Fr. Andrew McMahon ofm R.I.P.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Andrew McMahon R.I.P. who died last week in Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth following a fall. Fr. Andrew has been the chaplain to the Franciscan Sisters at Park Place in Wickham for many years and will be missed very much. Please pray for his family and friends. His funeral is on Monday 5th February at Park Place at 11.30am Fr. Andrew was in the Capuchin Friars for over 60 years He will be remembered for his time in Southampton earlier in his career where he ran a shelter for the homeless. After twenty years in Southampton, working and living with men from prison, or from drinking in the parks, he was asked to go to Park Place Pastoral Centre, as Chaplain to the Community of Franciscan Sisters.

Sr Evelyn Cardoz, FSMA, Superior of the Community at Park Place writes:

Father Andrew McMahon was born in Fyffe, Scotland on 12th November 1935 to a mining family that later migrated to Coventry after the second World War. He joined the Franciscan Friars as a novice and was ordained on 10th September 1963. As a Franciscan, his mission from a very young age was to care for ex-prisoners and the homeless. He obtained a Master’s degree in Social work and worked for many years at a Day care Centre called St. Dismas in Southampton, caring for the homeless, the alcoholics, the prostitutes and drug-addicts. He was honoured with an MBE for his outstanding work among people on the margins. When he retired from his work in Southampton, he replaced Fr. John O’Shea as Chaplain to Park Place Pastoral Centre in August 1991. At Park Place, he continued to revive Franciscan Spirituality both in his own life by living a life of simplicity and caring for Mother Earth. He grew his own vegetables and distributed them among the people. He readily replaced the Priests in the Diocese, whenever his services were needed – to celebrate Masses, Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals or visit the sick in hospitals. In the last five years, his health deteriorated and on Sunday 14th January, he had a fall and was rushed to QA where he died on Wednesday 17th January 2024. We at Park Place Pastoral Centre are indebted to him for his commitment to the Centre, these past thirty-two years as Chaplain.