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

Administrator; born Galway, Ireland, 4 February 1874; died Adelaide, South Australia, 25 January 1958, aged 83.

John Fahy was educated at St Ignatius' College, Galway, and entered the Society of Jesus, 7 September 1891, studied in Ireland, Holland and Belgium, and was ordained priest in 1908. After a year in tertianship at Linz in Austria, he became prefect of studies at Belvedere College, Dublin, 1910, and later was appointed rector of Mungret College in July 1920.

In 1922 he became provincial of Ireland. He was later nominated the first vice-provincial of Australia from 19 March 1931. He was then master of novices and instructor of tertians, 1941-1947, and finally curate in the Norwood parish, Adelaide, until he died. He was held in such high esteem that he attended four general congregations of the Society in Rome, the last in 1957, a record in the history of the Society of Jesus.

Fahy was one of the most remarkable men to have worked in Australia. During his provincialate in Ireland, he built Rathfarnham Retreat House and juniorate, and the Irish Mission to Hong Kong was begun. In Australia, he built Loyola College, Watsonia, during the depression years, and later, Canisius College, Pymble.

He was a typical administrator, with strength to complete his vision. He did not find decision making difficult. He was also a shy, reserved man, with whom it was difficult to make light conversation, forbidding to some and apparently lacking in personal warmth. But he was a solidly spiritual man and very understanding of one's problems when the ice was broken. He found it very hard to be simply an ordinary Jesuit in community when he left high office, but he did try to be more genial and affable. It was also hard for ordinary Jesuits to consider Fahy as anyone but a superior.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)