The death of our beloved Br. Paulinus Horkan, on the feast day of St. Francis in Galway University Hospital, leaves us with heavy hearts. While he suffered from ill health for some time and we knew that he was prepared for Sister Death, still his departure to his and our eternal home leaves a major lacuna in all our lives, but especially for our Brothers, his family, and his legion of friends in Ireland and California.
Paulinus was such a jovial, warm, integrated man, making it
a great pleasure to visit him in Corrandulla Community where one was assured of a warm welcome and an enriching conversation. He was interested in everybody and in everything. Having visited Kenya a number of years ago, he was keen for updates on brothers, volunteers and ministries. However, it was his beloved St. Bonaventure’s High School, Ventura, California that dominated most conversations. He spent the better part of his working life in California and loved the work and the people there with whom he shared his life. During a visit to Corrandulla in 2020 his parting gift was one of his beautiful St. Bonaventure Football rings; he was as proud of the Seraph’s football achievements as their academic excellence.
We are grateful to our loving God for Paulinus and for his long productive, prayerful, community orientated life and for his wonderful example of how religious life should be lived. We are also grateful to Corrandulla Community for ensuring that he was well cared for in the community up to the end of his life.
On behalf of all our Brothers I convey sympathy to his family, whom he dearly loved, Corrandulla Community, Our Brothers in Ireland and California and to his wide circle of friends. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam usual, dilis. May his gentle soul rest in eternal peace. Br. Tony Dolan