Father Michael Hulgraine celebrated fifty years of priesthood on 16th July in the Star of the Sea church along with his brother Charlie and sister Phyllis.

Father Michael was originally from Stella Gardens in Irishtown. At the age of 18 he entered the junior seminary of the Holy Ghost Fathers at Rockwell College in County Tipperary.

In 1956 he was ordained at All Hallows College and was sent for service to Rondebusch, Cape Town. He says that the greatest joy of his service to God is the saying of the Mass, which he sees as a privilege.

These were 50 golden years to Father Hulgraine and he is a happy man. “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?” was the sentiment he expressed to me.

What was it like serving in Cape Town?
After 50 years it still is an exciting, challenging place to work and it’s multi-racial of course. We have all races and nationalities there including the Irish. God has blessed my work, choosing two of my curates to be bishops and one of my altar boys will be rector of the seminary, he’s a very good priest.

We have a Mediterranean climate in Cape Town, it’s a lovely climate and a beautiful place to work. When I first went out by ship it took 14 days. Now air travel has taken over and it’s now 11 hours from Cape Town to London.

Did you miss Dublin?
Of course I was a bit homesick when I left my family, which was only to be expected but the work takes your mind off that; there was plenty of work, thank God.

Your parents must have been very proud of you joining the Priesthood.

My poor father had died earlier but my mother was there. She was a humble soul and everyone said that she was so good that God called her son to be a priest to reward her.

She walked to mass every morning, every morning of her life and she was definitely an inspiration to my answering God’s call to the vocation of a priest and a missionary.

That’s an important detail, I am a missionary priest, I left my home, family and loved ones and moved 6000 miles away, but I was well received and welcomed out there.

While at Rockwell the motto was ‘A constant in a changing world’ Explain what this meant to you?
It’s still relevant and it means in other words everything is changing but there are certain things we must hold on to, certain principles such as the importance of the scriptures and the importance of prayer in the life of a priest. These are the constant things that we must hold on to.

Father Hulgraine is living his life as a shining light in a dark tunnel and with deep humility. He sets an example to young people in his helping of others and in all that he has achieved. His favourite Scripture reads ‘…the Lord, your God, carried you, as a man carries his child, all along your journey until you arrived at this place.’

Above: Father Hulgraine celebrates his 50 years of priesthood with his extended family and, on left, he is pictured in Ringsend as a young priest.