DEATH and RESURRECTION

Fr. Ian Buckmaster

Easter is a time of joy, a glorious feast of celebrating life over death. It is a joyous occasion because one of the biggest fears in our life, that of death, is removed.

We celebrate the fact that Christ humbled himself to assume the condition of a slave, “being born in human likeness, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names………and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. (Ph 2:6-12) It was this joy and faith that led a small band of disciples to accomplish great deeds and to suffer greatly so that this message might be preached to all peoples. They succeeded beyond all expectations.

The call to follow Christ takes on many different forms. In this edition of the newsletter, you will read about the lives of 3 missionaries. Fr. Frank Ball and Fr Pat Houlihan died in February within 2 weeks of one another. They had long and fruitful lives in the service of the mission. Both had very different lives but both had a spirit of self sacrifice that was essential if the mission was to succeed. Fr. Martin Addai was of the new generation of Missionaries of Africa. He was from Ghana and was rector of our seminary in Nairobi, Kenya. He had in common with our elderly confreres a desire to leave his country and go as a stranger to bring the good news to other people. Martin was one of the162 African members of our Society from 19 African countries. He represented the future of the society. So we can well ask why it was that the good Lord called him at a time when to human eyes we were badly in need of his services here on earth. I sometimes think of these moments when the good Lord is reminding us that like Christ we need to be vulnerable and humble and have faith in His Good Will for us.

Martin’s death reminds us that we are living in a violent world. Slavery was abolished 200 years ago in Britain. Yet nearly 70 years later, our founder Cardinal Lavigerie was preaching in Westminster Abbey against slavery. Slavery is still a reality to-day. We do not see people shackled and working in fields. They are often working away from the public eye in sweat shops where cheap goods are produced, then given an important brand name and sold at many times their value in our shopping centres. Another common form of slavery is Trafficking in People or TIP. Young People especially young women are offered the prospect of a well paid job in Ireland and the family enthusiastically agrees. But when they arrive here they discover that they are being forced into a life of prostitution. They are free to move around, they may be well dressed, they have enough to eat, and they get to stay in posh hotels from time to time. Their lives are controlled by the mobile phone and they are told where and when to go. They live lives of fear: fearful of arrest and prison, fearful of the shame they will bring on their families. Very often it is only by accident that their plight is discovered. Ruhama (www.ruhama.ie) is a faith based group working against Trafficking in People. They are linked to the conference of Religious in Ireland and to the Irish Missionary Union. They are asking us to be aware of this problem in Ireland. They ask us to make our public representatives more aware of the problem. They are asking that legislation be brought in to protect such vulnerable people. The government has signed the UN Protocol against Trafficking in People but such a protocol needs to be backed up by legislation.

Needless to say such legislation needs to support the victim by giving them certain rights to rehabilitation such as security of residence in this country or the right to repatriation and all necessary provisions for their physical recovery and reintegration into Society. So if anybody comes calling for your vote perhaps a quiet word…

May I wish you all a very Happy Eastertide. Please pray for all missionaries and people who are working for the most vulnerable in our society - It by such actions that the love of God is made visible in our world.
Happy Easter

Ian Buckmaster
Provincial

 

Frank Ball 1922-2007

The Frank was born in Seville Place Dublin on the 10th September 1922. He was a real “Dub” and proud of it. His father worked for a Shipping company in Dublin Port and eventually there were 5 sisters and two brothers. Frank was in the middle of the family. For his secondary education he went to O’Connell Schools run by the Irish Christian Brothers. It was a school noted for its academic prowess and sporting success. Frank was a good sportsman but was much better at soccer than the schools main sport, Gaelic football. He passed Irish Leaving Certificate exams with honours in 1942. During his secondary school studies a White Father visited the school and Frank was attracted to the missionary life. His parents however were against his joining straight away so Frank went to work as a clerk in the Civil Service. However the idea of becoming a missionary priest was never very far from his mind. He applied to join the White Fathers. Not wishing his family to have to pay the fees for his seminary education Frank had saved up some money to defray his immediate expenses. The St. Joseph’s Young Priests Society agreed to cover his fees. (The same society continues to help our students’ to-day.)

In September 1945 Frank left his secure job in the Civil service and joined the Philosophy House in Rossington Hall, near Doncaster, England. He entered the Novitiate in 1947 in Dorking, Surrey then went to S’Heerenberg, Holland in 1948 before doing the final years of his Theology in Monteviot, Scotland. He took the Oath of the Society on 29th May 1951 and he was ordained at Galashiels, Scotland on the 31st May 1952.

Over the next fifty years Frank served the Society faithfully in Africa and Europe. He undertook many services including those of being teacher, bursar, superior and formator. Frank was very much a person of prayer and for a while considered a contemplative vocation as a regular life of liturgy, prayer and manual work appealed to him, but he chose to remain with the White Fathers.

In 1989 he returned to Ireland for the last time. Ill health, never very far away, began to take its toll. He suffered from severe migraine and angina. His life in Dublin was very much centred on prayer and he was regular as clockwork in his daily rhythm of Mass, meals and prayer. This period also allowed him to come more in contact with the members of his family.

In 2003 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Medication was a great help in keeping the worst effects at bay. He was well looked after by the staff of the house and all members of the community kept an eye on him However it eventually became apparent that he really needed more professional care and in November 2006 he was admitted to St. Joseph’s Centre run under the auspices of the St. John of God Brothers. He seemed to settle in well but on the 30th December 2006 he fell and broke his elbow. He explained later that he was rushing because he thought he was late for Mass. He was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital for an operation to fix his elbow. It was a success but he picked up a number of infections and suffered a small stroke. For the last three weeks of his life he never really recovered consciousness and on the morning of February 6th 2007 he died peacefully. His body was brought back to Cypress Grove the following evening.

On February 8th after Requiem mass in St. Pius X Church, Templeogue he was buried in the White Fathers plot in Bohernabreena cemetery at the foot of the Dublin Mountains. Many tributes were paid to him. They all agreed that he was a man of humility, kindness and a genuine man of faith and prayer. May he rest in peace.
Ar dheis Dé a anam dílís.

 

PAT HOULIHAN 1921-2007

Patrick James Houlihan was born on the 5th July 1921 in Balham, London. His parents came from Ireland. His father was a policeman. His mother died when he was still a child. He was baptized on the 15th July in the parish of the Most Holy Trinity, Dockhead, Bermondsey. He had one brother who predeceased him in 1989. He attended the local Catholic Primary School. He went to the nearby Xaverian College in Clapham for the 1st part of his secondary education. He then completed his secondary studies in the Priory, Bishop’s Waltham.

Pat began his philosophical studies at the outbreak of the 2nd World War in September 1939. It was felt that the south of England could become a dangerous place, so it was decided that the British and Irish students should travel to France to do their Philosophical studies in Kerlois. However the war soon caught up with them. The German Army arrived in Kerlois in 1940. The passports of the students were in Nantes waiting for endorsement so that they could not travel to the area controlled by Vichy regime and the possibility of a return to Britain. The students traveled to Paris still trying to follow their studies. Eventually in July 1940 the British students were interned for the duration of the war. As Ireland was neutral the Irish students were released. Because of his Irish parentage Pat was able to claim Irish citizenship and was allowed to go. He finished his philosophical studies in Tournus and he started his theological studies in Carthage, Tunisia in September 1941. He did his novitiate in Maison Carre, Carthage in 1942 and was then able to return to England in 1943 to complete his theological studies in Rossington Hall, Doncaster, England. He took the oath of the Society on the 29th July 1945 and was ordained priest on the 30th July 1946.

However like many of his contemporaries Pat was held back for work in the new province and he saw service mostly as bursar in St.Boswells (Scotland), Bishop’s Waltham (Hampshire), and Monteviot (Scotland) where he was also socius to the novice master of the brothers. Eventually in 1949 he was able to leave for Nyasaland (Malawi) in the parish of Nambuma. From that time on Pat served in a number of communities throughout Africa and Europe: Kasina, Guilleme, Mua, South Africa, Zambia and England. In 1995 he decided to retire definitively and come back to Dublin.

Pat was now a free man and he enjoyed free travel. The opening up of Eastern Europe to tourists meant that he could have holidays in Bulgaria and Romania. He came back on a number of times with bruises having tripped over things in darkened Orthodox churches. He enjoyed small bets on horse racing. He had a system which changed from time to time and he prepared meticulously for the afternoon foray to the bookies. He said it kept him sane and it did. His coups were a topic of conversation at meals or social events. A number of his friends, also regular Mass goers at our chapel in Templeogue, told us that he was missed by the clients at the local bookmakers as much for his cheerfulness
as everything else. He was a man of prayer and often one found him praying in the oratory of the house. He seldom missed the community mass.

However his health was deteriorating and his hips were giving him trouble. He went for a hip operation which was a success but Pat found the exercises and physiotherapy difficult. The staff at the hospital was not unduly concerned by his slow progress. His moods varied from high optimism to gloomy pessimism. He was especially affected by the death of Frank Ball on the 6th February. On the morning of the 20th February he died unexpectedly. His body was brought back to Templeogue on the 22nd of February and he was buried after Requiem Mass in the local parish church in our plot in Bohernabreena Cemetery.

Many tributes were paid to Pat. He was loved by his nephews and nieces and grand nephews and grand nieces. Everybody had a fond memory of him and appreciated his stories, jokes good humour and general cheerfulness. He was a man of faith and prayer and a devoted missionary. May he rest in peace.

Ar dheis Dé a anam dílís.

The Loss of a Friend and Missionary:

It was with great sadness that I received a text message on my mobile phone that my friend Martin Addai had been murdered in Nairobi. As a missionary Society we are used to being well received in the countries where we work so it was a great shock to all of us to hear of Martin’s death. I share with you a little of his life story so that you may give praise to God for this young missionary who offered his life in the service of God’s Kingdom.

Martin was born in Adamasi Ghana on the 12 November 1960. He joined the Missionaries of Africa in 1981 and
was ordained in July 1990. He worked in Mozambique as a curate before furthering his studies and returning in
1996 to lecture at the Maputo Major Seminary. In 2001 he return to Ghana to be rector of our Formation House
in Ejisu and made the house very welcoming to all missionaries who passed through on their way south. It was
always a pleasure to stop and meet up with Martin and the students. In fact in 2004 the Irish Province was able to
purchase five computers and printers for the students in Ejisu.

In January 2005 Martin was appointed Rector of our Theology Seminary in Nairobi, Kenya. On the 10 March 2007
he met his untimely death. It seems he was going to visit friends when, very close to the seminary, he was held
up by robbers who shot him. Probably he died on the spot. His body was then thrown onto the side of the road
and the assailants escaped with the vehicle, which was later recovered.

The present Provincial of Ghana Francis Bomansaan who studied in Ireland in 1999 wrote of the funeral
celebration in these words: “Just to let you know that I am back from Nairobi. I would say our confrere and friend
had a beautiful, grand and dignified funeral. I just feel we could not have given him a better funeral than that. I
have personally not seen such a grand and dignified funeral like this apart from the one of Lady Diana. Let us
continue to remember Martin and his family in our prayers. MAY MARTIN ADDAI REST IN PERFECT PEACE!

May the wonderful memories Fr. Martin left behind ease our grief and strengthen our resolve to make the world a
better place for us all”.

Ar dheis Dé a anam dílís.

Fr. Diarmuid Sheehan

Bought out of Slavery:

T he recent film ‘Amazing Grace’ calls to mind our own Founder, Cardinal Lavigerie’s involvement in the Anti-Slavery movement. While reading about his work I came across the story of Dr. Adrien Atiman, a man bought out of slavery who later went on to serve his people as a medical doctor. His story reminds me of numerous stories told by people who have been educated through the help of missionaries and who now work among their people in different capacities.

A precise date of birth cannot be given for Adrien Atiman but it is believed to have been between 1866 and 1868 in a village on the banks of the River Niger near Timbuktu, in present day Mali. At that time Timbuktu was a stronghold of the Tuareg tribe who were noted for their deep involvement in the slave trade. In his address to the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in London in 1888, Cardinal Lavigerie referred to the situation: “The Tuaregs are the most frequent purveyors of these troops of human beings.

Their hearts are as hard as the irons of their lances, and a handful of raw sorghum each evening, with a drop of
water, are all that they give to the slaves, who travel, carrying the horrible slave yoke. If anyone falls it is instant death - the experienced eye of the merchant can judge whether his victim is likely to escape from him by death before the end of the journey. If he feels sure of this, he finishes him off with one blow of his club - the hyenas and the jackals will come and devour their flesh, leaving blanched skeletons to mark the road to the markets of Morocco or Fez.”

It was the Tuaregs who kidnapped Adrien Atiman when he was a young child: “I had already lost my front teeth, which naturally fall out at the age of seven or eight.” Years later he guessed he must have been around 10 years old and went on to describe his capture: “One day after a feast at which mutton was roasted over a big fire, some pale-faced men, who I think were Tuaregs, were quite near by. My father lifted me up and took me to a village, whose name I do not know, where I remained for 2 or 3 weeks. Afterwards I was brought back to Toundurma. “Possibly one month passed, when I was spirited away to the village where I had been hidden the previous month. A few days later, about midday, I was taken and hidden behind some large sacks of flour covered with palm leaves. Then a Tuareg entered by force, discovered me, seized me, put me on the back of his camel and left at a gallop.”

For three weeks Adrien remained in a Tuareg encampment and after that was sold to slave traders in Timbuktu for a jug of salt. The Arab who bought him put him in a sack and took him on a trek of over 1,100 miles to Metlili in Algeria. However during the journey he was sold to another Arab, with whom he completed the journey and found himself in Metlili. In his old age Adrien recollected that he was reasonably treated.
Two White Fathers, Frs. Deguerry and Delauney, had spotted Adrien for sale at the salve market in Metlili. They had been instructed by Archbishop Lavigerie to buy slave boys in order to free them, educate them, and hopefully encourage them to become missionaries to Africa. Cardinal Lavigerie realized early on that ‘foreign’ missionaries
would never suffice to carry out the enormous task of bringing the Gospel to Africa.

Adrien was the first black African the priests had purchased in Algeria; the others had all been Arabs. He was sent to Algiers, together with 5 others who had been ransomed at the same time, and was put in an orphanage of ex-slaves to begin his education. Eventually, Adrien was chosen to continue his studies at St. Eugene, a junior seminary.
With the advice of the seminary staff, Archbishop Lavigerie suggested to Adrien that he should study medicine. The initial training was to be in Carthage. The idea was to train the boys to become ‘Doctor-Catechists’ so that they could return to their own countries, if possible, with the missionaries. Adrien agreed to this and thus his religious education began in Carthage.

In July, 1881, Adrien was sent with some of his companions to Malta to receive his medical education at the institute established by Archbishop Lavigerie. Their tutors were University professors and their practical training was undertaken at Malta’s Central Hospital. While in Malta, on the 12th. July 1882, Adrien and his companions were baptized at their own request. During the celebration of Pope Leo XIII’s golden jubilee in 1888, Cardinal Lavigerie led a pilgrimage from Africa to Rome, taking Adrien and his companions along. They were received in audience by the Pope on numerous occasions and it was during this Roman visit that Adrien decided to offer his life to the service of God and mankind.

On his return to Malta, Adrien completed his medical course and received a certificate proclaiming his competence in Medicine, Surgery and Midwifery. Before leaving for Africa, he and his companions, who had also trained as ‘Doctor-Catechists’, accompanied Cardinal Lavigerie on his anti-slavery crusade in France, with obvious dramatic effects.
During the course of his life Adrien received numerous decorations: the ‘Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice’ from Pope Leo XIII; three awards from the Belgian Government for medical services to their troops in World War I; the Jubilee medal of King George V; the ‘Bene Merenti’ from Pope Pius XI; and the Wellcome Medal of the Royal African Society - the only other medical missionary ever to receive it was Albert Schweitzer.

Adrien died early in the morning of the 24th. April 1956. In a letter to the White Sisters he once referred to his own life, “I am getting old now and going grey, but as long as my legs can move me I shall not cease to move, and I shall try to do my possible best to please God and to love his flock of little and big black sheep which he sends in my path. For myself, I want to say with Cardinal Lavigerie, ‘We shall have all eternity to rest in.’ “. Adrien was true to his word.

Report From Niger On Aid Received From Donors:

I recently heard from our confrere in Niger, West Africa Fr. Callistus Baalaboore. He wrote to thank the Irish Province for the help given to Niger to deal with the aftermath of the food crisis of 2004-2005. I summarise his words as follows: “After the food crises that struck Niger between the end of 2004 and a greater part of 2005, any aid we receive now is to consolidate what we have realized so far.

The effects of the crises did not end when the harvest became normal. Peasants borrowed a lot from opportunistic traders; some even sold their farm produce to these same traders before the harvest; some could not cultivate because they had no seed to sow or they were too weak to cultivate. Some of those who migrated to other towns or countries were not able to return early enough to cultivate. Therefore the crisis is still felt in many communities and help is needed for them.

Our main activity is establishing community food barns where we stockpile millet, (the staple food in Niger) to prevent future food crises when the harvest may be poor. These food barns are to help the people have access to affordable food during the lean season. We have trained committees in the communities to manage the barns.

The second main activity we undertake is reconstituting the livestock of nomads who lost their animals during the crises. We give households a number of animals. Follow up shows that they are doing well. We hope to expand it to other households when the means become available.

The third major activity is to help malnourished children. Even in the years when the food harvest is normal, we have cases of malnourishment. We are, through the help received, curing them and conscientizing nursing mothers on how to take better care of their babies and learn preventive measures to avoid malnourishment and other diseases in the future. This activity is the largest so far after the crises. Most of the children affected during the crises are still suffering from malnourishment or the side effects of it. We are trying to discern why malnourishment is a chronic problem in Niger even when the harvest is better.

Besides the above mentioned activities, we have also sunk wells in deprived areas where the nomads had no water for their animals. We also encourage communities to go into dry season gardening which is a lucrative activity if good care is taken. From time to time we have helped poor and marginalized people with food or medical care. We always ask for some contribution on any activity in the form of labour and we train the people to be responsible for the small projects initiated in their communities. It is our hope that these projects will help the people come out of their vicious cycle of poverty.

We thank our friends in Ireland who have been helping us to undertake these activities in favour of the deprived ones.”

Fr. Diarmuid Sheehan M.Afr

 

Novena to St. Anthony June 13th-21st:

Because we are convinced of the power of prayer and the powerful intercession of St. Anthony, we invite you to join
us in nine days of prayer. Please write down your intentions, place them in the enclosed envelope and return to us as soon as possible.
The envelopes are placed on the altar during the novena and burned unread at the end. Please do not place any money in the small envelope.
Each day during the Novena we shall be offering Holy Mass for all your intentions.
We shall have a particular remembrance of all those doing exams at this time.
St. Anthony was a great friend of the poor and all those in need. He even risked his life by going to Morocco as a missionary, because he wanted to help the poor.
He is the patron of our Bursary Fund for the training of missionaries.

Please Pray for our Friends who have Died

Ball Fr. Francis, Missionaries of Africa, Templeogue, Dublin. Boland Mr. Beneavin Drive, Glasnevin, Dublin 11 Carter Mr. Thomas, Keane St., Killalee, Limerick Cody Mr. Michael, Curraghatossane, Listowel, Co.Kerry Conaty Mrs. Annie, Ardamagh, Ballyhaise, Co Cavan Connolly Mrs. Anna, Ballymena, Co. Antrim Coyle Mr. John Patrick, Canada Fitzgerald Mr. Richard (Richie) Main Street and Newtown, Bundoran, Co.Donegal Foster Ms. Mary, Fernhill Park, Dublin 12 Greene Mr. Patrick, Ballinalee, Co.Longford Gunn Mr. Michael, Birmingham. Gunn Mr. Patrick, Kingarrow North, Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh Hegarty Miss Nellie, Dunmore Road, Glenamaddy, Co.Galway Houlihan Fr. Pat, Missionaries of Africa, Templeogue, Dublin Hurley Mrs. Kathleen, The Pike, Clonakilty, Co. Cork Kearney, Mrs. Josephine, (Meena) Bohermore, Cloyne, Co. Cork MacGoey Mr. Sean, Roebuck Hill, Dublin 14 Magee Mrs. Lottie, 22 Laurel Grove, Newry, Co. Down McCann Mrs. Mary Rose, Drumalt Road, Dorsey, Cullyhanna, Co.Armagh McGrail Sister Mary Cyprian, Nazareth House, Prestwich, Manchester. McLoughlin Mr. Dan, Fawn, Dromahair, Co.Leitrim Neenan Mrs. Kathleen, Carlow Nelson Ms. Eileen, Pennybridge, Carrickmacross, Co, Monaghan Quinn Mr.John P. St.Columba’s Lifford Road, Stranorlar, Co.Donegal Traynor, Mr. Noel, 98 Mount Prospect Ave., Dublin 3 Waldron Sr. Perpetua, Mercy Convent, Westport, Co.Mayo Whooley Mr. Denis, St.Christophers Rd., Montenotte, Cork Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

May they rest in peace with the Father

PLEASE REMEMBER THE MISSIONS IN YOUR WILL Our legal name is Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers). A suitable formula is: I give to the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) the sum off €........... free of duty. And I declare that the Provincial of the Society who now resides at Cypress Grove, Templeogue, Dublin 6W shall be in good discharge. Carry on the good work you have been doing during your life by helping to spread the Gospel after you have gone to the Father.

Email: promafr@eircom.net