The Chancellor’s Office has been informed that Rev. Msgr. Colman M. Cooke, S.P.S., 86, passed away in the Lord on March 3, 2026, in the retirement home of the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, in Kiltegan, County Wicklow, Ireland.  He was a priest of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg for over 30 years before once again being incardinated into the Society in December 2019. 

Monsignor Cooke was born in Gort, County Galway, Ireland and was ordained to the priesthood on April 17, 1965 for St. Patrick’s Missionary Society.  His educational history included studies in French language at the Sorbonne, in Paris, and a Ph.D. in History from the University of London.  He taught history in Kenya, Ireland, and in the U.S.  He was a visiting fellow at Yale Divinity School and a professor of Church History at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, Florida, from 1980 to 1981.

He came to the Diocese of Saint Petersburg in 1981, serving as Parochial Vicar of Christ the King Parish, Tampa (1981-1983), St. Raphael Parish, St. Petersburg (1984-1986), and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Dunedin (1989-1990). From 1986 to 1989, Monsignor Cooke resided at St. John Vianney Parish, St. Pete Beach, while also serving as Director of the Diaconate Office for the Diocese.  He became an incardinated priest of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg in May 1988.

In 1990, he was assigned as Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Holiday, where he served until 1997, when he was appointed Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Clearwater, providing excellent leadership to the community for twelve years until his retirement on July 1, 2009.  He soon returned to his native Ireland, eventually reuniting with the priests of the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, with whom he spent his final years until his passing.  A Memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2026, 4:00 p.m., at St. Michael the Archangel Parish, 2281 State Road 580, Clearwater.  All are invited.

A Funeral Mass took place in the Chapel of St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, Kiltegan on Friday, March 6, 2026, followed by burial at the Society’s cemetery.

Please keep Monsignor Cooke’s family members and dear friends in your kind thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

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May his soul and the souls of all the faithful
departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace!