AN
80-year-old priest, held captive for a month by rebels in the
Philippines a year ago, will be presented with the 2010 Hugh O’Flaherty
Humanitarian Award, in Killarney at the weekend.
Wexford-born Fr Michael Sinnott has been chosen from
a distinguished short list of Irish people working overseas with
non-government organisations.
The presentation will be the highlight of the Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Weekend which takes place from Friday to Sunday.
The late Monsignor O’Flaherty ran an escape organisation for Allied
prisoners of war and civilians in Rome during World War Two, credited
with saving the lives of 6,500 people. Fr Sinnott was nominated by his
colleagues in the Columban Missionaries for his tireless work.
Fr Pat Raleigh, regional vice-director of the Columban Missionaries,
said while he attracted huge attention during his captivity and release,
his one ambition was to quickly move out of the limelight and get back
to Hangop Kabataan in Pagadian – the centre and school for special
children which he established.
Killarney town councillor Hugh
Courtney, chairperson of the Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Committee, said it
was an extremely difficult task to pick the shortlist and to choose the
ultimate recipient of the award.
He said Fr Sinnott’s
attitude to adversity, his capacity for forgiveness and his dedication
to helping people less fortunate, despite personal risks, reflected much
of the Monsignor O’Flaherty’s attributes and made him the perfect
choice for the award.
The awards ceremony, in the Killarney
Plaza Hotel on Saturday night, will feature the staging of a one-act
play based on Monsignor O’Flaherty’s life story to be performed by the
Killarney-based production company, led by Niamh Burns.
Also
on the night, there will be readings from The Vatican Pimpernel by the
monsignor’s biographer, Brian Fleming, and a reading from The Rome
Escape Line written by the Monsignor’s wartime colleague, Sam Derry.
The winning submission for a memorial to the monsignor, which is to be erected in Killarney, will also be unveiled.
Last year, the humanitarian award was presented to Dublin woman Sharon
Commins and her fellow hostage Hilda Kawuki, soon after they were
released from captivity in Darfur, Africa.
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