Fr. Brendan Forde OFM

My sincere sympathy to the extended Forde family on the death of Fr Brendan.
I met Brendan in 1981 in the Santiago barrios. His passion and commitment to service made a deep impression that has stayed with me to this day. Que descanse en paz.

Deepest sympathies to the Forde family and the Franciscan community. What an incredible life story. I recall him as an outstanding footballer and athlete in Gormanston and a gentle person. The world needs many more like him ,so talented and generous to those who need help most. May he RIP

“My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today.”

I am so saddened to have heard the news of Brendan's death. My sympathies to his family and his Franciscan brothers. Brendan was a very dear friend to me for many years ever since we met in Santiago in 1982. His love of music, particularly the protest songs of Victor Jara and Mercedes Sosa permeated those days and I have strong memories of riding behind him on his motorbike as he delivered forbidden leaflets around the city while belting out 'Gracias a la Vida' and other songs. We got to know each other better in Dublin when he was cast out of Chile in 1983 and have always stayed in contact since then. Brendan impressed me from the start with his obvious love for the people he worked with and for and with his very Dublin sense of humour and banter with everyone. Although we didn't see each other very often he was a touchstone in my life and I'm very very sorry to hear of his passing. Como siempre, un abrazo muy fuerte mi amigo.

My deepest sympathy to the Forde family, his Franciscan Brothers and the communities he served for so many years. May Fr Brendan Rest in Eternal Peace

Sincere sympathies to Dermot & all the Forde family on the passing of Fr Brendan, may he rest in peace.

Mary Mc Kiernan
Dept Of Agric.,
Cavan

Sincere condolences to Dermot and family.

My sympathy and prayers-and those of my sister, Sally- to all Brendan's family and confreres, especially in the El Salvador Franciscan Community.
At eighty he had reached the sum of years given the strong and brave of heart. I measc na naomh go raibh se anois-mar a bhi se le linn a shaol! My sister Sally and Brendan's late sister, Barbara, were fellow travellers in Bord Failte many years ago, and ever since, Barbara, no less than Brendan, is fondly remembered by her, and especially now. Unfortunately, we missed the Requiem Mass and funeral. However, Glasnevin is close for a visit and prayer for them, and Merchant's Quay will always be a beacon to remind us of the hope and love that moved Brendan, and which unites still in God. May he and all our great missionaries enjoy the light of God now forever!

Condolences to Brendan family friends and Franciscan community

My sympathy and prayer to the Franciscan community and to Brendan's family. I remember him as someone who walked lightly on the earth, whose interest was not in possessions and who lived a prophetic and less-ordinary life. His spirit lives on in those whose lives he touched.

Dear Brendan, I feel privileged that you shared so much of your life with me and my family. You anchored us in our time of need, our children adored you as did Joe and I, you showed us the way and you redeemed my faith, your stories, your optimism and your faith inspired us, you made us laugh and I am forever grateful for all you gave to me,Joe and my children. ‘Come here ye’ oh how we miss you, 💚

Our condolences to Dermot and all who mourne the passing of Fr Brendan
May he rest in peace 🙏

Sincere sympathy to Dermot and family on the sad passing of your beloved brother Father Brendan, RIP.

My deepest sympathy to all the Forde family on the passing of Fr. Brendan .
A spiritual giant amidst chaos , misery and hardship . What a beautiful life !
May his mighty soul rest in God's eternal peace .

Deepest Sympathies to Anne, Dermot, Kieran & the extended Forde family, relatives & friends & his Franciscan family on the sad death of Fr. Brendan. Spent some years with him in Gormanston up to 1960. Met him on some of his visits home over the years. R.I.P.Brendan.

My deep sympathy to you, Anne, to Kieran Dermot and families, and to the Franiscan family.
Thank you Brendan for the inspiration you have been to me, and to so many! Well done!

My deepest condolences Anne and family on the passing of your brother, May he rest with the angles tonight.

Deepest sympathy to Kieran, Joan & the extended Forde family on the very sad passing of Fr. Brendan.
May he rest in peace.

Sincere sympathy to you, Anne, on the death of Fr. Brendan. Leaba i measc na naomh go raibh aige.

Deepest sympathy to Fr. Brendan’s family and to his Franciscan Confreres from the Tormey family. Brendan and our brother Jim Tormey Rip. ministered together in Chile and became very good friends and so we became friends with Brendan also.
Very sorry to hear of his death. May he rest in peace.
Sue Lehane

FORDIE
A Dubliner of enormous talent who, like all great artists and saints serve "not those who make history but those who suffer it."

Fear uasal . Síocháin síoraí dó anois i measc leaba na naomh

Sincere condolences to the Forde family on the death of Fr Brendan. I have lovely memories of him visiting my parents Mick & Sinead Gill in Sandycove when he would always bring a bag of sweets for us children. If we were out he would let himself in knowing where the spare key was and leave the bag of sweets on top of the tv…his trademark. My mother was Fr Eamonn Newell’s sister.
My father Mick also sends his condolences. RIP

Our deepest sympathies to Anne, Dermot and Kieran from Nuala, Fiona, Joseph and Joe in Tipperary. We will really miss cousin Brendan’s frequent visits to us here. He was always kind, interesting, a lively conversationalist and great fun. He would do the 5k loop walk always and we have fond and fun memories of watching many Jools Holland Hootenays in New Years Eves with him. He loved music. We will miss him dearly

Dermot Pat and I WISH to offer our deepest sympathy on the passing of your brother Brendan RIP.

Deeply sorrow to learn of Brendans death. He was a very special person. I am away until 23 July and will write later. Collie

Deepest sympathy to Anne, Dermot, Kieran and Families on the death of your esteemed brother who lived his life to the full.

Very sincere sympathy to Anne, the Forde family and the Franciscan Friars on the death of Fr. Brendan. He will be sorely missed by so many. We got to know Brendan through his contacts with Afri and were inspired by his presence and his talks at Feile Bride when he was in Ireland. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this very sad time. Suaimhneas siorai Brendan.

My deepest sympathy to the forde family on the passing of fr. Brendan forde who gave his life to the poor and underprivileged. "He who is humble shall be exalted"..May he rest in eternal peace.

Rest In Peace Fr. Brendan.
We would like to express our sincere sympathy to all the family.

Deepest sympathy to Anne, Dermot and Kieran on Fr. Brendan's sad passing. He devoted his life to the poor and underprivileged in Central and South America at great personal risk and sacrifice.
May he rest in peace

Sincere Sympathy to Ciaran and family on the loss of your brother

Deepest condolences to all the Forde family and Fr. Brendan’s Franciscan confreres at home and abroad on his passing. He was truly a living saint who embodied the message of Christ 🙏🏼🕯Fr. Brendan was an inspiration. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis✨

Rest Peacefully Brendan. Many grace filled moments with Brendan in Santiago de Chile until his, Des mac GIllicuddy's and Brian Mc Mahon's expulsion by the Military Dictatorship. A man of deep conviction. Ní dhéanfar dearmad ort a Breandáin.

Desde Chile todo mi amor

Anne, we would like to express our deepest sympathy with you on the death of your brother Fr. Brendan. May he rest in peace in the company of Him whom he served throughout his life.

Condolences to Dermot and all the Forde family on the loss of Fr Brendan. Rest in Peace

Deepest sympathy to the Forde family and to the Franciscan community on the death of Fr Brendan. We were classmates in Gormanston. Brendan was a good friend.

To all of Brendan's family, my condolences on the passing Brendan - he was simply a true humanitarian and beautiful person. I have so many lovely memories of him from when I was a young child, to meeting up with him in Clontarf when he was back home, for a drink and a political chat! So much so, he instilled my desire to go to South America, specifically Chile after hearing all of his stories of his time there. I will always remember meeting Daniella and her mum, with Barbara & Brendan in the Gresham hotel back in the early '80s. I went to Chile about 22 years ago and got to see some of the places he had talked about. May he rest in peace xx

SO SORRY TO HEAR THIS SAD NEWS.

Sincere sympathy to Anne, Dermot, Kieran, the Forde family, the Franciscan community and all Brendan's many friends on the sad passing of a great man. We are greatly saddened to hear of Brendan's sudden death and we are sorry for your great loss.
We are sad because we have lost a brave, courageous man, a person of integrity, but most of all we are sad because we have lost a friend.
Brendan loved the people he lived with in Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia. He enjoyed being with them and he stood by them in all their trials and pain. They will weep for padre Bernardo and mourn his passing.
When a dearly loved bishop, Enrique Alvear, died in Chile 🇨🇱 the people cried out in their great sorrow..... "God, why have you taken the only saint we have here with us,.....when you have so many saints in heaven".
Likewise they will cry out to God and weep for Bernardo.

It was great to know a man such as Brendan. Peace to his kindly soul.
Gracias por el ejemplo que Bernardo nos diste y que descanse en paz.
Que te vaya con Dios.
and "up the Dubs"

Sincere sympathy to the Ford family on the sad passing of Fr Brendan.Ar dheis Dē go raibh anam dílis.

Fr Brendan

Like many of the communities and peoples touched by the involvement of Brendan in their lives, we are heartbroken right now, but when we talk about how much our lives were enriched and brightened any time Brendan was around, we can reflect on how blessed we were to know him.

A living Saint whose priorities in life were to help and support poor, marginalised and oppressed people.

And also that sporting competitive spirit! With roots in his youth as a top class Gaelic footballer, Brendan's love of pure sporting excellence in team games such as GAA football & hurling, soccer and rugby was forever present and in itself was inspirational.

Deepest sympathy to Brendan's family and all who loved him.

God Bless Ye Brendan!

It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Fr Brendan. His death occurred just 10 days after both of us, along with Fr Liam Holohan MHM (who died in 2002), received an award from the Embassy of Chile in Dublin for lending humanitarian assistance to the Chilean people during the 1970’s and ‘80’s. Santiago was my first assignment after ordination as a Mill Hill Missionary priest, and I was, so to speak, thrown in at the deep end – living and ministering in very challenging circumstances, under the rule of a military regime that certainly did not prioritise the welfare of the poor and oppressed. The fact that I did not ‘drown’ in the ‘deep end’, indeed survived and thrived, can, in large measure, be attributed to the tremendous support I received from Fr Brendan. I had the privilege of seeing the ‘Friar in blue jeans’ in action close-up, observing and learning from him as he accompanied the people in their joys and struggles up to the moment that both of us were expelled by the military regime in March 1983. Following in the footsteps of St Francis, living a simple lifestyle, Fr Brendan preached as much by example as he did by word. The Chilean people knew that this man was on their side in their struggle to regain democracy and to gain access to the basic things of life, like food, shelter, health care and education, as befitted their status as sons and daughters of God. They loved Fr Brendan and he loved them. Faith, Pope Benedict XVI said, is transmitted by attraction and not by imposition, and Fr Brendan embodied this approach to mission. Fr Brendan, after your lifelong labours in the vineyard of the Lord in Chile, El Salvador, Colombia and Guatemala, may you now rest in God’s eternal peace.

DEEPEST SYMPATHY ON THE SAD PASSING OF BRENDAN. MAY HE REST IN PEACE

Very sorry to hear of the loss of a great man.
Only met Brendan a handful of times however, each time I was met with many intriguing stories from his trips away. Having read others comments it is clear to see that Brendan impacted many many lives and always in a positive manner.
He has been a magnificent friend (although more like a family member) of a family whom myself and friends hold very close to our hearts, and for this I thank him unreservedly.
Rest easy Brendan x

Our sympathies to Brendan’s family and religious communities on his loss. I first saw Brendan on The Late Late Show as a teenager when he was interviewed after his forced leaving of Chile. It was wonderful then, to get to know him, when we lived and worked in El Salvador in the early 90’s, where his passion for his work and dedication to justice and a lived theology of liberation, was inspirational. May he Rest In Peace.

Las communidades con quienes trabaje , tienan una lugar especial para Brendan en sus corazones.
Aedín O Leary & Neil O Conaill
NCR, Limerick

So sad to hear of Brendan's death. My condolences to the Forde family, to Brendan's Franciscan family and to his many friends. Brendan's commitment to and work with so many communities and the margins of society in Latin America was inspirational. He will be greatly missed but I'm sure his spirit will continue to guide and inspire all who work for justice.

Breadan was a true champion of
the downtrodden. It was
a great honour to know him. Our deepest condolences to Brendan's family and friends from all who benefited from your friendship iand solidaritu n Timor-Leste .

So sad to read of Brendan's death but privileged to have been a fellow classmate in the Gormanston College Leaving Cert class of 1960. Deepest sympathy to the Forde family and the Franciscan community. Frank Byrne.

On behalf of the Ireland El Salvador Support Committee I wish to sympathise with the Forde Family and his Franciscan family on their great loss.
We worked together since 1979 in solidarity with the Salvadoran Pueblo together with the rest of the Irish Franciscans and Poor Clares for the cause of justice for those who had no voice.
May he continue to inspire a new generation to work for justice from his new home.

Our deepest sympathy to Dermot, Geraldine, and the entire Forde & the Franciscan family on the sad passing of Fr. Brendan. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this very difficult time.
May Fr. Brendan's gentle soul Rest in Peace.

Brendan was a saint whose faith-filled life can inspire so many today. I celebrated the Easter ceremonies with him in the hills of El Salvador in 1992 with people on the run from the military who told us they had to leave their dead to the dogs! We worked before that in Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship - he was in Santiago and i was in Arica near the border with Peru. May he rest in peace but continue to inspire us with his wonderful commitment to people who struggle in this life for what God wants for them. Hasta la vista, amigo. Gracias por conocerte. Michael

On behalf of the Board, Management & Staff of Horse Sport Ireland, we convey our deepest sympathies to Dermot, Anne, Kieran, the wider Forde family & the Franciscan family on the sad passing of Fr. Brendan.

Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Deepest sympathy to Anne, Dermot, Kieran and their families on the sudden death of their brother Brendan. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Sincerest condolences to the Forde family and the Franciscan brethren on the passing of Father Brendan. His life and work leave a legacy that will live on. May he rest in peace.

Sincerest condolences to Brendan's siblings Kieran, Anne and Dermot on Brendan's untimely death.
His legacy will be remembered for his heroic work in Latin America, which must be a source of great consolation to all who were connected with him.

Sincere condolences on the untimely passing of fr brendan who we met at the chilean embassy where he was honoured for his humanitarian work. We were saddened to hear of his death and we pray that you will find consolation at this difficult time. May he rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to all the Forde Family and his Franciscan Brothers. A shining example of kindness and humility. May Brendan rest in The peace of the Lord. 🙏🙏

Our condolences to Ann, Dermot and Kieran and their families and to Brendans colleagues in Ireland and Central America.
I've known Brendan since the mid 1960s. As a clerical student in the Franciscans he often played football with the Clontarf GAA team. Although we did have to play some tough teams, I don't think they were on a par with some of the tough teams he later had to play against in Chile, El Salvador and other parts of Central America when the opposing teams/ armies were as likely to shoot you as trip you up.
Brendan led an extraordinary life and its a pity that he didn't get a chance to retire quietly and spend more time with his family and many friends in Ireland.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.