St. Joseph’s
Advocate
Winter 2021
“A saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Lk. 2: 10-11) Winter 2021
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Advocate
Christmas – Hope and Light “I will light candles this Christmas. Candles of hope where despair keeps watch, Candles of joy, despite all sadness, Candles of courage for fears ever-present, Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days, Candles of love to inspire all my living Candles that will burn all the year long.” (Howard Thurman)
Winter 2021
Volume 61 No. 3
ST. JOSEPH’S ADVOCATE Published by: Editor: Printed by:
“Jesus said: I am the light of the world; Anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Mill Hill Missionaries Fr. Jim O’Connell Modern Printers, Kilkenny
CONTENTS Editorial ....................................................................................................... 2 “Today is Christmas Day – What?” ........................................................ 4 Deep Peace of the Son of Peace ................................................................ 7 Jubilee Day .................................................................................................. 8 Words of thanks from Cameroon and Kenya ........................................ 11 Long Singut now – 50 years on ................................................................ 14 Obituary List ............................................................................................. 16 Photo credits: Front cover – Nuala Higgins (See editorial), Fons Eppink, Donal Harney.
MISSION OFFERINGS All Postal Orders and Cheques to be sent direct to us at St. Joseph’s Advocate, Mill Hill Missionaries, 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535. Bank Giros to be sent directly to our Bank account. Details of the a/c available from our office: 01 412 7707
We are now in a position to accept donations by Credit or Debit Card. You can use this method by phoning our office: 01 412 7707
A Christmas Prayer for all our friends and benefactors May the celebration of Christ’s birth light up your hearts and lives. May the wonder of his presence bring hope, love, joy and peace to you and your families. And may the New Year bring many blessings. 2
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St. Joseph’s Advocate Mill Hill Missionaries 50 Orwell Park Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535 Tel: (01) 412 7707 Winter 2021
Email: organisingmhm@gmail.com Website: www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk 1
with a lovely peaceful face. Joseph looks younger and more involved than he often seems to be in the crib and in paintings. In the stained glass window, he is at the centre of things – as a father lovingly holding the infant Jesus. He looks rather serious, as if he is thinking deeply, perhaps worried about what lies ahead. The infant Jesus looks calm and secure in Joseph’s strong arms. Here we see Joseph in his role as father of Jesus and husband of Mary.
From the
Editor We are familiar with the way the first Christmas night is depicted in the usual crib scenes. Usually, Mary and Joseph are standing or kneeling, looking lovingly at the infant Jesus lying in the manger. There are shepherds and their sheep, as well as a cow and a donkey. The three Kings (Magi) are added at the appropriate time. You can see this familiar representation of the scene in the 2
“Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; With you Christ became man.” (Pope Francis)
stable at Bethlehem in the photo of the painting of the Nativity (Page 3). You will notice that St Joseph seems rather detached – standing back as it were and not very involved. We have a very different approach in the Stained Glass Window photo (above and front cover). Joseph is holding the baby Jesus in his arms while Mary is sleeping or resting in the background. Mary looks young Winter 2021
In the gospel stories about the birth of Jesus, Luke focuses more on Mary, while Matthew’s focus is more on Joseph. Mary was an ordinary humble young woman in Nazareth, when she was called and chosen to be the mother of Jesus, who was ‘Son of God and son of Mary’, - and also “referred to in all four Gospels as the son of Joseph.” (Pope Francis) After a long and tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, “Mary gave birth to a son, her first born, in a stable; she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger” (Lk. 2:7). Joseph was with Mary and no doubt was at hand to help her. Joseph became the legal father of Jesus - to whom he gave the name revealed by the angel: “You shall call his name Jesus” (Mt 1:21). For ancient peoples, to give a name to a person was to establish a deep personal relationship with that person. This is what happened with Joseph. Winter 2021
Pope Francis describes Joseph: “He is a tender, loving father, who loved Jesus with a father’s heart and concretely expressed his fatherhood in his love placed at the service of the Messiah (Jesus). He is the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father. In him, Jesus saw the tender love of God. St Joseph did not think of himself, but focused instead on the lives of Mary and Jesus. He is the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence, who nonetheless played an incomparable role in the history of salvation. Cooperating in the great mystery of Redemption, he was called by God to serve the mission of Jesus. Hail guardian of the redeemer, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” (Pope Francis) (Stained Glass Window in the photo (front cover and page two) is by Sue Klayman. It is in St Joseph the Worker Church, Ozark, Missouri, USA. Photo: Nuala Higgins)
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“Today is Christmas Day – What?” By Fr Frans Mol, mhm It was my first Christmas after ordination (1961) and I was with the Maasai people in Kenya. On Christmas Day, I was going to celebrate Mass with a group who had recently shown an interest in the Church. I carefully packed my Mass-Box with all things necessary, my chalice which dad and mum had given me, water in a small bottle, wine in a small bottle, communion hosts in a small box, books and vestments - every item carefully folded and packed in plastic bags to keep the dust out. A fellow-priest drove me into the open plains and dropped me at a large tree. He then disappeared in a cloud of dust. On the tree hung a bell, the rusty wheel of a long lost car. I was told to hit that
piece of iron as hard as I could and wait for things to happen. Under the tree, there were some homemade benches, fashioned from branches and pieces of wood; I sat down and waited patiently. After some time, a group of shy small children approached who, following the honourable Maasai custom stood before me with their bowed and shaven heads to wait for my greeting - the gentle touch of the hand in benediction and protection and love. Their not-soshy and curious mothers followed them. A few elders (older men), covered in heavy red blankets joined the group. They all sat down; the women and children were on one side, the elders somewhat at the back. I had my table neatly ready.
“Today”, I began solemnly, “today is Christmas Day”. Silence, until someone said: “What?” Somewhat taken aback, I continued courageously, “Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus”. Silence again, until someone said: “the birth of whom?” Then even the reverend celebrant fell silent. Silent night, holy night!
NEW APPROACH AND NEW INSIGHTS There and then I put all my Massbelongings neatly back in my MassBox, sat among them, took the translation of the day’s gospel and began to explain word by word about the child of Christmas, his dear mother, Saint Joseph and the shepherds. The last ones appealed to them because the Maasai themselves are a pastoral people, close to their animals. And so we sat together, a small group under a mighty tree, on Christmas Day at the foot of Kilimanjaro. We sat for a long time, sharing questions and answers. A great sense of satisfaction, fulfilment and happiness came over me. Finally, I was busy with the work I wished to do but had so far really failed to put into action. The core of my vocation was to announce, to proclaim, to be a missionary. I thanked the Christmas Child for this insight and grace. Up to now, I had somehow tried to do pastoral work among people who neither belonged to a parish or to the Church for that matter. I wanted to give the sacraments to people who
had not yet even received the first sacrament. I was fumbling around at the wrong end.
GOD ALREADY AT WORK AMONG THESE PEOPLE Suddenly, I felt very happy and at ease. I learned to understand that there is an essential difference between a missionary, priest or sister, brother or lay, and a simply ‘sacramental’ priesthood. Since then I have tried to remain faithful to my missionary vocation, applied myself to a better knowledge of the local language and regularly visited groups of people, sat with them and talked with them, made contacts to the enrichment of both parties. They taught me their language in all its beauty and expressions, their culture, their customs and way of life and especially their faith in one God. I tried to add all that was their own as yeast in my proclamation. I wanted Catholic Maasai, by which I mean Maasai who in the acceptance and the practice of the faith would
Maasai Mission now Fr Lawrence Otieno, mhm, celebrating Mass.
Maasai women in colourful festive dress - wearing ornaments and beadwork 4
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remain authentic and true Maasai. They would preserve whatever was good and beautiful and precious in their lives and culture, and where necessary would improve these through the insights and teachings of the Gospel. I rejoiced to learn afterwards that both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II referred to this activity as pre-evangelisation and primary evangelisation.
Deep Peace of the Son of Peace to You Deep peace of the quiet earth to you. Deep peace of the green fields to you. Deep peace of the shining stars to you. Deep peace of the quiet night to you. Deep peace of the gentle moon to you. Deep peace of the bright sun to you. Deep peace of the early dawn to you. Deep peace of twilight glow to you. Deep peace of the setting sun to you. Deep peace of the running wave to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
God had already been for a long time at work among these people. Now was the time for them to become acquainted with Jesus, the Child of Christmas, the Teacher, the Redeemer and the Man of suffering. (Fr Frans Mol is a Dutch Mill Hill priest, now retired. Over the years, we have had a number of his articles in the Advocate. He spent his missionary life with the Maasai people in Kenya. He worked closely with his good friend the late Fr Terry Gogarty, mhm, from Naas. This year Frans celebrated his Diamond (60 years) Jubilee. The very early experience described in this article influenced his approach to Missionary work for the rest of life.)
Maasai mother and child 6
Deep peace of the heart of Mary to you. Deep peace of the heart of Joseph to you. Deep peace of Christmas night to you. Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.
The late Fr Terry - Mass with Maasai Winter 2021
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Jubilee Day 2021 Fr Sean O’Brien Platinum
Fr Chris O’Connor Platinum
Wednesday July 21st •
This year, the Irish Region has four Jubilarians: two Platinum (70 years) - Fr Seán O’Brien and Fr Chris O’Connor; one Golden - Fr Kevin Reynolds; one Silver - Fr Liam Cummins. Fr Chris is in a Nursing Home and Fr Liam is in England, so they were unable to attend but were acknowledged and prayed for at the Jubilee Mass. Normally, a number of family members of the Jubilarians are invited but for the first time in over 30 years we had no family members present because of the Covid-19 situation. Attendance was limited to our Mill Hill community and all present were fully vaccinated.
prayer. And of course I am conscious that these seeds are shown in care, kindness and good neighbourliness - so much in evidence during the pandemic and lockdown. A true reflection of God’s love for us coming through others.
up, come upon us with a shower of mercy; when grace is lost from life, come with a burst of song. When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O come, Thou Holy One, come with your light and your thunder, come with your grace and truth.”
The seed of grace planted in Baptism deserves special mention. That is when we became temples of God’s glory, filled with God’s grace; that is the beginning of the journey.
The seed of respect is very powerful. It is about recognising and acknowledging the human and Christian dignity of the other person who is created in God’s image and likeness. It is the reason why we can say that ‘you and I are God’s work of art’.
The seed of grace makes us graceful, gracious and courteous - so important in our mission and ministry, especially to the sick. I recall two lines from Hilaire Belloc’s poem entitled ‘Courtesy’: “And in my walks it seems to me that the grace of God is in courtesy.” And a few lines too from Tagore’s prayer: “O Lord when the heart is hard and parched
The seed of God’s forgiveness – where would we be without forgiveness that cleanses and liberates us? We must always remember that God’s forgiveness is unconditional. And still there is so much guilt and shame and remorse
Fr Kevin and Fr Sean cutting cake and earlier ready for Mass
Jubilee Day Homily by Fr Kevin Reynolds, mhm
Fr Kevin Reynolds Golden
Fr Liam Cummins Silver
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It is lovely to be here with you for this Jubilee Mass. On this Wednesday, July 21st, we are treated to a lovely passage from Matthew’s Gospel, the parable of the Sower. How appropriate for today. It is a coincidence! And coincidences are God’s way of being anonymous. Sowing the seed, - that is priesthood and that is our mission and ministry. The seeds for a life of faith, hope and love. I begin with mentioning what is obviously central to ministry and mission: planting the seeds of faith, hope and love - nurtured and enlivened by Winter 2021
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and regret around. The seed of forgiveness needs to be planted anew in rich soil. The seed of the radical message of Christ: Our Mill Hill charism urges us to go out to those on the fringe, bringing ‘the good news to the poor’ - the disadvantaged. Like Christ, reaching out to the powerless, the homeless, the looked down on in society, the marginalised. And here I recall what Bishop Gerry Mahon told us over 50 years ago in Mill Hill: “When you’re on the side of the marginalised, be prepared to be marginalised yourself.” Planting the seed of the radical message of Christ is the task of the missionary. The seeds of inclusiveness and compassion - so central to Christ’s message. Being open and engaging and welcoming is at the very heart of the Gospel. Reach out and welcome the bruised and the broken; embrace all who are in crisis and carrying crosses. Walk with those who have turmoil and trauma in their lives. I know someone who is cutting himself off; he doesn’t feel welcome or wanted in God’s house. But I say no, no; in our Church, in God’s family, there should be no outsiders, strangers or foreigners; All are welcome. Like forgiveness, Christ’s love is unconditional. There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ - everyone is redeemable by Jesus Christ. I want to put in a word in support of Pope Francis. In his ministry, he is continually planting 10
the seeds of inclusiveness.
compassion
and
The seed of friendship is such a treasure, - what a gift? I feel it is a singular blessing in my life. There are many forever friends from my days as a student in Freshford, and my Mill Hill colleagues that I worked with in Kenya - some of them are here today. And I thank God I’ve made good friends too in the parishes of Ahascragh in Galway, Cloverhill and Castlerea in Roscommon. The seed of gratitude. Gratitude is great; it is a wonderful attitude. In the end it is the answer to doom and gloom; it is spirituality at its best. And we know that gratitude is the most pleasing and acceptable prayer to Almighty God. To my parents, my brothers and sisters, life-long friends and Mill Hill colleagues, and to all who sustained and supported me down through the years, I say: A huge thank you. May God Bless you all.
Fr Seán with Gerarda of St Joseph’s House staff Winter 2021
Words of Thanks from
Cameroon and KENYA
(Once again, we want to express our gratitude to you, our readers, for your financial support for Mill Hill Missionaries in their work on the missions. Some of the money goes out directly while larger amounts are sent through the Mission Office at Mill Hill Headquarters in Maidenhead, England. As a result of your generosity, our Mill Hill Priests in countries in Africa and Asia are able to bring help and hope to communities that struggle with poverty and disease, conflict and insecurity, - and in more recent times the terrible consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. We get lots of emails expressing thanks for the help received, as well as articles and photos of projects that are being funded. Last time it was Pakistan; this time it is Cameroon and Kenya. - Editor) Cameroon - From Fr Richard Njoroge, Mill Hill Regional Superior: “We are very grateful for the generous and kind support that our Mill Hill Missions in Cameroon continue to receive from the Irish Region of Mill Hill. On behalf of our Mill Hill priests in parishes and all the beneficiaries of your generous support, I sincerely thank you. May the Good Lord reward the generosity of the donors, who make it possible for you to support us in our mission and in the service of the needy families. The special donations we have been receiving have been very helpful in assisting poor and needy families. In the past two years, the special donations have been allocated by the local Mill Hill Council to the areas of greatest need in parishes and missions: Winter 2021
• Assisting needy families with food and payment of school fees. • Helping people cope with the terrible effects of Covid-19. • Supporting our missionaries with funds to subsidize their food and transport expenses. • Funding the rebuilding of the wall of a church in Ilung parish, where Fr Benedict Ohanga, mhm, is parish priest. • Funding work on the roof of a church in Fundong where Fr Noah Monday, mhm, is parish priest. • We have allocated funds to support the car depreciation fund for Mill Hill priests to replace their means of transport with more functional and affordable second hand vehicles for pastoral use.” 11
Kenya - From Fr Alexander Kimbi, mhm, Witu mission:
Cameroon - School children in Ilung parish
“I am writing to acknowledge receipt of the money which you sent to our parish in Witu through our Regional bursar in Nairobi. With these funds, we were able to help our people with maize seeds during the planting season. This is giving hope to people. We are so grateful to the donors for such great generosity. May God continue to bless you abundantly.”
Note: There are many serious challenges facing the people and the Mill Hill priests in this parish of Witu in the diocese of Malindi on the Kenya coast. In the Spring Advocate, we had an article by Fr Alex about a visit to a village in the Boni forest. In the next Advocate, we will have an article by Fr Alex about the great work that Fr Adolf Pohl did to provide clean drinking water for school children and people in the villages.
Cameroon - From Fr Cyprian Tah, mhm, Elak-Oku mission: “The Irish Region of Mill Hill sent us financial help which has been used to purchase vital food supplies, such as rice and palm oil, as well as blankets, soap, sanitiser, face masks and other items. All of this is a great help to needy families in our parish.
We heartily appreciate the money we received which has fed those who were hungry and homeless, and which has helped give jobs to the youth who could have ended up involved in violence. Thanks again to all supporters of Mill Hill in Ireland for their kindness and generosity.” Kenya - Parents and pupils at a school near Witu
Kenya – Sr Bernadette Nealon, fmsj, wrote from Kisumu: “I want to let you know that I was in Nairobi for a meeting and I received the money (Euro 2,405) that you sent for Pandipieri Childrens’ Programme. It couldn’t have come at a better time as the programme is experiencing a lot more children who are malnourished in the communities. So this donation will go to that project to support the children. Grateful thanks.” 12
Kenya - Sr. Bernadette and Lillian with their awards
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Note: You will be familiar with Sr. Bernadette from articles in St. Joseph’s Advocate. She is the Director of Pandipieri Catholic Centre in Kisumu town, Western Kenya, and has been running the ‘Community HealthCare Programme’ for many years. Sr. Bernadette is from Limerick and is a Franciscan Missionary of St. Joseph – a congregation closely associated with the Mill Hill Missionaries. Sister Bernadette and Lillian Dajoh have been honoured with special awards by ‘WIRED INTERNATIONAL’ for outstanding work and leadership. We will have an article from her again soon. 13
Long Singut – 50 Years On Deep in the Borneo Rainforest by Fr Mathews Olili, mhm (Fr Mathews is a Mill Hill priest from Kenya) In the Spring Advocate this year, Fr Tom Connors described his first visit to the Catholic community in Long Singut, Sarawak, Malaysia. It was over 50 years ago. They were Catholics but they had never seen a priest. They had been baptized by a catechist. Fr Tom wrote: “Despite the fact that a priest could only visit them a few times a year since I first went there, I have to marvel at how they have survived and thrived so well as Catholics.” I have been visiting the Long Singut Community in recent years. As I witness to God’s love among these people, it becomes clear to me that Christ has been with these people before our arrival. The journey to Long Singut is long, very long. It is within the Kapit parish area, but it takes one and a half days to reach this remote community deep in the Borneo Rainforest. We travel by boat and by pick-up and have an overnight stay in
some huts on the river bank. Despite the length of the journey, the word ’Long’ in the name ‘Long Singut’ has nothing to do with distance. Rather, the place where two rivers meet is referred to as ‘Long’ in the Kenyah language, the language of the inhabitants of this beautiful place. The Long Singut people Simple, beautiful, graceful, committed and hardworking are some of the adjectives that can be used to describe these people. Yet, I also feel that they are numbered among the last and the least of society. During the Lord’s time on earth, he had a preference for the well-being of the last and the least (Mt. 18:11, 20:16, 25:40). These included the powerless, the sick, the handicapped, the tax collectors, the prostitutes and others who were disadvantaged.
special care in our pastoral work. These people, who manage to survive mainly by hunting and fishing, are cut off from the world as we know it: no social amenities, school, hospital, shop, electricity and the likes. The nearest health clinic and Primary school, which are in Entawau, take more than half a day’s journey by boat from Long Singut - an expensive trip for these economically poor people. To make things worse, the majority of the people in Long Singut are not citizens of Sarawak - because they refused to become Muslims; therefore, they are disadvantaged in terms of access to school, medical services, as well as other services that benefit citizens. It is a situation in which, as the locals put it, ‘the unfortunate one who is already suffering the pain from a fall on the ground is added more pain by being hit by a tree trunk’.
True witnesses to trust in God’s providence “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”, so goes the saying. Seeing how gifted the Long Singut people are in bead-work, we provided some materials and got a group of them to make rosaries which they have been doing with great interest. Through it, they are also involved in a way in evangelization. Though a small contribution, it will hopefully make a difference in their lives and their children’s lives. Every time I visit Long Singut, I feel that the people there are true witnesses to complete trust in God’s providence. Despite all the odds, their smiles, angelic voices, graceful dances, community spirit and strong faith in God leave me feeling stronger and better.
Molly - in Long Singut
Even now, Long Singut people are disadvantaged in many ways and fit the description of those who are in need of
Rocking the hammock (cradle) with baby inside
Stepping it out of the Longhouse 14
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“Lord, for your faithful people, at death, life is changed, not ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in Heaven.”
(From the Preface of the Mass for the dead)
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Please Note: We regret that we have fewer pages in the Winter Issue of the Advocate; this is due to changes in the postage rate for sending the Advocate and Calendar together. The other Issues (Spring and Autumn) will not be affected. 16
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St. Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill St. Joseph’s
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ST. JOSEPH’S ADVOCATE MILL HILL MISSIONARIES 50 Orwell Park Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535 Tel: (01) 412 7707 Email: organisingmhm@gmail.com www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk
“After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said: Get up, take the child and his mother with you and escape to Egypt.” (Mt. 2:13)
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