Person DS/UK/1400 McKenna; Bernard (1907-1997); Jesuit Priest McKenna Bernard 1907-1997 Jesuit Priest Male Born 6 November 1907 Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland. Entered the English Province of the Society of Jesus 7 September 1925. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest 6 September 1938. Final vows in the Society of Jesus 15 August 1969. Died 21 January 1997 Georgetown, Guyana.

Bernard McKenna was born in Navan, County Meath on 6 November 1907, and was educated at Belvedere and then at Stonyhurst, where he particularly distinguished himself as a runner. He joined the Society at Roehampton in 1925, took vows two years later and was a junior for a year. In 1928 McKenna went to Heythrop for philosophy, did his second year in Jersey and then went back to Heythrop. In 1931 he went to teach at Wimbledon, and then in 1934 went back to Heythrop again, worked for a year on a degree course and then proceeded to theology. He was ordained in 1938 at Heythrop and on completion of his theology in 1939 immediately became a military chaplain. He served throughout the war and was mentioned in despatches in 1942. On demobilisation in 1945 McKenna went to St Beuno’s for tertianship and then sailed for Guyana, where he was to spend the rest of his life. McKenna spend his first year in Guyana at Malgretout then at the end of 1947 was sent to Sand Creek, the start of his long apostolate in the Rupununi. He was there for 20 years. In 1963 he was appointed M.B.E. for ‘social services and services to education’. In 1967 McKenna took charge of Lethem, again in the Rupununi, but was banned by the government from the interior after the rising of 1969. He worked at the cathedral until 1973, when he was appointed to Victoria as parish priest. In 1982 he moved to Charity for five years, and then to Plaisance for the last ten years of his life. He died in hospital in Georgetown on 21 January 1997, and was buried in the Georgetown cemetery after Requiem Mass at the cathedral. Member of the English Province of the Society of Jesus Catalogus Defunctorum 1986-2000; Letters & Notices vol. 93, pp. 570-582 International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes AvanGoethem 14/10/2019 CURIA\mallen 04/06/2021 77ee40bc-ceed-4a88-826f-f82e9f818a4b