Fr Henry Nolan SJ:Fr Henry Nolan SJ, who has died aged 96, was a former rector of Belvedere College and also worked at Vatican Radio. In addition, his ministry took him to Florence, where for over three decades he was priest to the English-speaking community.
Born in Hong Kong in 1910, he was one of the eight children of Nicholas Nolan and his wife, Mary Georgina Hennessy. His father, who was chief interpreter of the Hong Kong Supreme Court, died in 1920 and the children returned with their mother to Ireland, settling in Cork.
Henry, who had been a pupil at the Victoria British School, continued his education at Presentation College, Cork, and later - after the family moved to Dublin - at Belvedere College.
He entered the Society of Jesus at Tullabeg, Co Offaly, in 1929, the year that his mother died, and in 1931 took his first vows. For the next three years he studied Irish and English at University College Dublin, while living in the Jesuit house at Rathfarnham.
He graduated in 1934 and spent a further three years studying philosophy at Maison Saint Louis in Jersey. Following a stint as a teacher at Belvedere, he studied theology at Milltown Park, where he was ordained in 1943.
He took his final vows in Rome in 1947. By now he was head of the English section of Vatican Radio, and for 15 years was the "English voice of the pope".
In all he worked with five popes, the first of whom was Pius XII.
The high point of his collaboration with Pius XII came in 1950, when the pope pronounced as dogma the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. "The holy father defined the dogma in Latin," he recalled, "and I, standing beside him, spoke the same historic words in English. What a marvellous privilege!"
He remained with Vatican Radio until 1961, when he suffered a serious illness that brought him close to death. Following surgery he returned to Ireland to convalesce.
Within a year he was back in harness as spiritual director at Rathfarnham; he also edited the religious magazine Madonna.
From 1965 to 1968 he was rector at Belvedere, after which he was assigned to the novitiate at Emo Park, Co Laois. In 1969 he was invited to Florence by Cardinal Ermengilso Florit, and in September of that year became chaplain to the English-speaking community in the diocese, based in the Jesuit Church of Via Savant.
As well as saying Sunday Mass in English in the Duomo, he gave of his time to English speakers of many nationalities, bringing comfort to those in special need, in hospitals and sometimes in prison.
A fluent Italian speaker noted for his friendly manner, his work extended to the wider community. For many years he was spiritual director to the Charismatic movement in the city.
He was appointed by Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli to be an exorcist, a ministry which, he said, required "prudence, authority and prayer in close union with God and with the bishop".
His deep religious faith was underpinned by a lifelong devotion to Our Lady. It was therefore fitting that he should participate, as a member of the pastoral council of Florence, in a ceremony at the shrine of Our Lady of Montenro during the Marian year in 1983.
He thoroughly enjoyed life in Florence. "It's a city of immense culture and history," he said. "Living here has opened up my horizons - and there is so much beauty to be thankful for."
In 2002 his wish to be formally recognised as a Florentine was realised when he was conferred with honorary citizenship of the city, on foot of a unanimous decision by Florence's commission.
This followed a petition by the British consul, Moira Macfarlane, supported by many prominent figures including Dr Patrick Masterson, president of the European University and former president of UCD. Three generations of Fr Nolan's family attended the conferral at the Palazzo Vecchio.
He is survived by his nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
Henry John Nolan, SJ: born April 6th, 1910; died December 24th, 2006.