The people of Butlerstown this week marked the tenth anniversary of the murder of Fr Rufus Halley (pictured) who was native of the Waterford City suburb by unveiling a special plaque in his memory. Fr Halley was shot dead while riding his motorbike on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines in August 2001.
Commemoration committee chairman Billy Walsh said, “I always kept in touch with him. When he came on his leave every second year, he would come to me and we would talk and we would exchange views.”
Speaking of the huge work Fr Halley did in the Philippines he said, “What he was trying to do was to bring peace to the Philippines between the Muslims and the Catholics and he almost succeeded when the awful tragedy happened.”
Fr Halley was attached to the Columban Fathers and had spent much of his life working in the Philippines.He spent 12 years serving the poor on the Northern island of Luzon, before spending the next 20 years on the Southern island of Mindanao. He was gunned down by extremists when returning from a meeting of Muslim and Christian leaders in Malabang, Mindanao.
The hall in Butlerstown was dedicated to Fr Halley in September 2007. Now, an internal plaque, which was unveiled on Sunday September 4, details the work of Fr Halley and further commemorates his memory.
The proceeds from a special auction, which was also held on the day, will be sent to where Fr Halley used to work in the Philippines.
According to Mr Walsh, “The proceeds of the auction will go back to the Philippines to continue his memory. The people of Butlerstown want to continue his work because this man was a great man and we hope that his memory will be carried on.”
Fr Halley is buried in Cagayan de Oro City in the Philippines.