Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Keating, Patrick

Teacher, administrator, provincial; born Tipperary, Ireland, 17 March 1846; died Riverview, Sydney, 14 May 1913, aged 67.

Although born in Ireland, Patrick Keating received much of his early education in the USA. His secondary education began at Clongowes Wood College, Kildare, Ireland, where he had a reputation as a fine athlete and was a good rifle shot. He entered the noviciate at Milltown Park, Dublin, 28 August 1865. His juniorate studies were at the College of St Acheul, France; his philosophy at the Roman College; and theology at Innsbruck and St Beuno's, Wales, 1877-81. Regency was undertaken after philosophy at Tullamore College, 1871-77, where he was assistant prefect of studies, and taught university students.

Keating was living in Rome in 1870. On 20 September the troops of Victor Emmanuel laid siege to the city of Rome. He risked his life by helping the wounded on the streets. The Jesuits were driven from the Roman College; so Keating finished his third year philosophy at Maria-Laach during the Franco-Prussian War.

After his ordination in 1880, he taught religion, French and Italian for a short time, 1881-2, at Clongowes Wood, and the following year was socius to the master of novices at Milltown Park, during which time he completed his tertianship.

In 1883 Keating arrived in Australia, joined Joseph Dalton at St Ignatius' College, Riverview, and succeeded him as rector in 1888. He was appointed mission superior in 1890 and resided at Riverview. In 1894 he returned to Ireland as provincial, residing at Gardiner Street.

He returned to Australia in 1901 and was appointed rector of Xavier College, Kew, and taught for the public examinations. From 1908-11, he performed parish ministry at North Sydney and at Lavender Bay, Sydney, and in 1912 was appointed rector of St Ignatius' College, Riverview. He died in office the following year following a cerebral hemorrhage.

Patrick Keating was one of the most accomplished Irish Jesuits to come to Australia. He was gifted spiritually, intellectually and athletically, and respected for his administrative skills. People spoke of 'his urbanity, his culture, his charm, his good looks, his human insight and his ability to inspire affection.'

Christopher Brennan, the Australian poet and former student of Keating, paid him an outstanding tribute. He believed him to be 'the most distinguished personality that I have ever met, a standard whereby to test and judge all others. To come into his hands...was to be initiated to a quite new range of human possibilities...' He praised Keating for his 'rare qualities of gentleness and sympathetic comprehension'.

His Jesuit community praised his great spirit of exactness and neatness; a kindness extended to all; a strong sense of duty; a tender devotion to the Blessed Sacrament; and his work in adorning the chapel. Under his direction, Brother Girschik made a fine cedar vesting press for the sacristy at Riverview, which still stands.

Writing to Ireland in 1894, Dalton, at Riverview, believed that Keating's students had great confidence in him and 'liked him well'. John Ryan, mission superior, did not lavish praise upon him. He believed him to be good at administration, but not with finances; not over strict in enforcing discipline; firm and decisive, but easily influenced by anyone of strong mind; never lost his temper, but not fatherly or sympathetic; somewhat superficial, cold and at times sarcastic; discouraged more than encouraged. But the Irish provincial, Timothy Kenny, while visiting Australia in 1890 believed Keating to be 'the most admirable man I ever met'. That being the opinion that counted, Keating became the next Irish provincial.

In his speeches as rector of the various colleges, Keating showed his openness, appeal to reason and genuine belief in the goodness of human nature. He was truly a cultured humanist. He kept well informed about contemporary ideas in education and gave critiques of them, continually stressing the traditional classical education of the Jesuits. He was concerned at Riverview by the rather poor quality of Jesuit teachers, men 'rather broken in health', who were not helping the boys achieve good examination results.

At the time of his death, Keating was one of the most significant Jesuits in Australia, much loved and most appreciated by those who experienced him, both as a kind and courteous gentleman and as a cultured scholar.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)