FATHER PAT DIES
The opening months of 1902 brought sadness to the Trail and Rossland congregations. On January 13th of that year the beloved Father Pat, the Rev. Henry Irwin, died in Montreal. In the winter of 1901, he had been persuaded to return to Ireland for a visit and for some reason, he left the train before it reached Montreal and was found wandering in the cold by a farmer. Seriously ill, he was taken to Notre Dame Hospital and died there a few days later.
The Rossland Miner’s January 28 editorial about Father Pat’s passing said: “‘Father Pat’, or to speak more correctly, the Rev. H. Irwin, was a remarkable man. If one were to attempt to say in which respect he differed from his fellows, one could not put it better than to say he lived every hour of his life up to the golden rule – ‘Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you’. He was a believer in the putting into practice in everyday life of practical Christianity. Wherever sorrow was manifest or sickness had stricken down the unfortunate, there was ‘Father Pat’ with his cheery smile and open purse to help the distressed.”
