Liverpool native Fr Michael Bingham ‘stood for peace, reconciliation and justice’ in all the communities he served from Columbia to Canada, from Everton to Portadown

A popular Portadown priest, Fr Michael was a friend to many on the Garvaghy Road where he lived and beyond.

More than 200 people watched his funeral at St John the Baptist Church online, many from his native Liverpool, others watching included friends across the globe where he lived and worked.

It was a testament to his popularity and the esteem he was held that nine clerics concelebrated Reqiuem Mass, including Cardinal Sean Brady and Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Raphoe, the Parish Priest at Drumcree Canon Michael Toner with colleagues Fr Brendan McPartland and Fr Peter Clarke.

Fr Frank Brady SJ said: “To say that Fr Michael Bingham led a very full life would be an understatment at this point. Well educated with five Masters, one in English, one in Reconciliation Studies, one in Drug Addiction and two in Theology.”

He also spoke of Fr Mchael’s love of classical music and that he played the cello.

He said: “Living with native American people in Canada. Nine years spent with the people in the Barrios of Columbia and other Latin American countries; 14 more living and working with those who were apparently superfluous to the national enterprise in inner city Liverpool and 23 more in this local community in Portadown as well as hearing the stories of prisoners and ex prisoners in Britain, Ireland and Toronto. These were not experiences had in order to be a tourist of other people’s sufferings. Nor were the long days spent in court rooms listening to endless cases against young offenders. They had a deeper purpose as had the long journeys across NI to visit a young person alone, in longed-for accommodation found by others for them in a strange area.

“And so had the oft-repeated frustration of attempted prison visits, where the drug dog sat for no apparent reason indicating that Michael might have been suspect of carrying drugs. The subsequent frustration of once again being refused an open prison visit with his prisoner friend, where both had to suffer the indignity of talking to each other behind a perspex screen.

“All these and other lived experiences brought Michael Bingham a deeper appreciation of the beauty of life in our common home and an understanding of the depth of suffering sometimes involved. He brought you an understanding of how powerlessness is often experienced, an appreciation of the difficulty of even envisaging a different life and the monumental effort required.

“The overall result brings us to encourage further study, reflection and contemplation of human life in the modern 21st century world, so that he could accompany others in a more fully human way.

“Michael had a great sense of direction. He always knew the back roads which he drove at some speed in his own VW Passat. And still the way took him in new and unsuspected directions, to open up panoramas of yet undiscovered beauty and fragility.

“Jesuits have recently developed four preferences to guide our work; showing the way to God, walking with the least well off and the young to help create a hope-filled future in cherishing our common home. Michael walked the walk and he talked the talk with us, with young people on your behalf to create a hope-filled future for us all. He was achieving that because we, and particularly young people, let him in. Let him into our lives. You helped him to discover God.

“Many have said that Michael could see the good in others, had a heart of gold. And he could get quite angry at what he saw was injustice. But he learned to use that anger to move him peaceably to do something about it. His hope is that we too can discover God. God rest you Michael.”

Tony Conlon said: “Michael was an intelligent man, considerate and loved others before himself and always put others first.”

Another friend, Gary Moore, told the congregation he met Fr Michael 11 years ago when he was a prisoner in Maghaberry. “I had no love for life then. My mum had just passed away. Michael came and sat in the cell with me for over an hour and encouraged me to do something right. Three months talking to Michael in that prison, I became a keen writer and I wrote the story of my life and Michael printed it for me. I went back to prison one more time til 2013 and because of this man’s heart, his faith, his belief in me I haven’t been back to prison. Because of Michael I changed my life around. I have a home, I have a lovely wee family which Michael was part of.”

His friend Peter also composed a poem in Fr Michael’s honour describing him as ‘The Saint of Portadown’.

Fr Michael Bingham SJ was the brother of Paul, Philip, Jacqueline, Claire, Celia, Nicholas and the late Mark and uncle of Michaela.