Irene Christina Lynch lived in Nigeria from 1998 to 2003 as the wife of the Irish ambassador. During that time she got to know many Irish missionaries there. Her book is a celebration of the many sisters and priests – along with some Nigerians – with whom she talked freely about their lives and work there. It is an excellent chronicle of missionary achievement.
pp. 483. Published by ICDL. To purchase this book, contact www.beyondfaithandadventure.com
CONTENTS
Foreword by President Mary McAleese
Map of Africa
Map of Nigeria’s 36 States
Map of Nigeria
Nigeria – An Introduction
Irish Missionary Achievement in Nigeria
Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie Archbishop of Lagos
Society of African Missions (SMA) An Introduction
Most Reverend Dr. John Moore SMA, Bishop of Bauchi, Bauchi State
Father Tom Walsh SMA, Abuja
Father Damian Bresnihan SMA, Blackrock Road, Cork
Father Liam Burke SMA, Blackrock Road, Cork
Father James Higgins SMA, Uromi, Edo State
Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) An Introduction
Sister Mary Crowley OLA, Ardfoyle, Cork
Sister Marciana O’Keefe OLA, Ardfoyle, Cork
Sister M. Ethelbert Coleman OLA, Castlemacgarrett, Claremorris, Co. Mayo
Sister Margaret Anave Uhuache OLA, Ibadan
The Spiritans – Holy Ghost Fathers (CSSp.) An Introduction
Father Tim Buckley CSSp, St. Joseph’s Parish, Emene, Enugu State
Father Breifne Walker CSSp, Spiritan International School of Theology, Enugu
Father Elochukwu Eugene Uzukwu CSSp, Kimmage Manor, Dublin
Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary (MSHR) An Introduction
Sister Edith Dynan MSHR, Enugu
Sister Nora McNamara MSHR, Idah, Kogi State
Sister Rose Uchem MSHR, Spiritan International School of Theology (SIST), Attakwu-Enugu
Sister Theresa Stapleton MSHR, Enugu
St Patrick’s Missionary Society (SPS) The Kiletgan Fathers – An Introduction
Father James Sheerin SPS, Abuja
Father Kevin O’Hara SPS, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State
Father Derry O’Connell SPS, Government Secondary School, Minna, Niger State
Father Noel McGeeney SPS, Kabba, Kogi State
Father Jim Noonan SPS, Beji, Niger State
Father Dermot Connolly SPS, Abuja
Father Eugene Bree SPS, Amukoko, Lagos
Father Billy Greene SPS, Minna, Niger State
The Benedictines: Order of St. Benedict (OSB) – An Introduction
The Benedictine Monks, Ewu-Ishan, Benin State
The Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM) An Introduction
Sister (Doctor) Leonie McSweeney MMM, Ibadan
Sister Sally Davis MMM, Amukoko, Lagos
Sister Chris Gill MMM, Fuka, Niger State
Sister Joan Cosgrove MMM, New Lugbe, Abuja
Sister Mauro Ramsbottom MMM, Mafaluku, Lagos
Sister Helen Omeya MMM, Mafaluku, Lagos
Sister Rose Eruvwaegwainre Mogun MMM, Benin City
Congregation of the Mission (CM) (Vincentian Fathers) – An Introduction
Father Rod Crowley CM, Christ the King Catholic Church, Akowonjo, Agege, Lagos
The Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (DoC) An Introduction
Sister Elma Hurley DoC, Eleme, Port Harcourt
Sister Francesca Edet DoC, Eleme, Port Harcourt
Sister Annette O’Shea DoC, Eleme, Port Harcourt
Sister Geraldine Henry DoC, Abuja
Sister Brenda Hunter DoC, Kubwa, Abuja
The Augustinian Fathers Order of St. Augustine (OSA) – An Introduction
Father Raymond Hickey OSA, Abuja
The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) An Introduction
Sister Celsus Nealon FMDM, Assisi Convent, Rantia, Jos
Sisters of St. Louis (SSL) An Introduction
Sister Máire Blair SSL, Abuja
Sister Maura Flynn SSL, Kano
The Congregation of the Religious Sisters of Charity – An Introduction
Sister Ann Lally Religious Sisters of Charity, Port Harcourt
Sister Pauline Butler Religious Sisters of Charity, Port Harcourt
Sister Ugomma Sylvia Uwalaka Religious Sisters of Charity, Port Harcourt
Carmelite Fathers (OCD) Discalced Carmelite Friars – An Introduction
Impressions of Nigeria by Father Nicholas Madden OCD, Donnybrook, Dublin
Father Michael Fitzgerald OCD, Carmelite Monastery, Enugu
Father Christopher Clarke OCD, Nsukka, Enugu State
Father Michael Spain OCD, Mary the Queen Parish, Ekpoma, Edo State
Carmelite Nuns (OCD) An Introduction
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, Zing, Taraba State
Sister Mary McGlynn (OCD), Tranquilla, Knock, Co. Mayo
Congregation of The Religious of Jesus and Mary Lagos
Monsignor Christopher Chukwumeh Parish Priest, St. Joseph’s Parish, Asaba, Delta State
Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy An Introduction
Sister Carmel Loye, Mercy Convent, Minna, Niger State
The Little Sisters of the Poor An Introduction
Sister Anthony Devlin Little Sisters of the Poor, Home for the Elderly, Enugu
Contributions from three distinguished Nigerians who were educated by the Irish Missionaries
Chief Joe Uka Idigo
Mrs Elizabeth Ekechi Okaro, MFR 477
Dr. (Mrs) Virginia Anohu — née Okoli 481
Most Rev. Dr. John Moore, SMA
Bishop of Bauchi
“I am very clear about my reason for becoming a missionary priest. My becoming one was a huge surprise to everybody else. Growing up, I wasn’t in the least bit pious, in fact I was quite the opposite. When I told my father of my decision, he just couldn’t believe it. He thought that if anyone was going to make a mess of the priesthood, it would be me! Right up to my ordination and maybe beyond, my family couldn’t convince themselves that I was serious. As far as I was concerned, I felt that I was being reasonably honest with myself I think I knew that if I didn’t decide to do something which presented a religious challenge, I’d end up a millionaire maybe, but maybe also a proper gangster who might not pass through the pearly gates at the end of it all. There were sterling priests in my parish at home but I knew their type of life was not for me. I felt that the more rugged life of a missionary priest engaged in primary evangelization might suit me better. I felt that Christ would speak to me in that type of environment. I was a voracious reader as a boy and I used to enjoy books on foreign countries and different peoples. Characters like Stanley and Livingstone and all these types fascinated me. I had a very special interest in Africa so when I decided to join a missionary society, it had to be one that only sent men to Africa. I had no interest in finding myself among the Eskimos in the Arctic or anything like that.”
This was Bishop John Moore speaking to me in Abuja. At that time, he was Vicar Apostolic of the Vicariate of Bauchi in Northern Nigeria. Since then, the Vicariate has become a fully fledged diocese.
Bishop Moore was born in Dublin on January 12th, 1942. After his secondary education in Synge Street Christian Brothers’ School, he went straight to the SMA seminary in Cloughballymore, Kilcolgan, Co. Galway.
“I have been in Nigeria for more than thirty six years and they have been absolutely fantastic. They have measured up to all my expectations. I always expected them to be rugged, tough and unrelenting and they were. Clambering around mountains, crossing rivers, out in the beating rain, under the scorching sun, never having the best transport, trekking for hours, blood, sweat, tears, dust – I have experienced it all but nothing ever surprised me and I always managed. I was very naive when I came out and I was very, very thin. At the 25th anniversary of my ordination, the superior of my class in the seminary said to me: ‘Out of all the students in your class, we thought you would never make it. You came from the city and you were used to the comforts and niceties of life there and then you went to Northern Nigeria’.
“I came to Nigeria in 1966 and in the ’60’s, Southern Nigeria had a certain amount of polish. There were some amenities. I went up to the North where there was nothing. We were frequently trekking for six weeks with the carriers of our loads. We’d arrive at an out-station in a little village – set down, cook on stones, wonder where we would put our beds – in the mud – in the pouring rain – in the middle of the night. But all of that was fantastic to me. I enjoyed every bit of it – the harder it was, the less it mattered – the more rugged the place, the more I thrived. I think God fits the back to the burden. Here in Nigeria, God has spoken to me through the people. My definition of a missionary would be a person to whom God speaks from a culture that is not his own. I believe that is why I am in Nigeria today. It’s not that I had anything to give but I can tell you that I have been given a lot and I have learned a lot since coming here. I have become a better person. I have seen goodness. I have seen kindness. I have seen sacrifices here that would astound you and all that has touched me. They say that you think with your heart and that you go where you think you will find yourself and the truth. I knew I wasn’t pious but I knew that by working among the people of Nigeria, I would become a better person, a more rounded person and a better Christian. Hopefully, that is what I have become over the years.
“In 1966, Northern Nigeria was forty years behind the rest of the country. The Catholic Church came there in 1907 so there was a basic structure on the ground. We inherited that which was forged by good men with the strong character that was perhaps bred out of loneliness and hardship. When we went into a place, we were expected to be like these men. We were expected to be upright and honest and to be people to whom children could be entrusted. Nowadays, when you hear all these stories of child abuse, you think of how innocent we were when we came out here! We never thought of anything nefarious. The children were very free with us. They were in our houses – playing under the table and over the table; they were like family. They came and threw their arms around us. They gave affection. Now that this whole scandal has happened, confidence and trust has been destroyed. It has not reached here, but if it does, it will unfortunately change that carefree and trusting relationship. At home, you are so conscious of your every movement – even with your own nieces and nephews when they come running to say Hello Uncle John. You don’t want to lift them up and be affectionate because you feel eyes are upon you and you feel they are thinking – what is he up to now?
“Like every other human being, priests need affection. They need it from people and if they don’t get it, the need will go underground and perhaps emerge in some irregular form. We need the people and the people have got to be educated to this fact and they have got to be encouraged not to leave the priests on their own — not to isolate them. We keep telling them here that they have an obligation to the priest who became a priest and a celibate for them. For God’s sake we tell them, give him affection, give him affirmation, be amenable, invite him into your home. Don’t leave him on his own. You find where people in communities do this, the priest lives a good life. If the priest himself isolates himself from the community, then that priest may move towards trouble.
“Now I have been very fortunate in Nigeria. Early on in my years here, I moved into the parish of Kwa in Plateau State for one year. I was with a Fr. Brendan Murphy, a terrific priest from Limerick. His house was always full of people from the community. He sat with them, ate with them and talked with them. In the beginning, I resented it and felt that they should not always be around the place. Then as the barriers broke down, I began to see the people for what they really were and I began to see their needs and that experience affected me for my whole mission life.
“After that, I was sent to Kwande, a very isolated place, for six years. It’s in the Shendam region of Plateau State. The pattern of interacting with people kept me sane because for six to eight months of every year, I was cut off from everything because there was no way of crossing the flooded river. Today there is a bridge and road but in my time, there was nothing. I came to know every single person in that town. During the rainy season, if you got sick or anything, the people came around, looked after you and cared for you. When the dry season came and when the waters receded, other priests came in to visit. They’d come in and say, ‘ John, we have come to see you, can you not get rid of all these people for a while!’ My response was always: ‘Listen, my friend, when you are not around and when I am down and out and maybe at my lowest ebb, these people are around to lift my spirits and keep me focused, together and human. Now if you don’t like it, you don’t have to come here. They are with me for eight months and they too are looking forward to meeting some other expatriates so I will not deprive them.’
“Don’t have any doubt about it but that you have your low days on the missions – days when you are depressed and feeling down and out. Sometimes this is brought about by bouts of malaria or it could be that things are not working out or that you are not getting the response you were expecting from certain quarters or not getting the backing from the Bishop for something that you think is worthwhile. You might see an opportunity pass you by – a building that you could have used for a school or a piece of land suitable for a church. You could find yourself putting your heart, your mind and your strength into a project only to see it disintegrate before your eyes. I don’t mind the constant struggle; in a way, many of us thrive on that but if after the struggle, you find yourself back at square one, it can be very hard to start all over again.
“In my diocese of Bauchi, there is an estimated population of 1.5 million. Approximately eighty-five thousand are Catholic. We spend much time looking after settled parishes and engaging in the ongoing formation of those who have already been evangelized. There are so many places around that need support and encouragement. There are places that have not got the basic structures like proper churches and we also have very few priests available. We have vast areas comprising of over sixty villages with one priest to serve them. We need to divide these areas into new parishes and we need vocations to the priesthood. Right now we have eight indigenous priests and about twenty seminarians so the future looks quite good.
“If the Apostolic Vicariate is made into a Diocese, it is my ambition to be able to hand it over to a local Bishop. In that event, I’d retire and go off to be a parish priest somewhere. It has been done before so it can be done again. They may want me to stay on but certainly it is not a matter of will I hand over, it’s a matter of choosing the right time. Before a hand-over could happen, Rome might have to look at a few things from an economic point of view. It might be a question of what contacts and what access to funding I might have that a Nigerian Bishop might not have. It would not necessarily be fair to put in prematurely a man who might not have the tools to accomplish what is expected. That could create a situation where the trust of the people could be lost from the beginning. There have been examples of this in the past. However, when the structures of the diocese are up and going, that will be the time for me to bow out.
“New bishops get some training. They are about to have a young bishops’ meeting in Rome. What form it will take, I don’t know but at least they will be given some idea of structures — how the Vatican works and how they can go about getting things done in a diocese.
“Most of the local clergy are excellent. You will always find one or two who are not great. The youngsters are very apostolic. Some of the older men may have had mixed motivation for joining the priesthood. They may have seen it as a nice way of life — status, a car, a house, electricity, a generator, a good meal or a way of life far above that of their contemporaries at school. It’s possible that some looked at the comfort zone! Now the young priests are very focussed. The opportunities for them today outside the priesthood are many, so by choosing the priesthood, they are perhaps conscious of giving up a lot and making a pure and clear choice. The Nigerian priests will not do things the same way as we did them. There may be a slide down in some areas but in other areas, it will be the opposite and they will even do better than us. They know their own people and the people’s response to them will be fantastic. That response will endure if the people are respected and not embarrassed by the behaviour or the lifestyle of the priest. Many wonder if the Nigerian priest will get caught up in obligations to the extended family, the ethnic group and so on. I would say that he cannot be expected to turn a total blind eye on his family and people who may be struggling but I think that most priests and bishops will try to make sure that all that is kept to a minimum.
“Here in Bauchi, we are in an area where there are non-Christians and a big Muslim population so it is very important that we are seen to be Christians, who are honest and upright, kind and forgiving and who stand up for what we believe in. There are people who are never going to read the Bible, the only Bible they will read is us, so we have to live the Christian message because only as it is lived, will it make an impression. I have many Muslim friends and my interpersonal relationships with them have always been good. When I was inside in Kwande, there were Muslims and Christians. My cook was Muslim. His Muslim children played around my house. His wife was wonderful. I know so many excellent Muslims and the vast majority here in the North are moderate. There are the fundamentalists however who feel that they are fighting for survival. They think that what they have is going to be taken away from them so some of them respond by being belligerent.
“Islam, especially here in the North is very much linked to politics and to the Hausa people. When you think ‘Hausa’ you think Muslim but this is not always true. There are large numbers of pagan Hausas who since British times, have been dominated and ruled by the Muslim Emirs. These people now want to be self-ruling and they are beginning to flex their muscles. This is interpreted by the Muslim Hausa as a threat to their control so jihadists from outside can often be brought in, in an effort to consolidate control.
“Because of recent worldwide terrorism, Islam has become associated with terror. A huge public relations job needs to be done. It is not sufficient to insist that Islam means peace when all you see on your television screen are signs of the opposite. Many peace-loving Muslims are working behind the scenes urging peace and tolerance but sometimes, it is an uphill battle. Here in Nigeria, it is alleged that people are being paid big money by outsiders in Saudi Arabia and Libya to build mosques and big houses. Once that sort of thing happens, the recipients have got to show some gratitude by implementing some of the ideas of the outsider. It is also alleged that poor and uneducated people are frequently manipulated by crookish `Big People’ who present themselves as good Muslims but who have other agendas.
“The enormous poverty in the country unfortunately plays into the hands of the manipulators. Nigeria is a wealthy country. It is rich in natural resources, yet the vast majority of the people are poor. In my years here over three and a half decades, I have always been hearing about the huge potential of this country. Sadly, I have seen standards fall. Education standards have gone way down. The brain drain is serious and there is a mad scramble for money and wealth at any cost. If all this was coming from the bottom up, there might be something that could be done. The country desperately needs good leaders who will be principled enough to resist the bribe. We seem to be in an age of thuggery, violence and assassination. People are often terrorized and it’s very difficult to see how the country can extricate itself from its present situation. The people deserve better. Most of them live on a shoestring, making sacrifices for their children and suffering huge deprivations. Perhaps the hope lies with the ordinary person because out of their common struggle for survival, goodness, love and kindness are being born with an intensity that would never be found in an affluent society. There is a richness being generated that cannot be put on the market or the stock exchange. My hope is that all of that will not come to nothing.
“Being a bishop can remove you somewhat from the grass roots and I do admit that I miss the easy come and go of the ordinary people. I try to compensate for this as much as I can. People tend to put their bishop on a pedestal so it is important to remind yourself that you are a bishop not necessarily because you deserve to be one, or that you have extraordinary qualities or that it is your destiny. You are a bishop for the people and you are there as a symbol of their faith and of their efforts to be good and loyal over many years. When you go out, you have to live up to their expectations. They don’t want to see their bishop go around on a bike or frequent public houses and bars. There are lots of little freedoms – harmless in themselves – that you have to do without because you know your people want it that way. There are certain functions you have to attend and there are certain things they like you to do. They want to see you on television at Christmas being interviewed about this and that. When you come out on formal occasions with your mitre and crozier, you shouldn’t fool yourself that you are important. You are there because they are important and you are dressed up for them.
“Another aspect of being a bishop is the great sense of care that you develop for your priests. As a priest, you were not overly concerned about the priest in the next parish. You might even have been inclined to criticize him but now that he is one of your priests, you feel responsible for him. You will want to make sure that he is leading a reasonably fulfilled life and that he is not sad or depressed. You will not be in the business of criticism. You will want to defend him and help him as you know that he has put himself forward to dedicate his life to the priesthood. If he is having problems, you will want to help him and give him a chance. You will say to your people: ‘be patient, give this man a chance to get back on the right track. Show mercy and charity.’
“Now I am a brash sort of fellow and I blast off, hit the roof or say something I shouldn’t say but when people get to know me, they learn that I don’t hold anything in or over a person – bringing it up again and again. I’ll hit the person with it when it happens and then it’s over. As a non-Nigerian bishop, there is a limit of course to the amount of blasting off you can do about many things. In many ways, it is good that the days of the expatriate bishop are nearly over. We had our day and we had our tasks and assignments. It’s now time for the Nigerian to take over and many have done that already. The Nigerian knows his people and he is entitled to stand up in his church and make criticisms that are true and constructive. I cannot do that. If I do, I will have my marching orders. I was down in Jalingo recently and the Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Dr. Kaigama was openly talking about the Government and being brutally honest and critical. The Governor was sitting there in the church listening to all. What the Bishop didn’t say was not worth saying but he was absolutely right and correct in all he said. I could never put myself in that position and it is a limitation. It means that I do not always feel empowered to speak on behalf of my people about injustices.
“Once the structures are on the ground for Nigerian Bishops to take over in every diocese, that is what will happen. I hope to remain here in another capacity. I like it here and as I said, this where God has spoken to me. This country is my burning bush. People sometimes say to me that I should take a sabbatical. ‘For what?’ I ask. I have seen people coming back from sabbaticals feeling very unsettled. I don’t feel the need for sabbaticals. I read voraciously and I listen to loads of tapes to bring myself up to date. I see my indefinite future here. Of course, I could get a heart attack in the morning and go sooner than I think. I hope that will not happen. This is very much my country now.”
