Fr Kevin de Loughry, OP

The Catholic News extends prayerful condolences to the Dominican community, the parishioners of Maraval/Paramin and the family of Fr Kevin de Loughry OP who died on Monday morning of a heart attack. He was 78.

The funeral Mass for Fr Kevin was celebrated at St Finbar's Church, Diego Martin on Thursday, December 1, followed by the burial at Lapeyrouse Cemetery . Six members of his family came from Ireland for the funeral services.

On Wednesday evening the body of the former Maraval parish priest lay in state at Our Lady of Lourdes Church from 6.00-8.00 p.m. so that parishioners could pay their last respects to their much-loved pastor.

A Vespers service was held from 7.00 p.m. On Monday evening the villagers of Paramin honoured the memory of their parish priest and mourned his passing with a wake. The hills, which Fr Kevin loved so well, echoed with the sounds of bongo drums and singing.

Fr Kevin was responsible for the construction of the beautiful church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Paramin and would have been looking forward to celebrating the patronal feast (December 12) next Sunday with the first Paramin Heritage Festival.

Fr de Loughry, born in Ireland September 4, 1927 , entered the Dominican Order in 1945 and was ordained priest in Ireland on July 13, 1952 .

In 1954 he came to Trinidad and after two years of training and orientation at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception he was sent as parish priest to Moruga where he was to remain until 1959 when he became parish priest of Sangre Grande.

He remained in Sangre Grande until 1970. He also served as parish priest in Scarborough, Tobago (1971-77), and Cedros (1980-89) before going to Maraval in 1989. In Cedros he was responsible for building the church in Bonasse Village with its distinctive mural.

A true Dominican, he was dedicated to preaching both from the pulpit and by means of the media. He was a regular contributor of letters and articles from his parish community to the Catholic News. He also produced a Sunday morning programme for Catholic Forum of the Air for seven years.

A one-time president of the now defunct T & T Magic Circle Ring 91, he will also be remembered as an outstanding amateur magician – a talent he used to communicate with young people.

Fr Kevin was always supportive of the development of lay ministry in the communities he served. He participated with his parishioners in the annual Liturgy School and later in the Caribbean School for Catholic Communication.

In an interview with the Catholic News on the occasion of his golden jubilee of priestly ordination in July 2002, he had this to say about his Maraval/Paramin parishioners: “… lovely people with special traditional qualities as Catholics and citizens…always very helpful, encouraging and very understanding towards their priest.” He will be greatly missed by his parish community and his Dominican family.

May he rest in peace.