Winter 2018 1

St. Joseph’s

Mill Hill Missionaries Winter 2019

Advocate

2 Winter 2018

ST. JOSEPH’S ADVOCATEPublished by: Mill Hill MissionariesEditor: Fr. Jim O’ConnellPrinted by: Modern Printers, Kilkenny

Winter 2019 Volume 59 No. 3

Advocate

MISSION OFFERINGSAll 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

CONTENTSFrom the Editor ...................................................................................................... 2Emotional farewell at St. Mary’s, Belfast ............................................................ 4Turda Mill Hill Mission ......................................................................................... 7Jubilee photos ......................................................................................................... 8‘Paddling for Christ’ in Sarawak, Malaysia ...................................................... 10The lighter side of mission experience! .............................................................. 12In memory of Fr. John Joe Courtney ................................................................. 15Obituary List ........................................................................................................ 16

Photo credits:Front Cover photo: Celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism in Kotido,

Northern Uganda.Fons Eppink, Declan Roughan, Donal Harney, Sylvester Odhiambo,

Mathews Olili.

A Christmas Prayer for all our friends and benefactors

May the celebration of Christ’s birth and the wonder of his presence light up your hearts and lives. May this Christmas bring love, joy and peace to you and your families, and may

the New Year bring many blessings to you all.

Winter 2017 Advocate - Final:0 21/08/2017 11:55 Page 2

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Email:organisingmhm@gmail.comWebsite:www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk

St. Joseph’s AdvocateMill Hill Missionaries50 Orwell ParkRathgar, Dublin D06 C535Tel: (01) 412 7707

and us. “What we are between birth and death is not the whole story; what we are in the universe is not the whole story; the universe itself is not the whole story.” (John Moriarty)

We believe that God is the creator of all, watches over all, caring for every person and everything. ‘No hair falls from a human head nor a sparrow from the sky’, without God knowing and deeply caring. God holds everything in a loving embrace. We believe that this caring, loving God, at the Centre of everything, was carried for nine months in the womb of Mary and was born into our world as the child Jesus. The scene depicted by the crib with the child at the centre of it is the way God chose to come to us. We cannot understand this great mystery of the Incarnation and words fail us when we try to express it. All we can do is

believe that the baby in the manger is Immanuel, a name that means God-is-with-us (Mt. 1:23). This is the ‘Good News’.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we pray for the grace to open our hearts and our homes to Jesus. When we receive and welcome him, we come to know and experience his Love for us and for all humankind. He invites us to live that love in our daily lives and share it with others. We are all part of this great ‘mission’ at a personal level but also as a Mill Hill family. Our Mill Hill members on the missions and at home, our families, friends and benefactors, the sick and elderly, all play a part in helping people to know and believe in God’s great love revealed in Jesus our Saviour who is Immanuel, God-with-us.

Fr. Jim O’Connell, mhm

From the

Editor

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In May and June this year, there were a number of programmes on BBC Television about ‘Our Solar System’. Professor Brian Cox presented the series and gave information about the origin of planet earth and the other planets. While the details are difficult to grasp, indeed almost unimaginable, they are fascinating. In each of the programmes, there were wonderful photos of the night sky. These took me back to my days as a young boy growing up in Kerry. We were often out at night visiting neighbours. As we walked the roads and fields, we were very familiar with the starry sky. On calm nights when the sky was clear, it was beautiful to behold. We could see ‘The Milky Way’ and ‘The Plough’ and many other constellations of stars. We were children of the universe, though we did not see it that way at the time. Indeed, we did not know much about the universe, planet earth and our solar system. We would not have known that our solar system with the sun at its centre is one of around 500 identified solar systems in ‘The ‘Milky Way’ galaxy

alone. The ‘Milky Way’ itself is made up of billions of stars and is just one of billions of galaxies. The stars nearest to us are so far away that light travelling from them at the speed of 186,000 miles per second takes more than four years to reach us. And the stars furthest away, but still visible to us, are so distant that light travelling at the same speed takes 800 years or more to get here!

Of course, we struggle to think of these details or even imagine what they mean. We do not need to worry about that. I only mention them here so that we can get some idea of the vastness of the Universe. When we gaze at the night sky, we are looking into infinite space, infinite distance and infinite time. It fills us with a sense of awe and mystery that nurtures our belief in an infinite, absolute and eternal God. For believers, the hand of God, the presence of God, is evident in the universe of which we are such a tiny but significant part. We believe the universe itself reveals that there is a divine presence beyond our universe

“And is it true, this most tremendous tale of all,

A baby in an ox’s stall? The maker of the stars and sea

Become a child on earth for me.” (From the poem: Christmas – by John Betjeman)

Bishop Noel Treanor’s tributeSpeaking at the farewell Mass, Bishop Noel Treanor paid tribute to Fr Gerald Doyle, Fr John Nevin and Fr James Boyle, along with their predecessors, for their years of “dedicated service and ministry”. Bishop Treanor went on to say: “You will be fondly remembered by the many ‘parishioners’ of St Mary’s, particularly for your ministry of peace-building, catechesis, charitable outreach, and reconciling compassion, especially during times of personal and community conflict. It is true to say that the people of Belfast have taken you into their hearts and you, in turn, have shared in their lives. There is a sense of sadness and appreciation of the challenges faced with declining numbers of clergy as you return to St Joseph’s Mill Hill House in Dublin.”

He added that the diocese was strongly committed to continuing their work and building upon the “legacy and foundations of your ministry”. Fr Tim Bartlett will take over the parish for now, with the assistance of other priests, until diocesan changes are made later in the summer.

Fr Doyle, a native of Kilkenny, who had served in Cameroon for 20 years, joined St Mary’s two years ago as Administrator. He said he would miss the church and the city

and thanked everyone, including the steering committee, who had been involved in the priests’ final days in the parish. He also asked the congregation to keep his sister Carmel and family in their prayers following the death that morning of his brother-in-law from cancer at the age of 57.

Parishioners’ gratitude and praiseMany parishioners leaving Mass paused to say a personal farewell to the priests who had become their friends. Reader Susan O’Neill said St Mary’s “belongs to everybody” and was frequented not just by parishioners but by people “of all faiths and none”, including tourists who called in for peaceful reflection. This was my grandmother’s church and my mother also came here every day and lit 10 candles for each of her 10 children.”

Parishioner Marion Jones described it as a “very sad day”, pointing out that the tabernacle on the altar dated back to the 1600s and had formerly been kept in a house around the corner which served as a church before St Mary’s was built. Brigitte McNaughton said, “The Mill Hill priests have been amazing; they were always so warm and welcoming. St. Mary’s is one of those chapels where you feel you belong; it is a little place of peace in the craziness of the world.”

Emotional Farewell at St. Mary’s, BelfastBy Mairead Holland

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During the Mass - Fr. Philip O’Halloran and Bishop Treanor

On June 30, 2019, the Mill Hill Missionaries celebrated Mass for the last time at St Mary’s Church, Chapel Lane. It was the end of an era for parishioners of Belfast’s oldest Catholic Church as they bade an emotional farewell to the Mill Hill priests. The Society have been serving St Mary’s in Chapel Lane for the past 37 years, but the remaining priests have now returned to Dublin. The historic city centre church, close to CastleCourt Shopping Centre, was founded in 1784. Many visitors

and workers in Belfast as well as tourists use it.

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Paul Donegan said it was an emotional day for everyone involved with the parish and for the Mill Hill Missionaries. “It is the end of an era,” he said. “I think everybody has been touched by their humanity. The drug addicts, the alcoholics, the homeless - I have never seen the priests or volunteers turn anybody away. They are going to be missed an awful lot.”

(Our thanks to ‘The Irish News’, Belfast, for this article. Used with permission. Photos: Declan Roughan)

Mill Hill Irish Regional, Fr. Philip O’Halloran, wrote: Fr. Gerald Doyle led the Saturday Evening Mass, thanked the people, and said farewell. He spoke of the different Mill Hill Members who had worked there and contributed to

the life of the parish over the last 37 years. The 10am Sunday Mass was led by Fr. Philip O’Halloran, who encouraged people to continue in their commitment to being followers and missionaries of Christ.

At the end of the Mass, Fr. Gerald thanked all who had supported and encouraged the Mill Hill priests over the years and in particular those who had assisted in the church activities as Readers, Eucharistic Ministers, sacristans and collectors. He thanked those who joined in the various programmes in St. Mary’s. Fr. James Anthony Boyle led the Irish Language Mass at 11.30am and Bishop Noel stayed on for that. We went for a final cup of coffee in the house and then set off for Dublin.

Sadly, so ends another connection and placement for Mill Hill.

From Left - Fr. John Nevin, Fr. Jim O’Donoghue, Bishop Noel Treanor, Fr. Philip O’Halloran, Fr. Gerald Doyle. Fr. James Anthony Boyle

Turda Mill Hill MissionBy Fr. Fons Eppink, mhm

The mission parish of Turda is situated in a remote part of the island group of Palawan in The Philippines. The Mill Hill Missionaries founded it in 2007 as part of a renewed missionary outreach. The parish Centre, simple and functional, is situated right in the middle of the fishermen’s village of Turda. Numerous mission stations in the parish are dotted along the coast and on islands further out at sea. The surroundings are beautiful - sandy beaches lined with coconut trees, clear waters with stunning coral reefs here and there. Google ‘Palawan’ and you will get “the best summer island vacation in the world”!

I arrived on the 10th of May 2019. I was curious to get to know the young Mill Hill missionary community on mission in Turda and to learn about their work and vision. There are four Mill Hill Members, a truly international group: Sleevaraj Gopal (India), John Paul Bangsi (Cameroon), Dennis Wanjala (Kenya, student), and Abdul Tanti (India, student). The day I arrived, the number was reduced to three as Dennis returned home to Kenya to continue his studies after completing his two years of ‘mission experience’. Being among fishermen strongly stirs Gospel associations in me. After all the twelve chosen followers of Jesus were all fishermen. Unsurprisingly, Fr. John Paul Bangsi confirmed this feeling by saying that any reference in the Gospels to fishing and fishermen draws an immediate response from the local fishermen’s community.

Turda - the boat that is used for travel to Mission stations

on the islands

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Fr. John Paul Bangsi, mhm, and Fr. Sleeveraj Gopal, mhm

Sunday - July 14, 2019: St. Joseph’s House, Dublin

Jubilee Sunday

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From Left - Diamond Jubilarian (60 years) Fr. Kevin O’Rourke. Golden Jubilarians (50 years), Fr. Matthew Grier, Fr. Tom McGrath and Fr. Anthony Mailey

Fr. Kevin O’Rourke with his family and friends.

Fr. Matthew Grier with his family

Fr. Tom McGrath with his family and friends

Fr. Anthony Mailey with his family and friends

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(The first group of Mill Hill Missionaries arrived in Sarawak in 1881 but the mission in Bintangor was only established in 1918. Fr. Mathews, who is a Mill Hill priest from Kenya, describes a trip (Paddling) up the mighty Rejang River as part of the Centenary celebrations. He reflects on the hardships faced by the early missionaries.)

So calm was the mighty Rejang River, so friendly the weather,

as we joyfully paddled the boats, locally known as perau.

Never alone, but with Jesus our elder Brother,

Rowed the fleet to Sungai Selidap, all the way from Bintangor,

Not one, not two, but countless pilgrims came together,

Remembering that which the missionaries a century ago did sow.

It all began in Nanga Selidap. It was here that the first Mill Hill Missionaries who came to Bintangor area landed

and planted the seeds of faith. That was 100 years ago. As part of the centenary celebrations, one of the activities was to paddle upriver from Bintangor to Selidap and bless St. Joseph’s Mission there. The response was encouraging with plenty of people ready for the trip.

With great enthusiasm, we got into the boats. We were nine in our boat, including Fr. Philip Odhiamo, MHM. Soon the air was filled with ‘row, row, row your boat’ as we, to some extent, sang in rhythm with the strokes of the paddle. For me, it did not last long; I could not paddle consistently due to the feeling of heaviness and pain in my shoulder. Admittedly, it was not an easy task. From the corner of my eye, I saw my friends also slowing down. It was the same story with all the other boats except one. With this experience, I was transported in imagination to the great difficulties the early missionaries must have courageously faced as they traversed

the dangerous rivers in Sarawak and Sabah to spread the Gospel. I remembered the dedicated locals who had paddled the boats then, sometimes struggling to pull and push the boats whenever the waters were low. A sense of admiration and gratitude for them filled my heart. Indeed, they are the giants on whose shoulders we stand in terms of our missionary work now.

The Mill Hill Missionaries who brought the Gospel to Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei, arrived in 1881; they built schools and churches in many places within the first few years. However, Bintangor Mission only came into existence in 1918. In 1930, Christ the King Church, Bintangor, was completed. Ever since, all the faithful of the parish, both young and old, have been committed to paddling with Christ in the sea of evangelization. Both Mill Hill and Diocesan priests, Franciscan Sisters of Sarawak and others, and the entire lay faithful of Bintangor continue to sail together, casting their nets far and wide. Indeed, the catch is abundant, to the glory of God. In the words of the Psalmist (Ps 126), after sowing in tears, they come back, they come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves.

Mill Hill in Sarawak (Borneo), Malaysia ‘Paddling with Christ’

‘Paddling with Christ’ on the mighty

Rejang river

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Fr. Philip preparing to bless the pilgrims and St. Joseph’s

Mission in Selidap

Fr. Mathews (left) and Fr. Philip (right) with a local priest - ready for

the boat trip on the Rejang river

by Fr. Mathews Olili, mhm

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(Fr. Sylvester is a Mill Hill priest from Kenya. In June, he completed a year of studies in Dublin. It was a well-deserved break after 12 years of mission work in Panyangara, Northern Uganda - the parish where Fr. Declan O’Toole, mhm, was murdered in 2002. It remains a very difficult and dangerous mission area. Fr. Sylvester has featured in previous articles about the hardships our members encounter there; he has been praised for his great courage and dedication in the face of many challenges. In this piece, he gives us a story that has an unexpected but happy ending!)

However, just before closing my door an elderly woman approached; I could see that she was very distressed. She immediately started telling me that her daughter was dying. She had taken poison after a quarrel and was unconscious. The woman asked me to bring her daughter to the hospital using the mission car. I immediately went with her and drove to her home. I wondered what lay ahead of me. During my time in Panyangara, I was called to a number of suicides. Suicide was always shocking and difficult to deal with. Sometimes, the family would start blaming each other for causing the death; this could result in a big fight and a lot of destruction of property and even more deaths could occur. I had also once experienced a young boy dying of snakebite in the car as I drove him to the hospital. I was therefore nervously hoping to reach the home of this woman and take her daughter to the hospital before it was too late.

It was quite a big operation to carry the unconscious woman from the house to the car. There were a number of people helping; all of them talking and not listening to one another. The unconscious woman was of good weight. The door and the path were very narrow. I found myself getting very agitated as it was happening. Once safely in the car, I rang the nurse of the local health centre and explained to her about the emergency case we were bringing so that she could be ready.

Instant recovery!When we reached the health centre the nurse was there waiting with a wheel chair and she wheeled the unconscious woman immediately to the ward. Taking patients to the hospital was always part of our ordinary work. One thing I had learnt is that once you hand over the patient to the health worker you either hang around or follow them inside because more help might be needed. In this case, I followed the nurse to the room. Once inside we lifted the woman into the bed.

I was expecting the nurse to start the treatment immediately. But no! She suddenly ordered everybody to get out except me. Then she gestured to me to keep quiet and watch the patient. My heartbeat increased. “We are losing the patient,” I thought. To my surprise, the patient who all along had been unconscious opened her eyes to see what the silence was all about. The patient had not taken any poison. It was all a hoax. I could not believe it! How did she do it and fool us all?

As you can imagine, I was upset and annoyed, though I was relieved that the woman was alive and well. In all the trips I made to the health centre with patients, this was the only time that a person made a full recovery instantly! Of course, once again my treasured relaxing time on Sunday afternoon was taken from me. I suppose I could say it was more fun than lying in bed!

Sometimes life in the mission in Panyangara (Northern Uganda) was very tough and tiring. It was always very nice to have a quiet time when one could relax without being interrupted by the constant demands of people. For me the time of relaxation used to be on Sunday afternoon after the long masses and greeting so many people. The parish house would be quiet with few people coming and going. I would lock myself in the room and just do what I wanted, i.e. sleep, read, listen to music or just be there. I hated anything that would interrupt my Sunday afternoon but, unfortunately, there were very many interruptions. Some of the interruptions could be shocking but some were also very strange.

The strangest interruption!One Sunday afternoon, after two long masses and a struggle with a motor cycle on a muddy road, I was happy to be back home. I was looking forward to my treasured time of relaxation.

Fr. Sylvester with villagers in Watakau

The lighter Side of a Difficult Mission Experience!By Fr. Sylvester Odhiambo, mhm.

Fr. John Joseph (Joe) Courtney died on Friday August 23, 2019, aged 73. John Joe was born on March 29, 1946, in Boheshill, Glencar, in the parish of Glenbeigh, County Kerry, Ireland. He is survived by three sisters and three brothers. In 1959, he went to St Joseph’s College, Freshford, Co. Kilkenny, for his secondary education. In 1964, he began Philosophy studies at University College Dublin, graduating in 1967 with a B.A. degree. Four years Theology followed at St. Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, London. In 1971, he was ordained in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Killarney.

After his ordination, John Joe took up his appointment to Kisii diocese in Kenya. He spent over twenty years in two parishes - Nyabururu parish and the Cathedral parish. He spoke the Kisii language fluently and gained a reputation for hard work in these two very busy parishes. In 1992, he moved to Sotik Parish in Nakuru diocese and had to learn a new language – Kiswahili. In 1995, he was asked to go to Salawa parish in a challenging area of the Kerio Valley. He ministered there until 2014.

As well as caring for the spiritual needs of the people in Salawa, he took on another ministry to help them. With funds from Ireland, he purchased two tractors. The people could avail of the tractors for ploughing and other types of work on

their small farms. This was of immense help to the families in what was a very poor area. The tractors were available to Catholics and non-Catholics, which helped to build up good relationships.

John Joe was withdrawn from Kenya for health reasons in 2014 and appointed to the Irish Region. His health problems turned out to be serious. He was regularly in hospital. In June this year, he was very ill and was admitted to the Beacon hospital. After a cancer diagnosis, efforts were made to treat him, but the treatment had to be discontinued as he was too weak. He died peacefully in the hospital on August 23. Sister Mary Butler and Fr. Philip O’Halloran were with him when he died.

His funeral Mass in Dublin was celebrated at St. Joseph’s House, Rathgar, on Sunday, August 25. Fr. John Joe’s remains were then transported to Kerry where another Mass was celebrated in his native Glencar on Tuesday, August 27, with burial afterwards in the local cemetery.

Fr. John Joe is greatly missed and will always be remembered with deep affection by his family, friends, Mill Hill colleagues and many people in Kenya where he spent over forty years.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis

In memory of Fr. John Joe Courtney mhm

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I would like to conclude with words of thanks to you the readers of St. Joseph’s Advocate, who support our mission work with your prayers and donations. Three Irish Mill Hill priests were the first Mill Hill Missionaries in Panyangara (Northern Uganda): Fr. Philip O’Halloran, who is now the Irish Regional; Fr. Denis Hartnett, who is on mission promotion work in Ireland; and the late Fr. Declan O’Toole who is fondly remembered by his family, friends, Mill Hill colleagues, and the people of Panyangara for whom he gave his life.

Musicians and singers at Sunday Mass

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OBITUARY LIST(Up until 1/9/2019)

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on the souls of:

Fr. John Joe Courtney, MHMSeamus Walsh, nephew of the late Fr. Denis Treacy, MHM

Donal Healy, brother of Fr. Sean Healy, SMA

MEMBERSMaureen Airey, Claude (Francis) Henry Bailey, Mary Elizabeth Corcoran, Bridie Keane, Patrick Keaney, Daniel Kissane, Francis McGowan, William Meagher, Martin and Bridget Monaghan, Cecil Murphy, Josephine Murray.

Please Remember the Foreign Missions in your will

I bequeath to St Joseph’s Society for the Missions Inc,(Mill Hill Missionaries), 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar,

Dublin D06 C535, the sum of

e..................................................................... free of duty

to be applied for the general purpose of the said Society,and I declare that the receipt of the Rev. Director

shall be a sufficient discharge of the same.

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.

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• It keeps our friends and supporters in touch with our missionary work.

• It promotes devotion to St. Joseph - our patron and protector

• There are three issues per year plus a Calendar at Christmas. It is sent to all our members.

• Membership is e10.00 per year, £7.00 for those in the sterling area, $12 for the U.S.

Important Notice about Data ProtectionAll your personal data that we hold is being stored and protected in accordance with GDPR

(General Data Protection Regulation) that became law in Ireland on 25/5/2018. This covers your name and address, as well as information about your donations for the missions, for Masses and

for our Magazine (St. Joseph’s Advocate)

To those that we have not heard from for some timeWe have regular contact with most people on our mailing list but we have not heard from some people for some time. If you are in this group, please fill in your name/address below to renew your membership and continue to receive St. Joseph’s Advocate. If you do not wish to renew,

please tick the cancel box.

Post the slip to: St. Joseph’s Advocate, Mill Hill Missionaries, 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535.

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Wearing traditional headdress in Sarawak, MalaysiaSpring 2019 1

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Mother and child, Turda Mission, Philippines

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Fr. Mathews Olili visiting a parishioner in Sarawak, Malaysia

“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)