Shea, Fr. Roy It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Fr. Roy Shea, on Oct. 6, 2024, in Brazil. He was born in Waterford, PE, Canada, on August 22, 1943, the 11th child of Gerald and Annie (Broderick) Shea. He will be remembered by his eight surviving siblings, Lorraine, Marjorie, Elizabeth, Geraldine, Ralph, Camilla, Rita, and John; and nephew, Lorne. He was predeceased by his parents, Gerald and Annie; as well as nine siblings, Kevin, Mary, Alvin, Louis, Norbert, Richard, Marion, Brendan, and Walter. Roy attended the local one-room Waterford school, then on to the Tignish Regional High School, graduating in 1962. He went on to complete a year of commercial studies in Tignish, then Roy joined the Congregation of Immaculate Heart of Mary, at Arlington, Virginia, in 1964, to become a Brother. In July 1969, Roy was on his way to Brazil to begin his mission work. He didn't know a word of Portuguese, so his first order of business was to learn the language. He was assigned to the Parish of Santa Maria, six miles from North Iguacu. In 1978, Roy finally got his wish to go to the northern part of Brazil, he was assigned to the parish of Abel Figueiredo. In 1983, Roy enrolled in St. Pius X Seminary in Santarum of Para. He was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Maraba on September 28, 1986, with four of his siblings in attendance, Camilla, Brendon, Rita, and Walter. Roy celebrated his first mass in the Parish of St. Anthony, at Itupiranga. He got right to work by helping to organize surgery for one of his parishioners, Zacarias, who had a deformed leg. This was done in the US with the help of his sister, Marjorie. In 1994, Fr. Roy moved to another Parish of Sao Geraldo, due to political conflicts in his previous parish. Roy served the poor until May 2022, when he moved to a parish home in Rio de Janiero. Though far away, he always stayed in close contact with the people at home here in Prince Edward Island. On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, with a funeral mass at St. John the Baptist, where Roy served for many years, Fr. Roy was laid to rest. There will be a mass for Fr. Roy on Monday, November 4th, at 7 p.m., and one on Thursday, December 5th, at 7 p.m., at St. Simon and St. Jude Church, Tignish, PE. Our beloved brother, Roy, may you Rest in Peace.
Fr. Roy SHEA — Rio de Janiero, Brazil
