Bishop Paul’s journey ends Calgary, AB — Bishop Paul J. O’Byrne, whose service in the Catholic Church spanned close to 50 years, passed away at the Beverly Centre on Thursday, September 2, 2004 at the age of 81 years. He was born in Calgary in 1922 and ordained in 1948. O’Byrne became the first Bishop of Calgary born in the city, serving the Diocese for almost 30 years from August 22, 1968 until his retirement on January 16, 1998. He was named Bishop Emeritus of Calgary on the day of his retirement. Bishop Paul Bishop Paul (as he was affectionately known) previously served as priest at St. John’s (1948-1950), St. Patrick’s in Medicine Hat (1950-1954) and he served as Pastor of St. Edmund’s (Christ the King) in Medicine Hat (1954-1961), St. Mary’s in Banff (1961-1967) and at St. Joseph’s in Calgary (1967-1968). He was Administrator of the Diocese after Bishop Klein’s death. "Bishop Paul will be remembered as a bishop of the people," said his longtime friend Archbishop Joseph MacNeil. "He used his office to empower lay people to take responsibility for the Church." He was made an honorary chief among the Blackfoot nation, enlarging the Church’s outreach to native people and spent a great deal of time addressing social issues. His heart was for the poor and this modest man scaled down his own living arrangements to set an example for others to follow. "I don’t hesitate to say that the Church is on the side of the poor," he once told a Catholic-based newspaper. "And I don’t hesitate to say we’ve got to do better in how we make that manifest." When Fred Henry became Calgary’s bishop, he realized how much O’Byrne was loved by the people. "He was known as Bishop Paul," he said. "He was unpretentious and lived modestly." "We were very much like brothers," MacNeil reported. "He was a person graced with many creative ideas and with a strong commitment to bring people, especially the youth, to Jesus Christ." Bishop Henry presided at Bishop Paul’s funeral at St. Mary’s Cathedral on September 8.