Fr John Francis O'Donnell

Recently I was in Queenstown, and visited the Catholic Church there. Fr John Francis O'Donnell, born in Glenroe, Co.Limerick, was parish priest there from October 1896 until his death in May 1917. He was first cousin to my great-grandfather, Patrick Riordan, and his brother (Dean) James Joseph O'Donnell was priest in Ashburton for many years.

Fr John was responsible for the building of the beautiful stone church that sits on a hill above the lake in Queenstown.

There is a wonderful piece in the Tablet in 1897 that describes how the stone was all carted by local people and stacked ready to build the church.
At the opening of the church Fr O'Donnell thanked all those who had helped to build it and furnish it. He himself donated a statue of the Virgin and Child that is still in the church.

Fr O'Donnell is buried in Queenstown Cemetery, in the Catholic section, Block 1, Plot 8, not far off Brecon Rd. 

There is much written about him over the years in the Tablet, and he was clearly a very beloved pastor, who loved and served his people dearly. When he celebrated his silver jubilee of ordination, the address given to him spoke very warmly of his attributes:

“You have proved and brought into prominence, by the many arduous tasks you have fulfilled, the self-sacrifices you have made, the various improvements and buildings you have effected, and especially the model church we all feel so proud of, that you are a priest of singular administrative ability. In all this work you have been sustained by a buoyancy of spirit, a zeal for souls, a feeling for your fellow man, and a trust in God that has endeared you to all. Sustained by such sentiments, you have continued, in spite of failing health, to discharge duties under difficulties to which stronger men would have succumbed. You have won your way into our hearts, not by the glow of brilliant exterior accomplishments of one craving for popularity and applause, but by your sterling qualities and true priestly virtues. We have always looked up to you as a true Christian gentleman and model priest. Again, as a churchman and citizen, your singleness of purpose, broad-mindedness and genial Irish spirit, endeared you not only to your own flock, but to those outside the Church, many of whom have joined us here to-night to offer you their congratulations.” 

Fr John showed a great love for the mountains he loved under in his adopted land. In his reply at his jubilee he stated that:

“His mission had a singular fascination for him. The gigantic mountains with their snowcapped peaks, piercing the very clouds of heaven, proclaimed in their own way the infinite power and eternity of God. This always gave him a buoyancy of spirit which was indescribable. 

I have compiled a much longer account about Fr John Francis O'Donnell. It can be found at this Google Drive link.