ON 13 OCTOBER 1964, Patrick Keegan took the floor to speak to the bishops of the Second Vatican Council, the first lay person to speak in a General Congregation. It was the final day of the debate on the draft decree on the lay apostolate. Fr John Fitzsimons, an English national chaplain to the Young Christian Workers (YCW), recalled in his eulogy at Keegan’s funeral that there was “a murmur of anticipation around the assembly as Archbishop Krol led a layman to the microphone”.
17 October 2024, The Tablet
The legacy of a lad from Lancs
Unfolding the lay apostolate
Patrick Keegan grew up in Hindley, in Catholic Lancashire.
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