The longtime pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, the Rev. Patrick O'Doherty, has died.
O'Doherty died Oct. 9, according to the Diocese of Orlando. He was 80.
Born in Tipperary Town in County Tipperary, Ireland, on May 26, 1946, O'Doherty was one of nine children. His parents "were faith-filled, and faith was a part of his daily living," according to a biography provided by the diocese.
At age 6, O'Doherty knew he wanted to be a priest. His biography states although O'Doherty "was thrown out of the altar boys after being reprimanded for joking with his fellow altar servers," it didn't stop him from following his desire to serve and becoming a priest.
When he was 18, O'Doherty went to St. Patrick's College in Tipperary, Ireland. According
to his biography, O'Doherty said, “There were 32 of us in seminary."
Ordained in June 1970 at age 24, O’Doherty said his first Mass in Cahir, County Tipperary. In attendance were his mother and siblings.
Known for his wry sense of humor, O'Doherty was once quoted as saying "he was the best looking and most charming of the O’Doherty clan."
O'Doherty, who earned a master's degree from Stetson University, said two years ago in an interview that "he carried H.H.H. behind his name for “holy, handsome and humble,' ” his biography states.
Coming to Orlando & Ocala
O'Doherty came to the Orlando diocese and was assigned to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. He served other communities that included Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Melbourne and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lakeland, according to his biography.
By 1987, he was appointed pastor of Ocala's Queen of Peace Catholic Church. The biography states the church "had just been elevated from a mission church of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, Ocala, to a parish."
The new priest "replaced the mission’s 1986 multi-purpose building with a new church dedicated in October 1993. The $2.4 million church featured a gold cross atop a gold dome. An 80-foot-high stained-glass image of the crucified Christ over the altar and statues, art and stained glass were featured throughout," according to his biography.
While at the church, O’Doherty created a radio ministry in 2003, and had a multi-media broadcasts several times a week. Over the years, O'Doherty would submit articles to the Ocala Star-Banner.
In 2020, the church building, 6455 SW State Road 200, was attacked by an arsonist who was apprehended by Marion County Sheriff's deputies. No one was injured. The man, Steven Shields, was declared not guilty by reason of insanity by a federal judge in 2024.
At the time, O'Doherty said: “Evil never attacks evil. The church is something very good. I take the attack on the church as a sign that we’re doing the right thing here,” his biography states.
His daily schedule
Church officials said O'Doherty's days always started at 4:30 a.m. with Liturgy of the Hours, adoration, a mile walk and morning Mass.
O'Doherty does "administration duties and met with people for one-on-one sessions. He visited the sick and the dying and celebrated funeral Masses. The sacraments of initiation, reconciliation and marriage offered a time of rejoicing," church officials said.
“Being a priest is not a job," O'Doherty once said. "As instruments of Christ, the priesthood is a gift.”
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: The Rev. Patrick O'Doherty, longtime pastor at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, has died
