Memorial service for ‘hero’ human rights activist
Dr Rice, a former priest from Fermoy, suffered a fatal heart attack last month after devoting 40 years of his life campaigning for human rights in Latin America.
He was regarded as a hero by many in his adopted country of Argentina, where he was credited with saving hundreds of victims of the country’s former brutal regime, in which nearly 30,000 “disappeared” from 1976 to 1983.
His campaigning was remembered at his funeral last month where hundreds of mourners — including many family members of the “disappeared” — turned out.
But the memorial Mass, taking place in St Patrick’s church in Fermoy, Co Cork, at 2.30pm on Saturday, August 21 , will give his many Irish friends and family members who couldn’t make the long trip to Argentina the final opportunity to pay their respects.
His sister Kathleen Lee said last night: “Pat was given a great send-off in Buenos Aires.
“But the memorial Mass in Fermoy next week will be particularly poignant, because it’s the church where Pat said his first Mass.
“He was also baptised and confirmed there. And the priest who’ll be giving the Mass, Fr Vincent Twomey, was ordained at the same time as Pat and they remained very close friends ’til the end.
“It’s still very difficult to come to terms with the fact he’s no longer with us and, since his death, I have dreamt of him often. But the service will finally give us some sort of closure.”
In October 1976, Dr Rice was kidnapped and imprisoned by military authorities in a secret detention centre where he was subjected to electric shock and water torture for four days.
Action by the staff at the Irish embassy is credited with saving his life. However, many more prisoners held in that same centre are believed to be alive today because Pat had seen them, meaning the military were unable to make them “disappear”.
Kathleen added: “Many people owe their lives to him. There’s no doubt about that.”
