Mgr John Greehy: The international stature in the world of biblical scholarship and in the practical promotion of Christian-Jewish dialogue of Mgr John Greehy, who died last Saturday aged 74, was reflected in tributes paid by a cardinal, two archbishops and two chief rabbis at his funeral Mass on Tuesday in St Joseph's Church, Terenure, Dublin, where he had been parish priest for 22 years.
The huge congregation, including several bishops, the clergy of the Dublin archdiocese and Protestant leaders, as well as his devoted parishioners, burst into applause after a message from his friend, Dr Charles Middleburgh, the Chief Rabbi of Progressive Reformed Jews in Ireland who lives in London, was read out on his behalf by the Rev Mary Hunter, a minister of Rathgar Presbyterian Church.
Rabbi Middleburgh recalled "a big man with a warm smile and a gentle voice, whose eyes shone with love, and whose humour was always very much to the fore". There were chuckles of recognition from the Dublin clergy when he added: "As a radical liberal Jew, I was not accustomed to the idea of a senior Catholic priest who could match my own radicalism, but John was that man."
Summing up the spontaneous reception to the rabbi's tribute, the Rev Wilbert Gourley, the Church of Ireland rector of Sion Parish Church, Rathgar, remarked: "It is a rare event for a Catholic parish priest to receive such a tribute from a rabbi that is read out by a Presbyterian minister."
John Joseph Greehy, or JJ as he was known to family and friends, was born in Buttevant, Co Cork, on April 5th, 1931. His father, Frank, was a Garda sergeant, and his mother Barbara was from Waterford. His secondary schooling was completed at St Colman's College, where in sixth form he shared a room with Seán Ó Riada, with whom he also shared a passion for the piano.
In 1949 he was admitted by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid as a candidate for the priesthood for the archdiocese of Dublin, where he entered Holy Cross College, Clonliffe. In 1952 he was sent to Rome to complete his studies and was ordained on February 25th in the Basilica of St John Lateran by Cardinal Micara.
After a spell as chaplain to the Presentation Brothers in Bray, he returned to Rome to study for his doctorate in divinity and his licentiate in sacred scripture at the Lateran and Angelicum Universities, as well as the Pontifical Biblical Institute. His doctoral thesis was on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
From 1961 to 1967 he taught scripture at Oscott College in Birmingham and the Vaughan College of Education at the University of Leicester. He was later to confide that his move to England was part of a deal done by Archbishop McQuaid to secure the services in Dublin of a congregation of nuns from the Birmingham archdiocese - and that he was the quid pro quo for a reverend mother!
A message read out at the funeral Mass from the present Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, a former student, testified to the monsignor's ability as a communicator during his Oscott years. In the heady days after Vatican II, Dr Greehy was in demand as a speaker at theology refresher courses, with tape-recordings of lectures reaching a wider market.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin described Dr Greehy as by far the best teacher he ever had, and recalled that his reputation had preceded him when he arrived in 1967 as professor of sacred scripture at Clonliffe College.
"If we were expecting a breath of fresh air, then that is not what we got. We got a tornado, a tornado of scholarship and learning, of a passion for the scriptures out of which he would draw spirituality but also practical applicability to the realities of life . . . He was a man of freedom."
In 1978 Dr Greehy was appointed by Pope John Paul II to serve as a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission for five years under the chairmanship of then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, whose theological outlook he found too restrictive. From 1980 to 1983 he was president of Clonliffe, before being transferred abruptly to pastoral duties by the late Archbishop Dermot Ryan.
Though he missed academic life, and often joked about spending so much time repairing windows and fixing drains, Dr Greehy, who was made a domestic prelate with the rank of monsignor by Pope John Paul, became a highly respected figure in Terenure, where he restored the church's organ and splendid Harry Clarke windows.
His outward approach to life was based on his belief that the Lord's mandate was to bring peace to everyone he met. He often cited the advice of Jesus to his followers to work in twos. In Irish such a person is called an anam chara. His soul friend was his personal assistant, Maureen Talbot, on whom he relied for the smooth administration of the parish.
The celebrant of the requiem Mass was Fr Diarmuid Sheehan, a nephew, who praised the devotion of Maureen Talbot during the monsignor's illness from cancer. He is survived by his sister, Treasa Sheehan.
Mgr John Greehy: born April 5th, 1931; died July 9th, 2005