Irish priest's African efforts supported by Northville Catholics

Through their generosity and support, parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Northville are seeing to it that the Irish eyes of Rev. Patrick Devine, SMA, are smiling as he carries on his missionary work in Africa.

The parish has raised thousands of dollars for Father Devine, a native of Ireland and the regional superior for the Society of African Missions in Kenya/Tanzania. Among other projects, these contributions have helped to pay for a grotto named in honor of Our Lady, Queen of Africa.

Recently, parishioners raised money during a special collection to help support the missionary priests' latest endeavor: an administrative house near Nairobi that will serve as a school for students who want to become missionaries and a facility where missionaries will coordinate their ongoing evangelization and development efforts.

Tanzanian talk

In a recent interview with The Evangelist, Father Devine spoke from Mwanza, Tanzania, about the Society of African Missions (SMA), the growth of Christianity in Africa, and his close relationship with the parishioners of St. Francis.

Born in Roscommon in the western part of Ireland, Father Devine was the third oldest of 10 children, seven boys and three girls. During his late teens, he decided that he wanted to become a missionary priest and serve people in a country where there was poverty and a need for spirituality and development. He was ordained in 1988 and arrived at a parish in Bugisi, Tanzania, that autumn.

Among the projects completed during Father Devine's seven years in Bugisi were the construction of a convent, a 22-bed hospital, a development center for women and children, and a secondary school. The number of catechumens receiving religious instruction also grew during that time, from 15 in 1988 to more than 400 in 1995.

Connection to Diocese

Before leaving Bugisi to become the regional superior for his order in Kenya/Tanzania, Father Devine visited Northville; the parish Rosary Makers Guild had been sending rosaries to his parish, and St. Francis' Knights of Columbus Council No. 8846 had coordinated fund-raisers and collections for the SMA Fathers.

BY meeting Father Devine, parishioners had an opportunity to learn how their donations were being used and who was being helped, according to Gerard Killoran, recorder for K of C Council 8846.

"It's much more personal to donate to the missions when you know the missionary," Mr. Killoran said.

Since his visit to Northville, Father Devine has kept in touch with St. Francis' parishioners through e-mail; meanwhile, parishioners have continued to support his work through special collections and fund-raisers. For example, a roast beef dinner last August raised $1,500, and the K of C has continued sending money each month to the SMA Headquarters in Cork, Ireland.

Project

One of Father Devine's top priorities these days is the new administrative center. The cost of the building is $250,000; $105,000 has been raised thus far. Father Devine relies upon both individual contributions and donations from agencies for such a project, and the money raised by St. Francis' parishioners certainly helps.

The building will serve as headquarters for missionary personnel involved in evangelization and for development efforts -- such as setting up churches, schools, hospitals and water supplies -- by the SMA Fathers.

In addition, the building will serve as a place where prospective candidates can come for their three-month preparatory course prior to acceptance as SMA missionary students for priesthood training in Africa. The administrative center is being dedicated to St. Therese, the Little Flower, patroness of the missions.

'Liberating'

Father Devine knows that securing funds for the administrative center while continuing to oversee the evangelization and development efforts of the SMA Fathers is a challenge, but he loves his ministry and especially enjoys working with the African people.

"I wouldn't have wished to be anywhere else," he told The Evangelist. "It's been a liberating experience. You come in touch with the basics of life, where life is very tentative at times, where the dividing line between life and death can be quite fragile."

Although Father Devine and his fellow missionaries have helped to bring Christianity to countries where Islam and traditional religions have been the primary faiths, "there's so many Christian values already existing in their own culture," he noted. "As we say, God was here before we arrived. All we are really doing is showing the beauty of His faith."

(03-12-98) [[In-content Ad]]