Rufus Halley (1944 - 28 August 2001) was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

of the

Missionary Society of St. Columban The Missionary Society of St. Columban () (abbreviated as S.S.C.M.E. or SSC), commonly known as the Columbans, is a missionary Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right founded in Ireland in 1917 and approved by the Holy See in 19 ...

who spent more than 20 years promoting ecumenical dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Asia. A native of Killoteran, County Waterford, Ireland, he was appointed to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

shortly after his ordination to the priesthood in 1969, living with and ministering to the rural poor. In 1980, he moved to

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

in the south of the Philippines and volunteered to engage in dialogue with local Muslims. In a bid to break down the mutual distrust and mistrust, Halley integrated with both Christian and Muslim communities by learning two local languages (one of which being

Maranao The Maranao people ( Maranao: ''Bangsa'' ''Mëranaw''; Filipino: ''mga'' ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranaw, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of Mi ...

) and worked for many years in a store owned by a Muslim selling rice and corn.Profile of Fr Rufus Halley
/ref> Halley fought for the rights of oppressed Muslims, who were being targeted by the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

Death

On 28 August 2001, Halley was travelling by motorcycle to attend the wedding of a poor local couple when he was ambushed by a band of men. According to witness accounts, Halley tried to escape and was shot at point-blank range. It is not known why Halley was targeted. Halley was mourned by both Christians and Muslims following his death. An estimated 2000 people attended his funeral in Mindanao.Rev Michael Anthony "Rufus" Halley Biography
, Find A Grave (June 2020)

Posthumous

The Auroro Aragon-Quezon Foundation in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

made a posthumous award to Halley for his contributions in Lanao del Sur, Philippines. According to the citation, Halley "went beyond the ordinary call of a missionary as he exhibited unfailingly the zeal of senseless armed conflict". The Archbishop of Davau Fernando Capalla described Halley as "a tireless and compassionate peacemaker and shepherd of the flock".

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

issued a statement from the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

following Halley's death, which highlighted the sacrifice which Halley made for his faith. A book about Halley's life, and that of fellow missionary Des Hartford (who was kidnapped in the Philippines several years earlier), was published in 2019 by Mercier Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halley, Rufus 2001 deaths Irish Roman Catholic missionaries 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish expatriates in the Philippines Christian clergy from County Waterford 21st-century Roman Catholic martyrs 21st-century venerated Christians Date of birth unknown Roman Catholic missionaries in the Philippines People murdered in the Philippines Deaths by firearm in the Philippines Irish people murdered abroad 1944 births Murder victims from County Waterford