BRISBANE priest Fr Patrick Cassidy was remembered as a prayerful and family-oriented priest by friends and family at a funeral Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians, Nanango on May 2.
Retired priest Fr Frank O’Dea said he first met Fr Cassidy in 1961 when the pair at St Pius XII Provincial Seminary.
Fr O’Dea said he was a strong lad, a “very good footballer”, and a “country boy through and through”.
He had come from working as a timber cutter.
In his ministry life, Fr Cassidy had an interest working with young people and building faith in their lives.
Fr Cassidy had been a “very prayerful person”, Fr O’Dea said.
A lesser-known fact was that Fr Cassidy had provided a service of catching snakes.
Fr O’Dea recalled a story when Fr Cassidy had been at a lecture at the University of Queensland and one of the snake-bags had not been tied-up properly.
He said there was chaos as students ran for cover as the snake slithered around the lecture hall.
Fr O’Dea remembered Fr Cassidy as a “family man” too.
He had “stacks of nieces and nephews” and had baptised and confirmed a lot of them, he said.
Fr Cassidy was born on December 22, 1940, in Dalby, to parents Joseph Albert Cassidy and Mary Ellen Vines.
He was brother to John, Margaret, Catherine, Peter, Kerry, Rodney, Roslyn and Mark.
During his childhood, he attended primary school at Meandu Creek State School and his secondary schooling at Nanango Convent followed by Christian Brothers College, Gympie.
After working for a short time, he entered the Pius XII Provincial Seminary, Banyo where he commenced his studies for the Priesthood.
He was ordained on July 1, 1967 in Nanango.
His first appointment to Brisbane archdiocese began in 1967 at St Agnes Church, Mt Gravatt.
This was followed by appointments in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Darra; St Joseph’s, Gayndah; St Patricks, Gympie; St Marks, Inala and Sacred Heart, Booval.
Fr Cassidy’s first parish priest appointment found him returning to St Agnes’ Parish, Mt Gravatt in 1985.
His following appointments were in St Maximillian Kolbe, Kingston Marsden; St Mary’s Kingaroy; Our Lady and Help of Christians, Nanango.
During his time in Nanango, Fr Cassidy became Dean of the North Country and remained in this role until 2018.
Fr Cassidy returned to the Gympie Parish in 2007 where he retired in 2018.
Fr Cassidy died on April 26.
He would be remembered for his spirituality, patience, someone who always had time for others and was much loved by parishioners, family and friends.
