Obituaries

Fr Reggie Smyth of St Patrick's Missionary Society (the Kiltegan Fathers) has died.
Ordained in 1949, Fr Smyth served on the missions in Nigeria where he was education secretary in the Diocese of Calabar for many years, and later in Grenada.
He also worked in parishes in Ilford and the diocese of Brentwood and Slough in the diocese of Northampton.
He had been chaplain at the Mother of the Church Convent in Newport, Co Mayo, for the past two years, and served at Cregg House in Sligo and the convent in Loughglynn, Co Roscommon.
Canon Kenneth Meiklem, who decided against a career in the navy in favour of ordination, has died aged 82. Born into a naval family in Floriana in Malta in 1908, he was educated in the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He converted to Catholicism in 1927 and he subsequently left the Navy to study for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1934.
He served as a curate in Plymouth, then as parish priest in Blandford, Penzance, and for 26 years at St Marychurch in Torquay before moving to Sheldon in 1981.
Fr Christopher Pattison of Middlesbrough diocese died recently after a long illness. He was 50.
Educated in Ireland Fr Pattison was ordained in Grangetown, where he worked as a curate. He then moved on to Hull, Ackham and Middlesbrough parishes.
He was appointed parish priest at Corpus Christi, Middlesbrough, in 1978, transferring nine years later to St Anne's, Eston.
EX soldier, Fr Geoffrey Pye of Brentwood diocese died recently after a long fight against Motor Neurone disease. He was 66.
After a career in the army and the Special Air Service, Fr Pye was ordained in 1957, and served in Clacton, Dunmow, Saffron Walden and Billericay parishes.
He then worked in Peru with the Missionary Society of St James the Apostle. He was based in Comas, Chimbote and then Piura.
DEAN and parish priest Fr Thomas Connelly of Southwark archdiocese has died aged 68. Born in 1922 he was ordained in 1947. His first appointments were at West Croydon and Addiscombe. In 1949 he went to teach at the John Fisher School, Purley, where he remained until 1965.
He then served at Chislehurst West for just over a year before being appointed bursar at Wonersh seminary.
He set up Colliers Wood parish in 1969, and two years later he went to Dover as administrator of the parish there.