Rev. Aedan McGrath, SSC, born William Aedan McGrath, was an Irish Columban missionary priest in China. McGrath was active with the

Legion of Mary The Legion of Mary ( la, Legio Mariae, postnominal abbreviation L.O.M.) is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve it on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civi ...

and became notable for his work in China as a missionary that eventually led to his imprisonment by the People's Republic of China. After leaving China, McGrath continued his work with the Legion of Mary and with missionary activity in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and the Philippines.

Early life and priesthood

McGrath was born in

Drumcondra, Dublin Drumcondra () is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council. The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area. History The village of Drumcondra was the central a ...

on the 22 January 1906, to William a Barrister and Gertrude McGrath, both from

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. He entered the Missionary Society of St. Columban (

Maynooth Mission to China The Missionary Society of St. Columban ( la, Societas Sancti Columbani pro Missionibus ad Exteros) (abbreviated as S.S.C.M.E. or SSC), commonly known as the Columbans, is a missionary Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right foun ...

) and was ordained priest in 1929. In 1930, he was sent as a missionary to Tsigngiany in North China, to work on behalf of the

. He was first stationed at a parish in T'sien Kiang, and his work led to the development of six branches of the legion. McGrath was removed by the Japanese during WWII, but in 1947 was commissioned to develop the lay apostolate through the Legion. His work was opposed by the communists who were at that time consolidating political control of the country. Over the following years, McGrath set up branches in Shanghai, Beijing, Tiensin, Canton, Kweiling, and Hongkong. He was working in Chunking when the Communists took control of that city and McGrath was prohibited from further action, although he then returned to Shanghai and continued his mission.

Imprisonment

Following the Communist establishment of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, in 1949, the Legion of Mary became a proscribed organisation. Its founder,

Frank Duff Francis Michael Duff, L.O.M. (7 June 1889 – 7 November 1980), known as Frank Duff, is known especially for bringing attention to the role of the laity during the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church as well as for founding ...

, was declared a "reactionary guardian of the interests of the ruling class." Fr McGrath suffered because of his association and his activities on their behalf. In Shanghai in September 1951, he was imprisoned for two years and eight months by the regime, spending most of that time in solitary confinement and endured torture. Instead of being executed, he was expelled from China in 1954 and returned to Ireland, where he was greeted upon arrival by President

Seán T. O'Kelly Seán Thomas O'Kelly ( ga, Seán Tomás Ó Ceallaigh; 25 August 1882 – 23 November 1966), originally John T. O'Kelly, was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the second president of Ireland from June 1945 to June 1959. He also serve ...

, Taoiseach

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...

, John A. Costello amongst others.

Later life

Fr McGrath did not return China after his expulsion for fear of endangering his friends. He worked instead promoting the Legion of Mary in England for ten years, and then worked for 12 years in the US and Canada. In 1979, Fr McGrath was asked by the Columbans and Legion to start a mission based in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Father Aedan McGrath returned to Ireland in 2000, and he made a TV show which aired in November and attended his last Legion of Mary council meeting in December. He died on Christmas Day 2000, one month short of his 95th birthday,Legion of Mary Missionary Dies
Obituaries, Irish Times, December 27, 2000. and is buried in the Columban Dalgan Cemetery. In his obituary the Irish Times called him "one of the luminaries of the missionary Columban Fathers."

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Aedan 1906 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Missionary Society of St. Columban Christian clergy from County Dublin