Father Jarlath M. Heneghan

Father Jarlath M. Heneghan, a senior priest of the Archdiocese of Seattle, died peacefully on Aug. 20, 2022. He was 91.

Born in Feb. 2, 1931, in Knock, Mayo, Ireland, he was the youngest of five boys. As a youngster, he had an entrepreneurial spirit, cycling around to local farmers to buy excess eggs and then selling them in his parents’ general store. With telephones uncommon in his community, he rode his bike to deliver telegrams to people in the parish.

He attended Knock National School and St. Jarlath’s boarding school in Galway, where he excelled at football (soccer); he later played football for Ireland at a minor level. He loved animals and dreamed of being an equine veterinarian. As he prepared to start those studies, a friend asked him to come with him to seminary for a year; he agreed and entered Carlow College. 

He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Seattle on June 5, 1955, in Carlow Cathedral of the Assumption. He was the second of the Heneghan brothers to be ordained — his older brother Kieran became a Columban missionary priest to the Philippines. 

Father Heneghan’s first assignment was as an assistant at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Lakewood. In November 1961, he was appointed assistant at St. James Cathedral, where he spent seven years. His first assignment as a pastor was in 1968 to establish a new parish, St. Madeleine Sophie in Bellevue, to help serve the growing population on the east side of Lake Washington.

After leaving St. Madeleine Sophie in 1977, Father Heneghan served as pastor of St. Thomas Parish in Tukwila, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Bothell and Holy Rosary Parish in Edmonds. He became a senior priest in July 1996.

In 2017, he moved into the Retired Priest Center at the Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center in Federal Way, where he enjoyed the regular celebration of Mass, access to nature and fraternity with his brother priests. He became an unofficial “member” of the team at the retreat center, where he celebrated his Holy Hour in the chapel every afternoon. Father Heneghan loved to pray the Memorare and had a special devotion to Our Lady of Knock, his hometown.

Father Heneghan had a great sense of humor and a gentle manner. He was a “gate crasher extraordinaire” at church gatherings. During the 100th anniversary celebration of the apparition at Knock in 1979, Father Heneghan got into the sacristy to take a photo of then-Pope John Paul II; during Vatican II, he dressed as a bishop (at the insistence of his bishop) and processed into St. Peter’s Basilica with the other bishops.

He enjoyed golf, flying (he had a pilot’s license), playing an Irish card game called “25” and following sports: the Seahawks, Sonics, Mariners, GAA football and televised golf tournaments.

Father Heneghan was preceded in death by his parents, James and May Kate, and brothers Michael, Sean, Father Kieran, and Alo.

He is survived by 16 nieces and nephews and scores of grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.

A vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 at St. Madeleine Sophie Parish. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 30 at St. Madeleine Sophie. Committal will be in Knock, Ireland.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.