Fr. Tom Kiggins RIP

It is not often that I would write a tribute but I felt this time I should. Yesterday as I got home from the gym and logged on to my Facebook I noticed I had a notification from St Patrick's Missionary Society page. As I was on my phone all I could see in the notification was 'With huge sadness we have to inform you...' Panic set in as I thought of Seamus. But I clicked on the notification and was shocked to read that Fr Tom had passed away, I had only seen him a few weeks ago.

Fr Tom Kiggins was a priest with St Patrick's Missionary Society, AKA the Kiltegans. He was ordained in 1967. Originally from Galway, Tom worked in Nakuru Diocese in Kenya as well as Nairobi and Ireland after his ordination. He was involved in formation. For the last few years he was based in the Society house in Kiltegan.  He was on the leadership team of the Society for a time. He also wrote a book about the history of the Society. This year he celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest with the Society.

I did not know Fr Tom well. I regularly saw him at mass over in Kiltegan when I went and when I was up in the top house with Seamus at meal times. From memory, Tom was one of the singers at funerals etc (although I could be wrong).  Even though I did not know him well my last brief encounter with Tom is why I felt compelled to write this tribute. I decided to go to Kiltegan in time for mass one day, that way I could join the lads for lunch and spend a few hours just hanging around the grounds as I was still kind of struggling to adjust back to life in Ireland after Uganda, I think I was about a month back. Who better to spend tie with than people who knows what Mission work in Africa is like? As I left the dining room I met Tom at the door and we walked together as far as the door out of the building. When I met him at the door he thanked me for joining them for mass. I remember thinking to myself, 'that's a strange thank you as it was mass'. I thanked him for having me. We went on to talk briefly about Africa as I had told him I felt I was struggling to readjust, I suppose I was looking for someone who knew to tell me I was doing fine and it was perfectly normal to feel the way I was. I don't remember what Tom said there but I did walk out feeling better. His thanking me for joining them for mass was what really left a mark for me and making me so much part of the place. And I never did thank him for saying this to me. I did see him the following week but I think he was leaving the room by the time I saw him so I did not get a chance.

On Monday Fr Tom Kiggins will be laid in his final resting place in the Society Graveyard in Kiltegan after mass on Monday.

Pumzika Kwa Amani Fr Tom