Father Noel Fitzpatrick

Life

John Noel Fitzpatrick was born on 24 December 1929 in Derry, the second son of John Vincent and Mary Catherine Fitzpatrick, and grew up in Holy Family parish in north Belfast. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Down and Connor in 1961, he served first in Loughguile, County Antrim, before being sent to Corpus Christi church in Ballymurphy, west Belfast, where Fr Hugh Mullan was a fellow curate.

His ministry took him into the heart of a community living through some of the worst violence of the Troubles. He was involved in social work, ministered to the men interned at Long Kesh, and took care to keep up his relationships with the British soldiers serving in the area. When Fr Mullan was shot dead in August 1971, Fr Fitzpatrick made his will within weeks — and stayed with his people.

On the night of 9 July 1972, hours after a truce had collapsed, shooting broke out across the Springhill and Westrock estates. Thirteen-year-old Margaret Gargan was among those hit. Fr Fitzpatrick went out with a parishioner, Paddy Butler, a 37-year-old father of six, to minister to the wounded. At about ten o'clock, at the corner of Westrock Gardens, a single bullet passed through Fr Fitzpatrick's cheek and neck and struck Paddy Butler. Both men died. David McCafferty, aged 15, was shot as he tried to reach the priest's body. John Dougal, 16, and Margaret Gargan were also killed. Fr Fitzpatrick was 42.

After his death Major Peter Redwood of the King's Own Scottish Borderers wrote to his parish priest in sympathy, acknowledging Fr Fitzpatrick's influence on the soldiers and his "leadership in the cause of peace".

On 30 April 2026 the Springhill inquest, under Mr Justice Scoffield, found that Fr Fitzpatrick and Paddy Butler had been "acting in a humanitarian capacity seeking to minister to or assist wounded civilians", that both were unarmed and "posing no risk to anyone", and that the soldier who shot them had lost control and fired without properly assessing the risk. The coroner described Fr Fitzpatrick, Paddy Butler and Margaret Gargan as "wholly innocent victims". Shortly afterwards the Prime Minister apologised to the families.

In September 2026 Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ began the preliminary work towards a cause for the canonisation of Fr Fitzpatrick, together with Fr Hugh Mullan. The diocese already keeps their memory: a prayer card in their honour has been in use since around 2019, Holy Oils were donated in their memory at St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast, and an icon of the two priests with Christ the Good Shepherd is to be installed there. No formal cause has yet been opened, so he does not yet hold the title Servant of God.