Rufus Halley

Who was Rufus Halley?

Rev. Rufus Halley was a Roman Catholic missionary of the Society of St. Columban who spent more than 20 years promoting ecumenical dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Asia. A native of Butlerstown, County Waterford, Ireland, he was appointed to the Philippines shortly after his ordination to the priesthood in 1969, living with and ministering to the rural poor.

In 1980, he moved to Mindanao in the south of the Philippines and volunteered to engage in dialogue with Muslims. In a bid to break down the mutual distrust and mistrust, Fr. Halley integrated with both Christian and Muslim communities by learning two local languages and worked for many years in a store owned by a Muslim selling rice and corn.