Preparing for the Columban Centenary
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Ordained by Bishop Galvin
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Secretary to Bishop Galvin
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With Bishop Galvin in Hanyang to see the end of World War II
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Manager of The Far East Office Melbourne
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Prepared the Australian Columban Art Calendar for decades.
Leading up to the Centenary of St Columbans Mission Society, we remember Fr Edward (Eddie) Sherry whose anniversary of death is August 18.
Fr Sherry was ordained in Dalgan, Ireland, in 1935 by the Columban founder, Bishop Edward Galvin.
He was appointed to China in 1936. As part of his training for the China Mission he studied printing in Manchester, with the aim of teaching printing at the Mission’s trade school of Hanyang. The Japanese invasion of China destroyed this plan before Fr Sherry had completed the three year course. He arrived in China in 1939 and was there until 1948. He spent four of those years as secretary to Bishop Galvin in Hanyang.
He was appointed to a parish which he occupied briefly before leaving in the face of the Communist threat. One of his treasured experiences was being with Bishop Galvin in Hanyang to see the end of World War II.
After a home vacation Fr Sherry was on Columban promotion in England for three years before being appointed to the Australian and New Zealand Region in 1954.
He worked in The Far East office as manager and for many years prepared the Columban Art Calendar. Finding suitable paintings for the calendar was an onerous task that Fr Sherry took upon himself. When he returned to England for home leave, he took the opportunity to tour the best art galleries of Europe and the USA searching for fine artworks.
Fr Sherry prepared the Columban Art Calendar for the last time in 1992 before his retirement in 1994 at St Columbans, Essendon.
He died on August 18, 2006 and is buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery in Carlton.
In a reflection ‘We are Worthwhile’ Columban Fr Keith Gorman wrote “I often think of fellow Columban Fr Edward Sherry who died in August 2006. Shortly before he died one of the staff who was going away for two weeks said, "I’ll see you when I get back.“ To which Eddie replied with a smile, "I may have changed my address by then."
The quiet, gentle, dedicated missionary will be long remembered.
Related Links
- Read more from The Far East - August 2017
