Rev. Father Fouhy. Sudden Death at Laidley, The Brisbane Courier, 20 December 1928, p 12, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21357854:

Laidley, December 19.
Rev. Father Patrick Fouhy, who has been parish priest of Laidley for 36 years, was found dead in his bed this morning. He had been in ill-health for some time, and when he did not appear at the usual hour to celebrate Mass, his curate (Rev. Father Leo Hayes) went to his room, to find that Father Fouhy had evidently passed away in his sleep.

Brother of another venerable priest —the late Right Rev. Monsignor Fouhy, of Toowoomba—the late Father Fouhy was born at Meadsdown, Kildorrey, County Cork, about 70 years ago. He was educated at St. Colman's College, Fermoy, and passed on to the noted seminary college of San Sulpice, at Paris, where he was ordained in the early 'eighties. When he came to Queensland he worked in the Eidsvold district, and in 1890 was transferred to Brisbane. In the following year the Gatton parish was subdivided, and Father Fouhy was appointed to the charge of the new parish of Laidley. About two years ago, accompanied by Rev. Father D. Walsh, of Gatton, he visited Ireland, and it was thought at the time that the state of his health would prevent his resuming his parochial duties on his return. Rev. Father D. Cremin was therefore appointed to the Laidley parish, but early this year Father Fouhy's health had so improved that he was able to return to his old charge, and Rev. Father Leo Hayes was appointed, as curate, to assist him.

The new church of St. Patrick, at Laidley, another church at Glenore Grove, a convent and school for the Sisters of Mercy, and a fine presbytery are monuments to Father Fouhy's work in his parish. Soon after the convent and school were opened in 1912, the original church at Laidley was destroyed by fire, and the priest celebrated Mass in the school until the new St. Patrick's was built.

The only surviving relative which the late Father Fouhy has in Queensland is Sister Mary John Fouhy, of the Sisters of Mercy. Sister Mary John left Nudgee Convent for Laidley yesterday, to be present at the funeral this morning. The remains are to be interred in a vault in St. Patrick's Church, after a solemn requiem Mass, at 10.30 a.m., at which Dr. Duhig (Archbishop of Brisbane) will preside. The last prayers will be recited by his Grace, assisted by Monsignor Byrne (Vicar-General), and several of the clergy.

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Denis M. Long, Pioneer and Early Priests, Archdiocese of Brisbane, Deceased or retired by 1929, 2021, pp 184-185:
Fr Patrick Fouhy

Patrick Fouhy was born the son of John and Mary (nee Cashen) Fouhy at Meadsdown via Kildorrey in Co Cork Ireland about 1858.

He was educated at St Colman's College in Fermoy and then at the seminary college of San Sulpice in Paris where he was ordained about 1883.(1) He arrived in the diocese thirteen years after his brother, Fr Denis.

Fr Patrick, upon his arrival in Brisbane was appointed as curate to Fr John O'Reilly in Maryborough early in 1884. He served in that role until November 1891. From Maryborough he served the new gold mining town of Eidsvold. Early in November 1889 he moved to reside in Eidsvold, where gold had been discovered in 1850 but was not mined commercially until 1886. By 1888 the population had grown to 2000. Fr Fouhy while still canonically curate in Maryborough, while administering the Eidsvold section of that mission.

He built a church in Eidsvold which he blessed and opened on 22 June 1890. He also built a presbytery there.(2) He mission field at the time also covered Gayndah and Byrnestown. St Patrick's Eidsvold was the fine wooden edifice where the writer often celebrated Mass from 1962 until a new brick church was opened in 1964. The old church was lined with pine timber which was badly destroyed by white ants by that time.

In November 1891 Father Patrick Fouhy was appointed the first resident priest of the newly established Laidley mission. Priests from Ipswich had served that catholic community until 1886. When the Gatton mission was established in that year, the priests in Gatton ministered to the Laidley community until Fr Fouhy's arrival. Father Fouhy celebrated his first Mass as pastor of the Laidley Mission on 6 December 1891.(3) Apart from visits to Ireland in 1904 and 1927 he was to remain in charge of Laidley for 36 years.(4)

Fr Brun, while parish priest of Ipswich, built the first church in Laidley, opened by Bishop Quinn on 29 July 1866.(5) This church proved inadequate in size and so Fr Andrew Horan, early in his pastorate in Ipswich, built a new church on the high ground of the old township. Ten years later the transepts were added to enlarge the structure.(6)

Soon after his arrival Fr Fouhy built a presbytery beside the church. He also saw to the construction of a church at Glenore Grove on land adjacent to the old Rosewood station homestead. This land was donated by the manager of the station. The church was blessed and opened by Archbishop Dunne on 25 November 1906.

The foundation stone for a new convent and school was laid by Father Fouhy's brother Dean Denis Fouhy of Toowoomba on 19 March, 1911.

The proposed institution was only mooted a few months ago, when Father P Fouhy, the local parish priest, noting the steady advance in land values during late years, deemed it advisable to secure a site for a convent. About eight acres of land were available on the west side of Patrick street, midway between the show grounds and township, and though rather flat a situation in time of abnormally high floods, still the position for the purpose it was destined was considered admirable and quite fair value for £100 per acre.(7)

The new coadjutor Archbishop, James Duhig, blessed and opened the convent and a school for the Sisters of Mercy on 14 July 1912. It was the first visit of the new coadjutor to Laidley. The cost of the convent was £2,300 while the school cost £360.(8)

On 28 June 1918 the wooden church built by Fr Horan in the old township was destroyed by fire. This was a great blow to Fr Fouhy and his parishioners. For the next eighteen months school rooms were used for the celebration of Mass and other liturgical rites.

Father Fouhy chose to erect a new church on the eight acres where he had built the convent and school, which was in the new township developed around the railway station when the rail reached Laidley.

The foundation stone of the new church was laid by Archbishop Duhig on 31 October 1918.(9) This beautiful brick St Patrick's church was designed by Mr Marks of Toowoomba. It is of the same design as the Coorparoo and Bulimba churches. It was blessed and opened by Archbishop Duhig on 30 November 1919. The cost was £5,200. A collection on the day it was opened realised £1,146.(10)

By 1926, some months after the death of his brother Monsignor Denis in Toowoomba, Fr Patrick's health was poor and so he resigned as parish priest. Fr Daniel Cremin was appointed parish priest. Fr Patrick accompanied by his neighbour Fr Daniel Walsh of Gatton made a trip to their native Ireland. On his return Fr Fouhy resided in Brisbane. By May 1928 his health had improved so he asked the archbishop to reassign him to his old charge. Father Leo Hayes was appointed as a curate to assist Father Fouhy.(11)

On the morning of 19 December Father Fouhy did not arrive for his usual celebration of the 7am Mass. Father Hayes went to awake him only to discover that he had died in his sleep.(12)

Fr Fouhy's funeral obsequies took place in Laidley. Archbishop Duhig presided and preached at the Requiem Mass. Fr Michael Masterson who had served many years as an assistant to Fr Walsh at Gatton was the celebrant of the Solemn Requiem Mass. During his panegyric the Archbishop expressed his gratitude to Fr Cremin for allowing Fr Fouhy to return to his parish and die as parish priest. Following the funeral Fr Cremin was reinstated as parish priest.

Fr Fouhy had expressed a desire to be buried in the church he had built. Following the Requiem Mass and a procession through the streets of Laidley, the pastor for 36 returned to be laid to rest in a vault in his beloved St Patrick's church.(13)

Footnotes
1. Brisbane Courier, 20 Dec 1928, p. 12.
2. Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, supplement 31 Dec 1889, p. 1.
3. Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Ipswich, 8 Dec 1891, p. 4.
4. Denis M Long, In the Vineyard, 1986, p. 34.
5. Ibid. p. 32.
6. Brisbane Courier, 12 Nov 1918, p. 3.
7. Darling Downs Gazette, 21 Mar 1911, p. 7.
8. Brisbane Courier, 15 Jul 1912, p. 8.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid. 2 Dec 1919, p. 11.
11. Ibid. 21 Dec 1928, p. 17.
12. Ibid. 20 Dec 1928, p. 12.
13. Ibid. 21 Dec 1928, p. 17.

Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Long.