Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has praised the resilience and compassion of Army chaplain Fr Paul Murphy.
The priest sustained serious stab wounds after being attacked outside the Army Barracks in the Renmore area of Galway last summer.
A 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to his attempted murder and will be sentenced next week.
Fr Murphy told the boy he forgave him and hoped he would learn a better way of living.
The priest is due to travel to Lebanon next month, where he will be serving as Chaplain to the 126th Infantry Battalion on its deployment to south Lebanon next month, as part of the ongoing UNIFIL mission there.
Speaking at Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa in Galway this morning, Mr Harris said the sense of selflessness and compassion Fr Murphy had displayed was a testament to his humanity.
Fr Murphy's actions in the aftermath of that incident, and the forgiveness he offered to his attacker in court, were praised by the Tánaiste.
He said the priest had shown tremendous resilience and wished him well.
Mr Harris was at the barracks for a review of the troops being deployed to Lebanon.
A total of 298 Defence Forces' personnel have undertaken administrative, logistical and tactical preparations, ahead of their deployment.
On arrival in Lebanon, they will work alongside colleagues from the Maltese, Polish and Hungarian armies on the multinational peacekeeping effort.
The Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, said he was confident that their preparations and their skills would stand them in good stead for the tour of duty.
It is the first overseas deployment for 110 of those travelling.
The majority of the nearly 300-strong contingent is from Co Galway, with representatives from 22 other counties also involved.
After reviewing the Battalion, Mr Harris said he was aware of the concerns family members would have for their loved ones during their time away.
He assured them that the security situation on the ground in Lebanon was under constant review and ongoing military assessment.
Mr Harris also expressed hope that the Lebanese authorities would expedite matters, as efforts continue to bring those responsible for the death of Private Seán Rooney to justice.
He said he had raised the Government's concerns with his counterparts on a visit to the country last month.
He said: "We need to see an urgency and a real seriousness applied to this."
Referencing the next scheduled court hearing in relation to the killing next September, he said he thought it was "very important that there’s real progress made on that occasion to show the wheels of justice are finally turning in relation to the death of Private Rooney."
