FR MICHAEL MELVIN:THE WARMTH and affection which followed news of Fr Michael Melvin's death aged 61 on September 9th was not simply due to the shock of the news but also because of a realisation that, as one man said, "we have lost a national treasure."
The author of that comment, Fr Dermod McCarthy, recently retired editor of religious programmes at RTÉ, also said "everyone I know who worked with him became his friend."
The Catholic primate Cardinal Sean Brady said he had heard of Fr Melvin's "untimely death" with "great sadness and regret", while the Jesuit Provincial Fr John Dardis said "he was held in high regard by all who came in contact with and knew him. I was privileged to have known and worked with such an exceptional human being." As director of Kairos Communications, Fr Melvin was one of the more important if also low-key figures in religious and public service broadcasting in Ireland. His most recent achievement was organising the broadcasting of Mass from the top of Croagh Patrick last Reek Sunday, July 27th. He climbed the mountain himself a few days beforehand.
He founded Kairos at Maynooth in 1973 but it was really after 1992 when he began to make his most significant impact on broadcasting in Ireland. That year, following a decision by then minister for communications Michael D Higgins that a proportion of broadcast time on RTÉ should be supplied by independent production companies, and in all sectors of programming, Kairos became responsible for broadcasting Masses and religious services there. It also prepared and broadcast the Angelus, A Prayer at Bedtime and the Time Out series. Last year too, and for the first time, Kairos prepared the documentary version (on CD) of the Catholic bishops' pastoral Alcohol: the Challenge of Moderation.
Fr Melvin, or "Mick", as he was known, was born in August 1947 at Annagh, Ballyglunin, near Tuam, Co Galway, from where he could see Croagh Patrick on a clear day.
He attended Annagh national school before becoming a boarder at St Jarlath's College, Tuam, after which he worked in England for a while. His training for the priesthood began at St David College in Wales. From there he continued with the Divine Word Missionaries in Donamon, Co Roscommon, where he was ordained 34 years ago in 1974.
Kairos began as a magazine, which he started in 1973. Working from a bedroom in the Divine Word house at Maynooth,he and the first Kairos team produced a high quality religious publication for schools which ran for 20 years. Then he moved into television production, having convinced his Divine Word superiors to allow him to buy an outside broadcast unit for a seven figure sum, in itself no mean achievement.
He is survived by his brothers Fr Jarlath, Provincial of the Divine Word Missionaries in Paraguay, Gerard, Eugene, Aidan and James; sisters-in-law Maureen, Josephine and Bina; colleagues and a wide circle of friends.
Michael Melvin: born August 1947; died September 9th, 2008