Death of Rev. John Geary

New Zealand Tablet, 15 October 1908, Page 24

Death of Rev. John Geary

Profound regret will be felt by the clergy of the diocese of _;Duhedin to learn that their confrere of many years, the Rev. John Geary, met his death, by drowning, at Tramore, on August 37/ A brief cable message in the daily papers of August 2S announced that ' a Catholic priest from Australia was drowned while bathing at Tramore.' Private^communjcations received on Tuesday morning of this week made it clear that .the ' C alholic priest from Australia ' was the Rev. John Geary, a priest of the diocese of Waterford, who, by permission of his Bishop, served for a number of years in the diocese of Dunedin, doing parochial ■work in Lawrence, Gore, and Dunedin unlil^ shattered health rendered it necessary for him to return to his native land at the close of 1907. The accounts of the melancholy accident to Father Geary, received up to the moment of going to press, are very meagre. In a private communication received on Tuesday morning, it was stated that. he got into difficulties while bathing, and that, although a strong swimmer, he went under. Help was available as speedily as possible and he was brought ashore, but he never rallied. The deepest regret was felt by Father Geary's clerical confreres in Dunedin on receipt of the sad and unexpected news. A solemn Dirge and Requiem will be celebrated, for the repose of his soul, in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin, at nine o'clock on Thursday morning of this week.— R.l. P.