Patrick Cleary
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Patrick Cleary (3 March 1886 – 23 October 1970) was an Irish missionary priest who served as Bishop of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Nancheng The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nancheng ( la, Nancemen(sis), ) is a diocese located in Nancheng (Jiangxi) in the Ecclesiastical province of Nanchang in China. History * November 29, 1932: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Jianchangfu 建昌 ...
, China. An educator, he established a seminary in Nancheng. In 1949, 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 ...
was established, which was resistant to foreigners and western religion. He continued to run the mission until 1952, when he was imprisoned and then expelled from China. He returned to Ireland where he returned to teaching at St Columban's College seminary.


Early life and education

Patrick Cleary was born on 3 March 1886 in Kildysart,
County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...
. He had two sisters, who became Nazareth nuns, Sister Margaret and Sister Hildegard, and a brother John. Educated locally and at
St. Flannan's College Saint Flannan's College is an Irish co-educational secondary school located in Ennis, County Clare, which takes its name from the 7th century patron saint of the Dál gCais. Formerly an all-boys boarding school, the first girls class was entere ...
, Ennis, Cleary studied for the priesthood at
St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...
. Ordained in 18 July 1911 for the
Diocese of Killaloe The Diocese of Killaloe ( ) may refer either to a Roman Catholic or a Church of Ireland (Anglican) diocese, in Ireland. Roman Catholic diocese The Diocese of Killaloe is the second largest Roman Catholic diocese in Ireland. It comprises the ...
, Dr. Cleary received a Doctorate of Divinity in 1914. His dissertation was ''The Church and Usury. An Essay on Some Historical and Theological Aspects of Money-Lending'' (1914).


Career


Ireland

For four years, until 1918, he was a professor and the chair of moral theology in Maynooth. He then taught at the St Columban's College seminary in Dalgan in County Galway of the
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 ...
, later known as the Missionary Society of Saint Columban. In 1918, the Columban Fathers was formed and he was among the first group of men to join. For eleven years, beginning in 1919, he was the rector.


China

He served the Society in Nancheng, China beginning in 1931, replacing the martyred Columban priest Cornelius Tierney who had been kidnapped by communist guerrillas and subsequently died. After arriving in Nancheng, he wrote to a friend that "It is simply delightful, with a charming church, a compound full of buildings that would house an army." While in China, his primary activity was teaching students at his seminary. The courses that he covered were theology, scripture, canon law, philosophy, and the English language. On 21 July 1933, he was appointed Prefect Apostolic. He became Vicar Apostolic in December 1938 and the following April he was ordained a bishop. At times he was at odds with the "Roman" model or approach for operating the church. For instance, while a bishop, he did not adopt the approach to build congregants by taking in and baptising abandoned children. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
(1939-1945), according to an obituary, he aided people that needed assistance, including Doolittle's Raiders, who had crashed near the city in 1942 after bombing Tokyo. One month after the rescue, the city was attacked and Cleary nearly died several times. The entire city was burned in retaliation for having aided Doolittle's men. He aided anyone that needed help, including Chinese and Japanese people. In 1942, Cleary established the Nancheng Relief Committee. In Nancheng, he became the first bishop of the Diocese of Nancheng in 1947 on the feast day of the Most Holy Rosary. He became the Most Reverend Patrick Cleary. On 1 October 1949, 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 ...
was established. In a drive against foreigners, his and other religious figures began to lose their personal freedom in December 1950. Rural churches began to be repurposed to granaries or meeting places for the communists. He stayed in China until 15 December 1952, when he was expelled held under house arrest for one year, imprisoned, and taken to court on "trumped up charges" of being an imperialist and oppressor after he refused to join a communist-sponsored church. After being found guilty by the court, he was taken to Hong Kong and then returned to Ireland after stopping at Tokyo in 1953. Two of the Chinese priests that served with him were still in prison when he left. Cleary was left frail and unsteady after the ordeal. During his time in China, he never took a vacation or left the country.


Personal and later life

According to Brendan O Cathoir of the ''Irish Times'', Cleary defended
Terence MacSwiney Terence James MacSwiney (; ga, Toirdhealbhach Mac Suibhne; 28 March 1879 – 25 October 1920) was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He ...
following his fatal hunger strike. MacSwiney had been elected Lord Mayor of
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
as an Irish republican in 1920; due to his political ties, MacSwiney was interned following the election and soon after sentenced to two years in prison for “seditious activity.” In protest, MacSwiney went on a hunger strike hoping to draw attention to British policy in Ireland. MacSwiney would die while still in custody after lasting 74 days on hunger strike. Cleary made clear that though he did not support hunger strike as means to suicide (long considered a mortal sin by the Catholic Church), he considered it to be “theologically justifiable,” if used to draw attention to the policies of the British government towards Ireland at the time.Jason Perlman. "Terence MacSwiney: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Hunger Strike". The New York State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. After 1952, he returned from China to teaching at St Columban's. In June 1957, after returning from China, he ordained William Patrick Kinane in
Thurles Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arc ...
, Ireland at the Cathedral of the Assumption. He attended the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
(1962–1965). Cleary died on 23 October 1970 at St Columban's in Dalgan and was buried in the Missionary Society of Saint Columban Cemetery, in Navan.


See also

*
Catholic Church in China The Catholic Church in China (called Tiānzhǔ Jiào, 天主敎, literally "Religion of the Lord of Heaven" after the Chinese term for the Christian God) has a long and complicated history. John of Montecorvino was the first Roman Catholic ...


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleary, Patrick 1886 births 1970 deaths Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Missionary Society of St. Columban Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from County Clare 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in China