[hider=Fr. John Finn Callaghan]
[u][b]Basics[/b][/u]

[b]Name[/b]: Fr. Eoin Fionn O'Callaghan
[b]Title/Nickname[/b]: Father John Finn
[b]Gender[/b]: Male
[b]Age[/b]: 34
[b]Build/Physicality[/b]: 5'6"; small but wiry
[b]Appearance[/b]: 
[img]http://www.saintmary.org.uk/history/nick.jpg[/img]

[u][b]Background[/b][/u]

[b]Psychological Status[/b]: Dubious; an unhappy childhood and early trauma mark him with occasional manic bouts of spiritual euphoria or agony. However, the strict psychological and spiritual conditioning of his pastoral training help guard against these dark passions of his youth.
[b]Paranormal Quirks[/b]: In his manias, he is beset with odd apocalyptic visions. [Should this be elaborated on now or as things go along?]
[b]Magical Potential[/b]: High; he seeks answers to the dark signs of his manias in dusty books and old artifacts, against the teachings and better judgment of the Church. While this may lead to magical aptitude in the future, it also presents the risk of official reproach and punishment by his ecclesiastical superiors.
[b]Hometown[/b]: Cork, County Cork, Ireland
[b]Education[/b]: Doctor of Divinity at Blackfriars, Oxford
[b]Occupation[/b]: Roman Catholic Priest
[b]Achievements[/b]: 
[b]Sexuality[/b]: Heterosexual, but celibate; the romantic history of his past haunts him.
[b]Religion/Philosophy[/b]: Roman Catholic
[b]Marital Status[/b]: Celibate on account of his priesthood.
[b]Family Status[/b]: His mother, [u]Martha[/u] (58), remains in Ireland. His sister, [u]Aisling[/u] (28), has been missing for 11 years. His father and two brothers are dead.

[b]Biography[/b]: Father "John Finn" O'Callaghan was born in 1891 in Cobh, a old coastal city in the south of Ireland, during the long period of stagnation that preceded the Anglo-Irish War. Young Eoin's father, a successful cabinetmaker, was killed during a public demonstration against English dominion over Ireland, and with his loss the family lapsed into poverty. His mother, once a charming musician and a mainstay of Irish social gossip, could not bear the burden of their newfound hardship; she retreated entirely into the quiet solace of her own mind, never again speaking a word and leaving the preservation of her family in the hands of her young sons.

Eoin's older brother, Brian, found work and pay in the iron-works of the nearby city of Cork, but in a matter of months he had fallen in with a group of Republican revolutionaries - and, eventually, the mob. Brian lost his job when the authorities discovered his connection to the mob, at which time he urged Eoin to join him in his illegal dealings. The young and timid Eoin was hesitant to abandon his mother and start a life of crime, but when his younger brother Niall fell ill, he felt he had no choice. At twelve years old, he joined the ranks of the Irish underground.

Scrawny for his age, Eoin was initially thought to be useless by Brian's criminal cohort; he served as a lookout and an informant for the mob until one fateful night when he was caught by a rival gang of young ruffians. Somehow, Eoin fought his way out of a pack of eleven or so bigger and tougher boys. The mob noticed; they began to cultivate Eoin's talents more seriously, building his strength as a fighter and sending him to collect on loans and fight in clandestine boxing matches. 

By the time his sick brother, Niall, finally died of fever a year later, it was already too late for Eoin. He was too deep in the mix to escape, and he had found a way to provide for his family. However, Niall's death rang in Eoin's mind without end; he saw his brother's face in the eyes of every person he was send to rough up, every child whose parents he hurt. He even lost focus during a fight in the ring, letting his rival pugilist knock him cold. (It is at this time that Eoin experienced his first vision.) He awoke in a Church hospital, where during his convalescence he was met by an elderly priest, Father Fitzpatrick who helped him navigate his emotional turmoil at losing his father and brother, his guilt at falling in with the criminal sort, and his unmet yearning for a better life.

Even after he left the hospital, he would return to Fr. Fitzpatrick to confess his sins and ask for guidance. He resisted the priest's suggestion of priesthood for years, but he also began to find ways to extricate himself from the mob's grasp. This slow return to normalcy was brought to a crossroads in 1916, when the Easter Rising threw Ireland into a brutal war against England. Brian fought with the Republicans on account of his early affiliation with them, but Eoin saw in this conflict the final choice: join the fight and perhaps never return to the good, or renounce all evils and seek redemption. The choice became clear within a week of the Rising, when Brian was heartlessly slain by the mob for abandoning his criminal duty. 

Eoin left Cork with the help of Fr. Fitzpatrick, who found him safe passage to England and enrollment in the Blackfriar's Hall of the University of Oxford. To avoid suspicion as an Irishman in England, Eoin Fionn became John Finn - and after several years of strict study and conditioning in the inner life of the Church, he became Father John Finn, Doctor of Divinity and Priest of the Dominican Order. He finished his education in 1921, but he could not return to Ireland on account of his criminal past and staying in England at the climax of the Anglo-Irish War was not an option. So, Father John Finn Callaghan was assigned to a small parish in America - Arkham, Massachusets.

Even though the Anglo-Irish War concluded a few short months after his arrival in Arkham, he found his ministry there fruitful and fulfilling. The small parish had great opportunity to do good for the poor and wayward souls who found refuge in the town of Arkham, and his proximity to Miskatonic University allows him access to excellent libraries and archives for his research into all things holy, secular, and profane. He teaches Divinity classes at Miskatonic University, and has been a priest at the local Catholic Church for nearly four years.

[u][b]Miscellaneous Information[/b][/u]

[b]Weapons[/b]: None.
[b]Belongings[/b]: A leather-bound Bible, a sardonyx-and-silver rosary, a silver scapular cross, a silver pocket-watch, keys to the Church, keys to the Miskatonic humanities building and library, a collection of books at home.
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