NAVAN, Ireland — Columban Father John O’Doherty, 92, died November 14 at St. Columban’s Residence, Navan, Ireland.
Ordained to the priesthood in 1939, Father O’Doherty initially served as a missionary in China, but because of the Communist takeover, was forced ten years later to leave that country and was assigned to the United States, where he spent the following 58 years working for the missions in Columban houses located in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and at the Columban Fathers Retirement House in Bristol.
In Bristol, where he spent 23 years, Father O’Doherty was known for organizing the annual Columban Fathers bazaar and Irish concerts to benefit the missions. In 2007, because of declining health, he retired to Navan. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated and burial took place there.
