Society of African Missions – Irish Province

1973 – 1982 Education Ministry in Masala School, Ndola Diocese, Zambia

1982 – 1986 Promotions Team, African Missions, Dromantine, Newry, Co. Down

1986 – 1990 Chimwemwe Parish, Kitwe, Ndola Diocese, Zambia

1990 – 1996 Regional Superior for Eastern & Southern Africa

1996 – 1997 Sabbatical Programme

1997 – 2001 Francisdale Parish, Ndola Diocese, Zambia

2002 – 2008 Superior, African Missions, Dromantine, Newry, Co. Down

2009 – 2024 Holy Trinity Parish, Mulenga, Kitwe, Ndola Archdiocese, Zambia

2024 – 2025 African Missions, Dromantine, Newry, Co. Down

2025 – Retired, African Missions, Dromantine, Newry, Co. Down

Fr. PJ Gormley had been unwell in recent years. He died peacefully in Craigavon

Hospital, Portadown, Co. Armagh on 12 March 2026, age 81 years.

He was buried on 16 March 2026 at the adjoining cemetery of St Macartan’s Church, Augher, Co. Tyrone.

ETERNAL REST GRANT TO HIM, O LORD

Tribute

Fr. PJ Gormley: A Missionary Heart, A Yellow Truck, and a Legacy of Love

It was with deep sadness that I received the news that you are no longer with us, Fr. PJ Gomley. The thought that I will no longer see you again or hear your voice on the phone fills my heart with sorrow. Yet even in that sadness, there is a deep sense of gratitude, because the memories you leave behind are rich, inspiring, and enduring. They are memories of a missionary, a mentor, and a friend who helped shape my own missionary journey.

When I arrived in Luangwa as a young SMA priest, first appointed Administrator and later Parish Priest of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, I was filled with missionary zeal but had much to learn. You welcomed me warmly and patiently showed me what it meant to be a missionary among the Bemba people and the wider Luangwa community. For six years that we lived and worked together, you took a keen interest in my ministry, encouraging me and guiding me with a quiet wisdom that gave me confidence in those early years of priesthood.

It is impossible to remember you without remembering your famous yellow truck. That truck was almost an extension of your missionary spirit. It was rarely still. With it you were always on the move between Mulenga and Ndola, Kitwe and the farm at ZNS, carrying sand, stones, laterite, cement, and water. But that yellow truck carried more than building materials—it carried your vision for the mission. With it you helped build St. Ciaran School, contributed to the building of Holy Trinity Parish in Mulenga, and worked tirelessly on the retreat centre at the farm.

Time and again, that yellow truck became a symbol of your generosity. During my very first construction project in life, the Malembeka School project, you stood beside me with practical support and encouragement. You transported blocks, sand, water, cement, and roofing sheets so that the project could move forward. When we began the parish car park project to supplement parish income, you once again put your weight behind it, making the yellow truck available to transport gravel and materials. Your support gave me courage to undertake works that, at the time, felt far beyond my experience.

Yet what I remember most vividly are the simple moments of community life. After a long day of work, you would return home tired, but never too tired to sit with the community in the living room. There you would share stories of your day—of the people you had met and the work you had done—and you were always equally interested in hearing what had happened in ours.

You paid attention to people. When you noticed that I was spending too much time indoors, buried in work, you gently reminded me of something I have never forgotten:
“We are old now, but when we were young we had fun. We went out. You too should go out and relax after a long day, especially on Sunday evenings.”
In that simple advice was the wisdom of a man who understood the balance needed in missionary life.

Despite the many responsibilities you carried, you were always available to serve. You did not hesitate to help out in Luangwa, celebrating Mass or visiting outstations whenever needed. Your generosity extended beyond ministry to friendship. Every second Friday you would invite me to accompany you to the Osbornes. Saturdays were reserved for your beloved game of golf. Through you I came to know many friends of the mission—people who supported the work with remarkable generosity.

You introduced me to Barnney Curly, and through the trust you had built with him he later agreed to fund the Malembeka School project. You introduced me to Glen and Friday, who helped maintain the parish vehicle, and to your dear friend Jeanette Norris, a passionate supporter of the mission who generously supported many of our projects over the years. Through you I also came to know the Friends of Africa and the students and teachers of St. Ciaran who faithfully visited each year to support the mission.

You cared deeply about community life as well. Living alongside Fr. Martin O’Farrell, you ensured that we shared responsibilities and lived a decent and balanced missionary life together.

When a friend from Ireland brought a motorbike, you trusted me with it without hesitation. I gladly used it to reach the outstations for Mass. Later came your blue double-cabin truck, and with it you were once again everywhere—visiting the sick, celebrating Mass, supervising construction sites, planting trees, drilling water wells, and serving people in every possible way.

You possessed a remarkable wisdom and a deep love for the Bemba people, often expressed through the proverbs you loved so much and skillfully used in your conversations and homilies. It was truly a privilege to have you serve on the Regional Council of Zambia during those years.

Above all, what defined you was the respect and dignity with which you treated everyone—young or old, rich or poor. You had a way of making people feel valued.

Thank you, PJ, for encouraging me in the water projects in Luangwa and Malembeka. Thank you for believing in me when I was still learning. In many ways, you helped form the missionary I have become.

Now you have gone to meet your Maker and to join those who have gone before you. My heart is saddened because I will miss your presence, your wisdom, and your friendship. Yet I find comfort in knowing that heaven has welcomed a faithful missionary servant.

Your legacy lives on—in the schools and churches you helped build, in the wells that bring water to communities, in the friendships you nurtured, and in the missionaries you inspired.

Thank you, Fr. PJ, for your life, your example, and your friendship.

Fare thee well, PJ.
May the Lord whom you served so faithfully welcome you into His eternal peace.

Fr. Dominic Wabwireh, SMA

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Fr. PJ Gormley.

A proud Augher man, he travelled far through his missionary work but never forgot his roots in Tyrone.

His passing leaves a deep sense of loss, but he leaves behind a lasting legacy of faith, service and community.

My deepest sympathies are with his family, friends, and the Augher and Clogher communities.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Pat Cullen

Co Tyrone priest Fr PJ Gormley has been remembered for his dedication as a missionary over more than five decades, as well as his talents on the Gaelic football field.

The 81-year-old, who died on March 12, spent most of life ministering in Zambia with the Society of African Missions (SMA).

Born in 1944 in Ballinagurragh, Augher, he had the unusual distinction as a footballer of winning county junior, intermediate and senior medals, in 1962, 1964 and 1976, as well as representing Tyrone at minor and senior levels.

He later became involved in the GAA in Zambia.

The Augher Macartan’s club said he was “a proud Augher man and GAA was always close to his heart”.

“While his vocation took him far from home as a missionary priest, Augher was never far from his thoughts,” it said.

“Fr PJ always kept strong ties with the club and parish, and he took great pride in the fortunes of Augher St Macartan’s and the community he loved so much.

“More than the medals or achievements, Fr PJ will be remembered as the caring, gentle and humble person he was.

“From every Augher Gael, we thank you, Fr PJ, for being a true, kind-hearted person and for the pride you always carried for your club and your home place.”

Fr Gormley’s missionary vocation blossomed as a pupil at the SMA secondary school at Ballinafad, Co Mayo.

He later studied in Cork and attended the order’s seminary in Dromantine, Co Down, and was ordained a priest in Newry in 1971.

His Requiem Mass at St Macartan’s Church, Augher on Monday heard how was one of the founding team who first established an SMA presence in Zambia in 1973, working in schools and parishes.

Paying tribute, it said he was “a pillar of the mission in Zambia since its inception, dedicating his life to service, faith and the upliftment of communities”.

“His tireless commitment, gentle spirit and unwavering generosity touched countless lives and left an indelible mark on all who knew him.

“Fr PJ’s legacy will live on through the mission he helped build, the people he inspired and the values he embodied.”

In later years Fr Gormley was involved with the Spirit of Paul McGirr Trust and the Peregrini group at St Ciaran’s College in Ballygawley.

He was buried after Requiem Mass in the cemetery at Augher.

The Irish News