Father Andrew J. Cassidy, MM

Born: March 1, 1924
Ordained: June 16, 1954
Died: June 30, 1981

Father Andrew John Cassidy, of the Mexico Region, died on June 30th at Nutrition Hospital in Mexico City. It was his deepest wish and concern that he could live out his remaining years in the apostolate among the Mexican people whom he loved and served so dearly. It is our feeling that he did not share the seriousness of his illness with others because he did not want to call undue attention to himself.

Father Cassidy was born in New York City on March 1, 1924 to Andrew and Margaret Kilboy Cassidy. His parents were born in Ireland. His early schooling was at St. Ignatius Grammar School and Regis High in New York City. After graduating high school, he went to St. John’s University and Yale before entering the Armed Forces. He served in the Army during the Second World War in the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhine campaign across central Europe for three years. In 1946, he entered the Venard and was ordained on June 16, 1954.

Immediately after ordination, Andy was assigned to Yucatan and worked for a number of years among the Mayan Indians. From 1960 to 1965, he worked in the Development Department in New York City and in Buffalo where he served as Director of the house. In 1965, Andy returned to the Mexican Region. He served as Regional Superior for two terms beginning in 1972. His most recent assignment was at San Jeronimo Parish with Fr. Frank Collins.

It was while he was in high school that Andy met his first Maryknoller, Fr. John Martin, who gave a talk at Regis High. After this first meeting he kept in contact with Fr. Martin and later he wrote “without a doubt the interest and counsel of Father Martin was the most important factor in my coming to the Society.”

In all that Andy said and did, he was forever the “gentle man” – the person who never inflicted pain. If he differed from you he made that known in a considerate and respectful way, often accompanied by subtle humor and a winning smile. A voracious reader with a deep interest in and appreciation of literature, his speech was frequently punctuated with quotations from famous English writers of both prose and poetry. Andy spoke and preached well.

During his final days, he was in the company of his family and fellow Maryknollers. Fr. Frank Collins administered the Last Rites to him.

A Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated July 1 at St. Jeronimo’s Church in Mexico City. Burial followed in the Panteon there. On July 6th Mass was celebrated at Maryknoll, N.Y. with Fr. Robert Lloyd as Principal Celebrant and Fr. John Lomasney as Homilist.

Andy wrote many years ago that “a foreign missioner has to be one who becomes acclimated to a strange country, adopts the customs of the people with the hope of spreading Christianity by preaching, teaching and administering the Sacraments, and giving good example as well as raising a native clergy.” This certainly was an ideal Andy lived out until the very end, and so we can be sure the Lord greets him today with the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”