Death of beloved Parish Priest, visionary and friend, Fr John Rate

It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of our beloved Parish Priest, visionary and friend, Fr John Rate, who passed away peacefully on Sunday 22 September 2019 at Calvary Hospital.

Fr John lead our community as Parish Priest at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.  Initially in 1986 John was appointed as Assistance Priest but was later appointed as Parish Priest from 1987-1994.   He went to Canberra for a period and returned to Henley Beach again as Parish Priest in 2009 remaining and working for the parish till his passing this week.   A gentle and kind man whose acceptance of all, and humility, led him to be loved deeply by many.He gracefully battled cancer for several years, never losing his sense of humour or positivity, and was loved and cared for during his final days by family and close friends.

In communion with his family and Missionary of the Sacred Heart brothers, the celebration of Fr Johns life will be as follows:

• Monday September 30th at 9pm at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church Henley Beach  -  Candlelight Vigil Mass
• Tuesday October 1st at  2pm at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, Henley Beach S.A.-  Requiem Mass.
• Thursday October 3rd at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Kensington NSW at 7.30pm Sharing of prayers and memories.
• Friday October 4th at 10am at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, Avoca Street, Randwick NSW -. Requiem Mass.
• Friday October 4th at 2.30pm at St. Mary's Towers, 415 Douglas Park Drive,   Douglas Park Rite of Christian Burial

After the Henley Beach Service on Tuesday.

A community cuppa and cake will be available for all those attending the service.  This will be held in the school yard behind the Marine Discovery centre, across the Road from the Church.   We are grateful to Joe Detullio and the school community for organising this .   We ask parishioners to bring a plate to share with everyone as we come together to share Johns stories.

You should note that parking will not be readily available near the church, so you should allow time to park away and walk to the church.

The car parking on site will be limited as we have many visiting priests and family to accommodate.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, may he, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.