The Diocese of Elphin has announced the the death this morning of Father Ray Browne, Pastor Emeritus of Kilbride Parish (Four Mile House).
Fr Raymond Browne, known to his friends as Ray or Remy, was born on September 1928 in Sligo, but served most of his sixty six years as a priest, “south of the Curlews” in Co. Roscommon.
Having completed his secondary education at Summerhill College, Ray went to St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth in 1947 and, on completion of his formation, was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Elphin in 1954.
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On returning to Ireland from Nigreia in 1958, Fr Ray was appointed curate at Drumboylan in the parish of Ardcarne, where he remained for fourteen years.
From there, he went as Curate to the Sacred Heart Parish, Roscommon Town, where he served for another fourteen years. In April 1986, he became Parish Priest of Kilbride.
He was to spend a total of thirty-four years there, twenty nine as Parish Priest and five as Pastor-Emeritus, or “Grandfather”, of the Parish.
Fr Browne died, after a short illness, this morning.
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He is survived by his sister, Louise, his brother Aidan, his brother-in-law Padraig and his nephews and nieces.
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Paying tribute to Father Browne , Bishop Kevin Doran says that though small in stature, Fr Browne had a big heart and this was demonstrated time and time again in his commitment to community development, both in his own parish and far beyond.
