Father Rufus Halley had known for some time his life was in danger.
He told friends in Waterford on a visit home this summer of threats and intimidation arising from his efforts to negotiate between pro- and anti-government factions in the volatile area where he lived.
He appeared to have no doubts, however, about his desire to return to continue his work. "He knew he was in trouble. He told me he was in serious difficulties," said Mr Billy Walsh, a lifelong friend of Father Halley.
"He explained to me about the different factions operating there and how he was living among them. But he was fearless. He was living among the people in his parish, and that's the way he wanted it to be. He put his trust in God," he said.
On Monday night residents of Butlerstown, where Father Halley and Mr Walsh grew up near Waterford city, held a public meeting to discuss fund-raising ideas to support the priest's work in the Philippines. The meeting was well attended, and there were also plans to twin the area with Father Halley's parish on the island of Mindanao.
After news of his murder emerged yesterday, one family friend, who asked not to be named, said the priest had also discussed with him this summer the intimidating atmosphere in which he worked. The priest, he said, adopted a philosophical approach. "He quoted a Chinese proverb: `People who throw mud lose ground'."
Father Halley came from a distinguished family well known in Waterford business circles. His late father, Mr M. M. Halley, established a leading solicitor's practice which is now run by his sons, Gerard and Emmett. The eldest member of the family, Walter, is a partner in the auctioneering firm Halley Grace.
Another brother, Eamonn, is a veterinary inspector with the Department of Agriculture, while the youngest, John, is an engineer pursuing an academic career in Greece. The priest had one sister, Evelyn, a doctor living in Canada.
On his recent holiday Father Halley also visited Canada where he officiated at his niece's wedding ceremony. He returned to Waterford every two to three years, but his home was in the Philippines, where he had been living for 32 years among people surviving in abject poverty, said Mr Walsh.
"He was an extraordinary person. He chose to live among the poorest people and when he came back to Ireland he was always struck by the show of wealth. He couldn't come to terms with the wealth he saw in Ireland compared to the poverty he witnessed in the Philippines."
On his visits home the priest loved to walk along the coast, often in the company of nieces and nephews, several of whose weddings he conducted. "He was very popular," said Mr Walsh. "He could walk into any house and he was welcome."
