OLDEST IRISH-BORN PRIEST IN USA DIES AT AGE OF 96

Monsignor Myles J. McGowan, who is believed to be the oldest Irish-born priest in the United States, has died at the age of 96.
The son of farmers, Mgr. McGowan, who was born and raised in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, was also the oldest priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
He had been pastor of St. Ursula's Roman Catholic Church in Parkville, Maryland, for more than two decades.
Mgr. McGowan died on August 29 of a stroke at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium, it has been announced.
"He was thoroughly a priest and was the patriarch of the archdiocese. He was well-regarded and loved by priests both young and old," said Bishop William C. Newman, a friend of Mgr. McGowan for 55 years.
"He had a practical common sense that he was noted for. He was willing to move forward with the church, and it must have been difficult for him after Vatican II, but he did it," Bishop Newman said. "He enjoyed parish ministry, and he made a lot of wonderful friendships. He always had a positive attitude and enjoyed life."
After graduating from St. Mel's College in Longford, Mgr. McGowan decided to enter the priesthood.
He attended All Hallows Seminary in Dublin and was ordained by then-Archbishop of Baltimore Michael J. Curley, who was a friend of the family, in Dublin in 1937.
After serving for two years in Askeaton, Co. Limerick, he was invited to come to Baltimore by Archbishop Curley, and took up his first assignment at St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church in 1939.
Because of a need for military chaplains during World War II, Mgr. McGowan left St. Gregory's in 1943 and entered the Army's Chaplain School at Harvard University.
One of his classmates there was William D. Borders, who later became archbishop of Baltimore.
While serving as chaplain at the Army Air Force's flight training school at Shaw Field in South Carolina, Mgr. McGowan became an American citizen.
He was sent to Italy, where he joined the 817th Engineer Aviation Battalion, and at war's end was decorated with a campaign ribbon with two battle stars.
When he returned from the war, he joined the Maryland National Guard, serving as chaplain until being discharged with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1973.
He was associate pastor at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Towson from 1946 to 1956, then served as pastor for two years at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Western Maryland.
Mgr. McGowan was pastor of St. Louis Roman Catholic Church in Clarksville from 1958 to 1967, and then was assigned to St. Ursula's Roman Catholic Church in Parkville, where he was pastor for 20 years until retiring in 1989.
"He was a fine leader of the parish and very shrewd when it came to finances, so when I took over, we were in excellent shape," said Monsignor A. Thomas Baumgartner, former St. Ursula's pastor. "I said, 'If that's the way he did things, then we will continue doing them the way he had done them.' "
The Rev. William Foley, former pastor of the Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation in Rosedale, who is currently a temporary administrator at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church in Hagerstown, was a long-time friend.
"He was a gentlemanly priest and a very kind and gentle pastor. He was a man who always saw the good in people," said Father Foley.
Mgr. McGowan, who never lost his Irish brogue, was noted for his sense of humour and colourful stories.
"Oh, yes, he had that great Irish wit and wisdom," Fr. Foley recalled.
Mgr. Baumgartner said he "kept his sense of humour until the day he died. And he always had that twinkle in his eye."
Mgr. McGowan told The Catholic Review in a 2007 article celebrating his 70 years as a priest that he didn't mind the honour of being the oldest priest in the archdiocese because it's "better than the alternative."
Bishop Newman said his friend had a "good balance in his life."
"He had a spiritual life, a priestly ministry and a social life. The only thing we couldn't do was to get him to exercise," he said. "When I asked about this, Myles said, 'Whenever I get the urge to exercise, I take a nap, and when I get up, it's gone.' He could see humour in everything."
Mgr. McGowan, who dined at one of his favourite restaurants, the Peppermill, the night before his stroke, enjoyed sipping a glass of Scotch.
"He liked his Glenlivet and he liked debating whether the Irish or Scots had invented it, and the way whiskey was spelled, with an 'e' or without," said Mgr. Baumgartner.
Mgr. McGowan also enjoyed attending the races and golfing.
"When a friend named a horse after him, he bet the horse for a while and then stopped. I asked him why, and he said the horse wasn't doing so good," said Fr. Foley, who praised his friend's ability as a handicapper. "He was excellent."
Mgr. McGowan was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and often marched in Baltimore's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.
He is survived by a sister, Eileen Fannon of Clondalkkin, and many nieces and nephews.