Father
Joe was born one of twin brothers, in Cork, Ireland - his twin was named Jim.
After attending a Christian Brothers' school, he studied at commercial college
before joining a local bank. About four years later he responded to the Lord's
call and entered St. Patrick's Seminary, Carlow.
Following his ordination in 1975, he came to the Archdiocese of Southwark to begin his priestly ministry at the parish of St. Thomas à Becket, Wandsworth East. Seven years later he moved to St. Francis, Maidstone and five years afterwards to St. Celia's, North Cheam. Another two years saw him appointed Parish Priest at St. Gertrude's, South Bermondsey.
Then in 1995, with a heavy heart he said goodbye to family and friends, when he answered a call to work for the St. James Missionary Society in South America. This involved an intensive five-month course in Spanish in a language school at Cochabamba, Bolivia. His next appointment was to the shanty town of Duran, in the suburbs of Guayaquil near the Pacific coast of Ecuador, before moving south to take charge of a different parish in another shanty town called Guasmo. He spent five very happy years here, in hot, sticky and rather humid conditions, amongst the poor and marginalised.
Father Joe enjoys window shopping, browsing and actual shopping. He appreciates the occasional trip to the theatre, loves music - classical, liturgical and folk - also walking, swimming, old time dancing and ceili.
He felt privileged to spend some time at Holy Innocents whilst awaiting his next appointment, as Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, Addiscombe.