Heroic life of Cavan priest and diplomat retold
A new book recalling the life and untimely death of County Cavan born Vatican diplomat Mons Kevin Mullen was recently launched at the Crover House Hotel.
Son of the late Joseph and Kitty Mullen of Rosemount, Mountnugent, the detailed work was written by his brother Jerome and represents the record of an heroic life in the Vatican Diplomatic Service in some of the most difficult and challenging areas of conflict in the world.
The actual book ‘The Pain of a Brother’s Loss,’ marks the fulfilment of a 30 year long brotherly quest to piece together the mystery of Mons Mullen’s untimely death in Cuba at the age of 44.
Born on February 26, 1939, Kevin attended the local Ross National School and then went to St Finian’s College Mullingar and later to St Patrick’s Maynooth and Rome where he studied for the priesthood. His father Joe was chairman of the Cavan GAA Co Board in 1952, the year Cavan last won the Sam Maguire Cup.
In gathering background information Jerome made contact with Kevin’s former classmate at Maynooth and Rome, Cardinal Sean Brady, who responded with a superb article detailing Kevin’s achievements as a student. Both played gaelic football for the Cavan minor team of 1957 and they were ordained together in 1964 in Rome.
Highly intelligent with a first class honours degree in scholastic philosophy followed by a licentiate and doctorate in Canon Law, Kevin Mullen was full of native charm and idealism and had the authentic credentials for the diplomatic services of the Holy See, a vast organisation going back formally to the fifteenth century and in modern times involving 190 countries and territories across the world.
After a period of introductory study, the youthful self confident Mons Kevin Mullen was handed diplomatic missions to many countries in the white heat of serious conflict. After three years in Bangkok he was posted to Syria during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, then Bangladesh and on to Argentina in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Peron government and the arrival of the military Junta. He showed exceptional courage in openly confronting the regime, especially on the trauma of the ‘disappeared’, and relentlessly compiled records and made representations regarding victims that included priests and nuns.
He was later appointed to France and finally to Cuba, another tension filled position, where he served as first secretary to the Nuntio and where he eventually met his untimely death as a result of medical negligence.
Jerome Mullen begins the story at the very end with the details of the anguish and shock of family and community following the news of the tragic death of his brother on September 14, 1983 and recalls the requiem Mass celebrated by Papal Nuntio to Ireland Archbishop Alabrandi and Mons Michael Smith. The homily was given by his other brother, Fr. Austin Mullen PP of Tampa, Florida.
This 160 page work is exceptionally well presented in every respect. It was designed and edited by his daughter Colette with the on-going support of his wife Margaret and sons Justin and Paul at various technical levels. The book contains photos, newspaper clippings and extensive articles depicting every stage of Kevin’s life and his distinctive contribution to church diplomacy.
Life-long friend of Jerome, and writer of the foreword, Peter Makem stated that the work was doubly important that it marked the unveiling of a life that belonged to the immense creative Irish contribution to world civilization in recent centuries.
It also created a profound and lasting memory of his deceased brother on behalf of Jerome himself, his parents, the wider Mullen family, the people of his native district and on behalf of all Irish missionary endeavour down the ages.
The book is dedicated to the memory of his parents Joe and Kitty, and to his late sisters Nuala Mullen, Deirdre O'Connell, and Maura McClarey.