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Letter: Catholicism played a vital part in the life of PJ Kavanagh Letter: As a schoolboy PJ Kavanagh prayed to St Jude that he might be tall and attractive to women
(about 1 hour later)
Your otherwise excellent obituary of PJ Kavanagh omits a very important part of his life and work – his Catholicism. He had once considered becoming a monk but decided he liked girls too much. As a schoolboy he prayed to St Jude that he might be tall and attractive to women. The patron saint of hopeless causes did not disappoint him. PJ Kavanagh once considered becoming a monk but decided he liked girls too much. As a schoolboy he prayed to St Jude that he might be tall and attractive to women. The patron saint of hopeless causes did not disappoint him.
Very much a nature poet, he revealed something of his unorthodox Catholicism in Beyond Decoration (1979):Very much a nature poet, he revealed something of his unorthodox Catholicism in Beyond Decoration (1979):
Kavanagh remained a regular mass attender, with his second wife, Kate, who converted to Catholicism. When he looked back to the death of his young first wife, Sally, that occasioned his enduring memoir, The Perfect Stranger, Kavanagh said: “So many marvellous things have happened to me since then. I feel I’m being compensated by God.” He meant it, quite literally.Kavanagh remained a regular mass attender, with his second wife, Kate, who converted to Catholicism. When he looked back to the death of his young first wife, Sally, that occasioned his enduring memoir, The Perfect Stranger, Kavanagh said: “So many marvellous things have happened to me since then. I feel I’m being compensated by God.” He meant it, quite literally.