A FUNERAL mass is due to be held tomorrow (Monday, March 23), for a priest who devoted time to helping prisoners and the sick whilst serving at churches in Teesside and North Yorkshire.

Father Joe Brennan died in Whitby Court Nursing Home in Whitby on Saturday, March 7, aged 94.

The priest, who was born in County Meath in Ireland in 1921 and was ordained at Holy Cross College near Dublin, served five parishes in the Diocese of Middlesbrough.

In 1963 he was asked by the Bishop of Middlesbrough, the Right Reverend George Brunner, to join his diocese.

He was appointed to St Hilda’s in Whitby in 1968 before serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Grangetown and then St Anne’s church in Eston.

While the priest was based at Eston in Teesside, he became involved in a number of other organisations. As well as being a governor at St Peter’s School in South Bank and chaplain to the then Eston Hospital, he also counselled people with drug and alcohol problems in Middlesbrough.

He remained in his role until 1984 when he became parish priest at Sacred Heart Church in Northallerton, where he was chaplain to the Friarage and Ruston hospitals in the town.

He was also chaplain to Northallerton Prison and built the new school, Sacred Heart Primary, which opened in 2000.

In 2001 he retired and lived in a flat in Northallerton, continuing to supply to various parishes.

In April 2003 he went to live with his housekeeper and her husband, in Whitby.

Father Joe was received into St Hilda’s Church in Whitby at 4pm today (Sunday March 22) and his funeral mass will be held at noon on Monday, March 23.

His body will then be taken to Ireland, where he will be buried in Jordanstown Cemetery, near his hometown.