Father Edward Bermingham SJ passes away at 67
Father Edward Bermingham SJ (Eddy), a dedicated Jesuit priest with nearly 50 years of service, passed away on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at the Corpus Christi Jesuit Community in Boscombe. He was just days shy of his 68th birthday. Eddy spent his final weeks surrounded by the love and care of his family and the Society.
Born on August 17, 1956, in Dublin, Ireland, Eddy grew up in Coventry, England and entered the Society of Jesus in 1975 at Rainhill. He pursued his studies in philosophy at Heythrop College and Milltown Institute and later trained in youth and community development at Westhill College in Birmingham. As a regent, he engaged in youth work in Brixton.
He began his theological studies at Heythrop College, was ordained on July 6, 1985, at Holy Name Church in Manchester by Bishop Kelly, and completed his PhD at the University of Manchester. During his time in Manchester, although he was not officially one of the Chaplains, he was frequently present in the Chaplaincy after lunchtime Mass while working on his PhD. Fr Dushan Croos SJ, who met him there when he was an undergraduate student, remembers that his presence was always thought-provoking. “He was very much someone who presented himself as he is, slightly rough and ready, though there were always surprising new aspects to him, such as playing the trombone in a Manchester Jazz band”, he recalls.
In 1990, Eddy attended the Tertianship in Chicago and returned to Manchester to pronounce his final vows in 1994. From 1994 to 2002, he was based in Sunderland, where he served as Director of the Sunderland Catholic Youth Centre, among other roles. He played a key role in establishing the Jesuit Volunteer Communities in the UK, where young adults lived in simple community, prayed together, and volunteered in local charitable projects. He was admired for his continual willingness to place himself where he believed the Church and the Jesuits should be, particularly among those excluded from the world’s riches and opportunities.
After ten years in Sunderland, he requested to be sent to Guyana because ‘we ought to be supporting that mission’ and expressing that at his age he ‘could do one more big role’. He moved to the Caribbean in 2002, serving in Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad. In Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, he was Dean of Studies at St. John Vianney Seminary and contributed to Jesuit formation. He also spent a period in Colombia in 2011.
Returning to the UK in 2016, he worked in the intellectual apostolate, including as Director of an MA in Theology, Ecology, and Ethics. His creativity led to the establishment of this MA, taught at Mount Street and awarded by Roehampton University. His ideas also included that this MA and other courses could be taught online as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) at what would become the London Jesuit Centre, a concept that anticipated the online learning surge experienced during the COVID lockdown. He also proposed an online retreat across a deanery using pray-as-you-go podcasts, allowing for a personalised retreat experience for a large number of people.
In 2020, he relocated to Southall and became the National Coordinator of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. Despite facing serious health challenges from 2021, Eddy continued his work with dedication.
He was known for his deep commitment to education, community development, and the Jesuit mission. His work spanned diverse regions, from the Caribbean to the UK, and his contributions to youth and seminary education touched many lives.
Fr Peter Gallagher SJ, Provincial of the Jesuits in Britain, shared:
“Eddy is a great loss. He has died quite young but after a very full life of service. His whole existence was dedicated to the ‘faith that does justice.’ He threw himself into work for the poor wherever he went. His analysis of situations was shrewd and compassionate. His lovely music revealed the joy that was in his heart even as he helped people in their suffering or sadness.”
Fr Dushan Croos SJ, Lead Catholic Chaplain at the University of Manchester, added:
"A year before his death, I was able to visit Eddy just before my own return to the Manchester Chaplaincy, to ask for his memories and share my own hopes for developing that ministry. I hope that he felt that a Jesuit who is, in part, a fruit of his ministry, is in some way continuing the ministry he himself longed to continue in Manchester."
“Though slightly contrarian in general conversation, Eddy had a deep attentiveness and gentleness in one-to-one accompaniment. While it was always obvious that he had opinions, he never imposed them. Reflecting on retreats and spiritual accompaniment, he once said: 'Nothing might seem to be happening when you are giving a retreat, but God always shows up in the end!’"
A funeral Mass for Fr Edward Bermingham SJ will be held on September 9, 2024, at 12:00 PM at Saint Anselm’s in Southall. He will be buried in Wimbledon.
