![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/kennedy-joe-rip-620x330.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Jesuit community and the college at Gonzaga, Milltown, have been left in shock by the deaths, on the same day (8 January), of Joe Brennan SJ (right in photo) and Kennedy O\u2019Brien SJ (left in photo). Both men had spent many years on the staff of Gonzaga College, and were held in the highest esteem by colleagues and students. According to Brian Flannery, Education Delegate for the Irish Province, the College has lost \u201ctwo of its finest Jesuits and teachers \u2013 institutions in their own right\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth loved the College and the Society that they had given their lives to,\u201d he continued; \u201cTheir legacy will be the love they instilled in their students, for God and for the values of the Jesuit order.\u201d<\/p>\n
The principal of Gonzaga, Damon McCaul said Monday had been a very difficult day for the staff and students in the school. He said that Fr Joe and has taught for over sixty years there and had made such an impact on his students that older past pupils still remembered him with deep regard and gratitude. \u201cAnd it\u2019s the same with Kennedy for a new generation of pupils and past pupils. Both men were outstanding teachers and educators.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe Brennan (aged 88) was for many years a teacher of religion and philosophy in the College and he\u00a0was a member of the Gonzaga community for 43 years. He had been fully engaged in the Community and School right up to when he became ill on December 28th 2017. He was known for always encouraging students to think for themselves. Also for instilling values. \u201cIf you don\u2019t stand for something,\u201d he loved to say, \u201cyou will fall for anything\u201d. Brian Flannery described Fr Brennan as \u201cone of nature\u2019s gentlemen \u2013 accomplished but modest, wise but humorous, religious but never \u2018a holy joe\u2019\u201d. Fr Brennan was also an accomplished musician, particularly in the piano.<\/p>\n
When he took ill recently he was taken to St Vincent\u2019s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a respiratory illness, and he died peacefully on the morning of January 8th 2018.<\/p>\n
Kennedy\u2019s unexpected death occurred during the night of January 7 th \/8 th 2018. He had been in great form during the Christmas holidays and had prepared a magnificent\u00a0Christmas feast for the Gonzaga and Loyola Communities on Christmas Day. As usual, he had been looking forward to getting back to work in the College when his untimely death occurred.<\/p>\n
A native of Galway, Kennedy (aged 61) devoted his life in the Society to teaching. He taught in his alma mater, Col\u00e1iste Iogn\u00e1id, in Galway and in Belvedere College in Dublin before moving to Gonzaga. He made a profound impression wherever he taught, and he was well respected by the boys, staff and parents in all three schools. Brian said that Gonzaga held a special place in Kennedy\u2019s heart, as he was the last Jesuit to teach a full teaching load there. He taught English, but he also served as chaplain and retreat leader.<\/p>\n
He had a wide range of hobbies and interests, including heraldry, gardening, rowing, cricket and the poetry of G M Hopkins. His popularity and regard as a priest was indicated by the sheer number of weddings, baptisms and funerals which he was asked to officiate at.<\/p>\n
In a statement on the double tragedy, Gonzaga College said, \u201cThe College community is in deep shock at the loss of these men who gave their lives in service of Gonzaga College and its students. They will be greatly missed, and each in his own way is irreplaceable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Faoi suaimhneas i measc na Naoimh.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n
Funeral details are as follows:<\/p>\n
Joe Brennan:<\/strong><\/p>\n Removal: to Gonzaga College Chapel on Thursday 11 January at 5pm Kennedy O\u2019Brien:<\/strong><\/p>\n Removal: to Gonzaga College Chapel on Friday 12 January at 5pm The Jesuit community and the college at Gonzaga, Milltown, have been left in shock by the deaths, on the same day (8 January), of Joe Brennan SJ (right in photo) and Kennedy O\u2019Brien SJ (left in photo). Both men had spent many years on the staff of Gonzaga College, and were held in the highest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1392"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1395,"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1392\/revisions\/1395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mungret.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nFuneral Mass: Church of the Holy Name, Beechwood Avenue, Ranelagh, Friday 12 January at 11am
\nBurial: Glasnevin following the Funeral Mass<\/p>\n
\nFuneral Mass: Church of the Holy Name, Beechwood Avenue, Ranelagh, Saturday 13 January at 10am
\nBurial: Glasnevin following the Funeral Mass<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"