OBITUARY NOTICE OF BRO. BENIGNUS, C.P. With the death of Bro. Benignus on May 12th, 1966, the Province of St. Joseph lost one of its senior brothers. Bro. Benignus of St. Michael (Arthur Cyril McKechnie) was born in Glasgow on 23rd December, 1903. His family was already associated with the Passionists, his father, well-known in musical circles, being organist at St. Mungo’s for many years. Born in a Passionist parish and with this special family association with the Passionists, he naturally turned to the Congregation when he found God was calling him to the religious life. Educated at the parish school and then by the Marists at St. Mungo’s Academy, he entered the Congregation when he was nineteen years old. It was as a cleric that he entered the juniorate at Ardoyne but in the mysterious ways of God’s providence he was not destined for the priesthood. It was the time of the “troubles” in Belfast and the young postulant suffered a serious knee injury when shots were callously fired at a group of students in the monastery garden. His studies were interrupted and he was forced to spend a long time in hospital. When he eventually left hospital – permanently lame – he decided to offer himself to God as a brother and entered the novitiate at Enniskillen where he was professed on 18th December, 1927. With the exception of a brief period at St. Anne’s Sutton, the remainder of his life was to be spent at St. Joseph’s, Highgate. For close on forty years he was in charge of the door and telephone at Highgate (in addition to counting the collections and helping generally in the domestic duties). Anyone who has lived in Highgate will understand what this meant: the incessant doorbell, the ceaseless telephone, the need to climb up and down stairs constantly and to walk long corridors, the interruption of meals and rest, the strain of maintaining good humour with the not too considerate or not too sensible caller. Add to this the difficulty caused by the limp that was the permanent legacy of his injury and one begins to understand something of the physical burden of those years. And there was another burden that must not be forgotten. That was the regret at having his hopes of ordination dashed by the senseless malice that caused his injury. This regret at never reaching the priesthood could have been a crushing burden. By God’s grace working in a generous soul it was not so and a character that could have become soured remained good-humoured and unembittered to the end. A few years before his death the work of the years took its toll and he became seriously ill. He was never to recover fully. The years that remained were years of invalidism, repeated stays in hospital and gradual deterioration of health. But all was borne with patience and true religious spirit. Ever devoted to poverty, he was, even in his need, unwilling to burden the Congregation and had to be pressed to accept the little comforts that his illness required. The humour, too, that had been a feature of his character, did not desert him and to the end he was willing to tell a “wee” story. He died quite suddenly on May 12th and was buried in the mausoleum in the grounds of St. Joseph’s. He had become something of an institution at St. Joseph’s and his funeral was attended by a large crowd of parishioners in addition to his many relatives and friends. It was a fitting last tribute to a generous soul and a devoted religious. May he rest in peace. Signed: Hubert C.P.