Thomas Cooney | ANZ Clergy


About Help Contact login Rev Thomas Cooney SJ Title: Rev First Name: Thomas Middle Names: Preferred Name: Surname: Cooney Order: SJ Date of Birth: 02-Dec-1896 Place of Birth: Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary Country of Birth: Ireland Date of Ordination: Place of Ordination: Country of Ordination: Ordination Diocese: Seminary: Date of Death: 17-Jul-1985 Place of Death: Country of Death: Zambia Date of Burial: 1985 Place of Burial: Country of Burial: Zambia Find A Grave URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/242622659 FindaGrave - Person Photo FindaGrave - Grave Photo Biographical Notes Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017: Cooney, Thomas Administrator, teacher; born Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland, 2 December 1896; died Chikuni, Zambia, 17 July 1985, aged 88. Thomas Cooney was educated by the Christian Brothers in Carrick, and attended the university, 1915-19. He was a brilliant student and took his BSc (engineering) from London and a BSc from Dublin, gaining honours in the latter. He entered the Society at Tullamore, 22 May 1920, studied philosophy and theology at Milltown Park, 1922-29, and was ordained in 1928. He was then sent to Hong Kong, 1929-45, where he was at some time rector of the seminary, 1935-37, and superior of the mission, 1935-41. He had a break in 1934-35 for tertianship at St Beuno's, Wales. He lived through the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and left for Macao for a short time before moving on to Australia as his health had broken down. From 1945-53 Cooney taught at St Ignatius' College, Riverview, where he related well with everyone, and was an efficient prefect of studies. People sought his counsel. He taught general mathematics, physics and chemistry, and achieved good examination results. His students felt his interest in them and found him very supportive and encouraging. He went to the Irish mission in Zambia in 1953 and remained at Chikuni until his death. From 1955-70 he was the mission bursar. When the Teacher Training College at Charles Lwanga was to be built in the late fifties, Cooney was the one who looked after the construction of a dam. Before the spillway was ready, there was exceptionally heavy rainfall that caused the dam to fill rapidly so that there was danger of the dam wall being swept away by the pressure of water. Every morning in those critical days, an anxious Cooney was down early to scrutinise the rising level of the water. Cooney had a fondness for animals. Though he rarely took a holiday, a visit to a game park was an occasion he always enjoyed. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word, and had an extraordinary gift of making people welcome to Chikuni, would carry the bags of visitors, making sure they were looked after, and would try to be present when visitors left to wish them a good journey. He was also a very devoted and painstaking teacher of mathematics and science at Canisius Secondary School, and appreciated by his students. No nonsense was ever tolerated in his classroom. (Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)

Title:

Rev

First Name:

Thomas

Middle Names:

Preferred Name:

Surname:

Cooney

Order:

Date of Birth:

02-Dec-1896

Place of Birth:

Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary

Country of Birth:

Ireland

Date of Ordination:

Place of Ordination:

Country of Ordination:

Ordination Diocese:

Seminary:

Date of Death:

17-Jul-1985

Place of Death:

Country of Death:

Zambia

Date of Burial:

1985

Place of Burial:

Country of Burial:

Zambia

Find A Grave URL:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/242622659

FindaGrave - Person Photo

FindaGrave - Grave Photo

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

Administrator, teacher; born Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland, 2 December 1896; died Chikuni, Zambia, 17 July 1985, aged 88.

Thomas Cooney was educated by the Christian Brothers in Carrick, and attended the university, 1915-19. He was a brilliant student and took his BSc (engineering) from London and a BSc from Dublin, gaining honours in the latter. He entered the Society at Tullamore, 22 May 1920, studied philosophy and theology at Milltown Park, 1922-29, and was ordained in 1928.

He was then sent to Hong Kong, 1929-45, where he was at some time rector of the seminary, 1935-37, and superior of the mission, 1935-41. He had a break in 1934-35 for tertianship at St Beuno's, Wales. He lived through the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and left for Macao for a short time before moving on to Australia as his health had broken down.

From 1945-53 Cooney taught at St Ignatius' College, Riverview, where he related well with everyone, and was an efficient prefect of studies. People sought his counsel. He taught general mathematics, physics and chemistry, and achieved good examination results. His students felt his interest in them and found him very supportive and encouraging.

He went to the Irish mission in Zambia in 1953 and remained at Chikuni until his death. From 1955-70 he was the mission bursar. When the Teacher Training College at Charles Lwanga was to be built in the late fifties, Cooney was the one who looked after the construction of a dam. Before the spillway was ready, there was exceptionally heavy rainfall that caused the dam to fill rapidly so that there was danger of the dam wall being swept away by the pressure of water. Every morning in those critical days, an anxious Cooney was down early to scrutinise the rising level of the water.

Cooney had a fondness for animals. Though he rarely took a holiday, a visit to a game park was an occasion he always enjoyed.

He was a gentleman in every sense of the word, and had an extraordinary gift of making people welcome to Chikuni, would carry the bags of visitors, making sure they were looked after, and would try to be present when visitors left to wish them a good journey.

He was also a very devoted and painstaking teacher of mathematics and science at Canisius Secondary School, and appreciated by his students. No nonsense was ever tolerated in his classroom.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)

Rev Thomas Cooney SJ

Biographical Notes