Valuable contribution to Australian Salesian history

By Mr. Jeffrey R. Bradley

Melbourne, Australia, 6 June 2019 -- Mr Jeffrey R. Bradley, Don Bosco Past Pupilfrom Boys Town, Engadine (NSW - Sydney) has published another book exploring the history of Salesian work and its personalities. After three volumes published in the past: 1991 - Milestones, Memories and Muses; 2009 - Up to His Neck in Everything - Patrick Michael Coffey; 2015 - Ciantar - A Real Salesian, this year (2019) he has published 'To the End of the Earth' (Acts 1:8) - Conversations with Fr. Patrick J O'Grady SDB (1859 - 1943).

A lively fictional dialogue with Fr. O'Grady unfolds through the 132 pages of this well-documented booklet with 60 footnotes. Life and spiritual profile of one of the early Australia missionaries, Rector of the 'Rupertswood' community in Melbourne, it helps the reader to discover the missionary availability of first & second generation Salesians who spent some years at Valdocco with their Founder and Father.

Of Irish origin, Fr Patrick spent his long life of 84 years in no less than 7 different countries: Turin (Italy) 1883-1885, San Nicolas de Los Arroyos (Argentina) 1885-1890, Port Stanley (Falkland Islands) 1890-1902, Locarno (Switzerland) 1902-1903, Sliema (Malta) 1904-1920, Warrenstown (Ireland) 1923-1929; Sunbury - Melbourne (Australia) 1929-1936 and finally Corpus Christi Parish in San Francisco (USA) 1936-1943.

Through this fictional conversation with the main character, we can understand the early Argentina-Patagonia missionaries life and spiritual heritage. Fr Patrick was ordained by Bishop Cagliero on 24 February 1886, at San Nicolas (Argentina), he spoke fluent English, French, Spanish, Italian and Latin. The simple and humble adventures in so many incipient missions help us to understand the missionary spirit of the early days of our Congregation.

For any information you can contact the author (jeffbrad07@gmail.com).

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