobago. He never faltered in pursuing the ideals of the Better World Movement. Many parishes have been permanently enriched by his enthusiasm, the parish being the heart of the Church.

A tireless preacher, all his preaching over the last twenty or more years was based on the traditional lectio divina method. He never missed the weekly meeting of those who studied this method of spiritual reading. Every sermon was meticulously prepared and delivered like a true son of St Dominic.

Fr Johnny was a top liturgist ; his liturgies were planned and created by each parish community under his inspired leadership. Annually he led a group of parishioners to the Liturgy School . He has been described as one of the two top liturgists of the archdiocese. Even celebrations like Eid, Divali, Emancipation and Carnival would be prepared with meaning and delicacy.

A real community person - Success/Morvant, Gonzales, Tortuga , San Raphael, Manzanilla were his parishes - each successive parish which had been blessed with his pastoral care soon learned to love and cherish the dynamic spirit of their young pastor.

He identified with the poorest and the neediest, and did not hesitate to be part of the first group of parents to block a road in protest against the sorry state of education first in Success Village and, years later, outside Whitehall , in solidarity with the parents from Biche.

His brother Dominicans will deeply miss his fraternal and happy spirit in community, his welcoming and generous spirit as a host in his own presbytery, and on the golf course, where he was a keen competitor as well as a strict observer of all the rules!

Fr Johnny was a sports enthusiast. He was just as knowledgeable and enthusiastic about West Indies Cricket and “Soca Warriors”, as he was about Gaelic Games in Ireland, where he seldom missed a chance to be in the big stadium.

A great lover of Carnival, the “big stage” was no stranger to him and his Carnival parish celebrations were enhanced by his annual calypso performance.

He was a relentless champion of justice. No one knows the number of people Fr Johnny reached out to over the years. The poorest in each community were clothed and fed. He made sure the sick received medicine and hospital care. He found places in schools for children as well as jobs for the unemployed.

He was always interceding for people in difficulty. One area of major concern was the Church's failure to defend priests unjustly accused of crimes. Fr Johnny relentlessly pursued every forum of authority to have the cause of innocent priests justly addressed and properly defended.

The highest conferences of the Dominican Order as well as senior legal representatives were approached with meticulous attention to the details of the injustice involved. He was among the first to highlight the condition known as “False Memory Syndrome” which has been the subject of many TV serials lately.

His death on the feast of the Curé of Ars, John Vianney and his burial on the Feast of St Dominic will be of special significance to those who loved him.

Our sincere sympathy goes out to the little people (the anawim) he served so untiringly in scattered villages throughout Trinidad.

May he rest in peace .

READ: The legacy of Fr Johnny Woods, OP - Gonzales >>