Tributes have been paid following the death of Father Gerald Hurst, who became the island’s longest serving priest.

Fr Hurst, whose funeral was held last Friday, had been parish priest of St Mary’s Castletown and St Columba’s Port Erin from 1979 until 2013.

His lasting legacy was the project to extend St Columba’s to provide both a much larger church and a parish hall.

St Columba’s was consecrated and re-dedicated by Bishop Rawsthorne in 1996.

As a former naval chaplain, Fr Hurst was in considerable demand in the island to lead Remembrance Day services and lifeboat services.

He will be remembered as a great motivator of many parishioners to contribute to the life of the island.

Fund raising was always a priority as there were so many calls on the parish coffers for repairs and improvements to the two old churches.

Although increasingly restricted through old age, Fr Hurst struggled on to maintain his parish as there was a shortage of priests in Liverpool Archdiocese, which was responsible for serving the island.

In 2013, his health finally broke down and he decided to retire. He spent his retirement largely in a care home in Wigan but also at Ince Blundell, a retirement facility for clergy.

Gerald Hurst was born on February 3, 1929, one of the youngest of 12 children.

It was a time of uncertainty and deprivation for his family and for many of the mining families in the area.

After attending Blessed English Martyrs’ School at Haydock in Merseyside, believing he had a vocation to the priesthood, he entered St Joseph’s College, Upholland, Lancashire, for training to be a priest.

He was ordained at Upholland on June 1955 and appointed curate. In 1960 he moved as curate to St Agnes, Huyton.

In 1963, the Royal Navy was recruiting Chaplains and he was encouraged to apply. He spent 16 years in the Royal Navy at Lossiemouth, Bahrain, Rosyth and Faslane.

While in Bahrain he spent time on Ark Royal under the command of Captain - later Rear Admiral - Ray Lygo, a man for whom he had great respect.

Fr Hurst died on August 15. His funeral service took place last Friday (September 1) at Holy Family Church, Platt Bridge, Wigan, and was conducted by Bishop Vincent Malone, who had been ordained with him. He was buried in the family grave at St Oswald’s, Ashton-in-Makerfield.

Fr Gerard leaves a sister, Patricia, the sole survivor of his original large family.

Brendan O’Friel, of Port St Mary, said: ’He also leaves a legacy of countless people, especially in the Isle of Man, who remember his support and encouragement both in happy and in difficult times. He will be greatly missed.’