They will remember that he loved learning and had a passion for reading, politics, traveling and horse racing. He also held a special place in his heart for the homeless.

�We get a lot of homeless people here. They would always search him out at the parish here, ask for Father Pat,� said Augustinian Father Richard Mullen, who serves as parochial vicar at Little Flower. �The people here loved him. He had a heart of gold.�

Father O�Shea, 76, died July 8 after a brief illness. He served at Little Flower from 1992 to 1995 and then again from 1997 until his death. But he had worked in the Archdiocese of Miami since 1982: First at St. Bernadette in Hollywood (1982-1989), then at Immaculate Conception in Hialeah (1989-1992), and briefly at St. Anthony in Fort Lauderdale (1996-1997). He also taught at Msgr. Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens from 1986 to 1988.

�I know we all know him as an Irishman, but the truth is he was born in America,� said Little Flower�s pastor, Father Thomas O�Dwyer, during a Mass celebrating Father O�Shea�s 50th anniversary in the priesthood in 2011.

Born in Chicago on March 13, 1937, Father O�Shea was one of five children. His parents returned to their native home in Kerry, Ireland, shortly after his birth. He eventually entered St. Patrick�s Seminary in Carlow and was ordained June 10, 1961 for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

�He served in two parishes there and in 1964, in one of the highlights of his life, while on vacation in Rome he finagled his way into the Second Vatican Council debates,� Father O�Dwyer recalled at the anniversary Mass. While in Rome, Father O�Shea met Cardinals Francis Spellman and Richard Cushing as well as noted theologians John Courtney Murray, Edward Shillebeeckx and Hans Kung.

Father O�Shea later pursued higher studies at the University of California-Berkeley, earning two master�s degrees simultaneously, followed by a doctorate in sociology. �Then in his Volkswagen bug he traveled to Peru where he worked in the fields in the antiplano with shepherds while staying with the Irish Columban Fathers,� Father O�Dwyer said.

In fact, according to Father Mullen, Father O�Shea traveled �from Canada to the tip of Chile� in that Volkswagen, learning along the way about all the different cultures in Latin America, especially those of the indigenous people.

As for reading, a parishioner bought him a subscription to The New York Times every year, and Father O�Shea �would read it from front to back every day,� Father Mullen said.

But Father O�Shea was not an ivory tower intellectual, Father O�Dwyer said at the anniversary Mass. �He has more books than the National Archives, yet this priest can get the message of God�s love across to the simplest of people.�

He also was an avid sports fan, especially devoted to horse racing. Many people did not know he played Irish football as a young man, and for a few years under Coach Don Shula he served as chaplain to the Miami Dolphins.

�He was a legendary football player,� Father Mullen said. �Irish football, which is not like American football or soccer. It�s brutal.�

Above all, Father O�Shea loved the Mass and was �a great confessor,� Father Mullen said. Little Flower is perhaps the only South Florida parish that offers confessions at 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and Father O�Shea would often be the one hearing them. 

Even in his last days, when he was in the hospital, bedridden and unable to eat, �he begged Father Tom to just put a little particle of the host in his tongue,� Father Mullen said.

�He is a man and priest without airs and all the years I�ve known Father Pat I have never heard him utter a hurtful word,� Father O�Dwyer said at the anniversary Mass. �Well, maybe once when his favorite jockey didn�t make his move on time.�

Perhaps the best summation of Father O�Shea�s priesthood was given by Father O�Dwyer at that 50th anniversary celebration: �The Irish poet Sean Dunne said once that to experience the true aroma of Christianity we must copy the rose. A rose doesn�t preach at anyone. It doesn�t shout at anyone. It simply spreads its fragrance and the rose irresistibly draws people to itself and its scent remains with them.�

The viewing for Father O�Shea will take place Thursday, July 11, beginning with the reception of the body at 6 p.m., followed by a vigil service at 7 p.m. The viewing will conclude at 10 p.m. and a funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, July 12, at 11 a.m. All the services will take place at Little Flower, 1805 Pierce St., Hollywood.

His body will then be taken back to Ireland for burial. It will be met and escorted back to Kerry by members of a professional Irish football team, Father Mullen said. �That�s going to be quite a funeral back in Ireland. He�ll be missed.�

Father O�Shea is survived by his siblings: Mary Ellen, who lives in Hollywood, and Kathleen, Anthony and Michael, who live in Ireland.