Rufus Halley (1944 - 28 August 2001) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

of the

Missionary Society of St. Columban The Missionary Society of St. Columban ( la, Societas Sancti Columbani pro Missionibus ad Exteros) (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 foun ...

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 (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

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

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of t ...

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: mәranaw Filipino: ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranao, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is the term used by the Philippine government to refer to the southern indigenous people who are the "people of the lake", a predomi ...

) 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) (Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the A ...

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 at the Our Lady of Peace Paris Church in Mindanao.Rev Michael Anthony "Rufus" Halley Biography
Find A Grave (June 2020)

Posthumous

The Auroro Aragon-Quezon Foundation in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

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 Fernando Robles Capalla is a Roman Catholic archbishop-emeritus of the Archdiocese of Davao. He was born on November 1, 1934 in Leon, Iloilo Province. He was succeeded by Romulo Valles as archbishop of Davao on February 11, 2012. Educational bac ...

described Halley as "a tireless and compassionate peacemaker and shepherd of the flock".

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

issued a statement from the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

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 1940s births 2001 deaths Irish Roman Catholic missionaries 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish expatriates in the Philippines People 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