An Irish priest has been killed in South Africa. Father Declan Collins, a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco, was assaulted with a brick before being stabbed to death with a kitchen knife at his residence in what appeared to be an attempted robbery at the parish church in the Ennerdale township, Johannesburg, at 9 p.m. on Saturday night
Born at Baltray, Co Louth, in 1952, Father Declan was the son of Maurice and Monica Collins, one of four sons and two daughters. He attended Clongowes Wood College and worked with Allied Irish Banks before joining the Salesians in 1979. He trained at Pallaskenry, Co Limerick, the Salesian novitiate in Crumlin, Dublin, and at Maynooth.
Ordained in July 1990, he went to South Africa in February 1991. He taught at the St John Bosco College in Daleside, near Johannesburg, and then worked for many years with street children in Cape Town and later in Manzini, Swaziland. About a year ago, he took up an appointment at Ennerdale.
In a statement last night, the Salesian Fathers in Dublin said: "Father Declan had a heart of gold. He will be remembered for his deep concern for young people in difficulty, a quality that was evident even in his days in the bank when he devoted much of his spare time to voluntary work in various youth clubs.
"Those who knew him speak also of his courage in difficult and challenging situations, his sense of humour and his exceptional generosity. We have lost a good priest and a generous missionary. We offer our sincere sympathy to his parents, Maurice and Monica, and to his brothers and sisters and other family members."
From Cape Town last night, Mr Shane Halpin, a friend, remembered him as "an amazing man. He had a great sense of humour and was never afraid to speak up for the rights of the poor."
In July 2000, Sister Sheila Corcoran (75), a Dominican, died following a robbery attempt at her convent in Port Elizabeth, after 50 years in the area. The same year another Dominican, Sister Margaret Wall (60), was shot while driving in Nyanga township, Cape Town.