Société des Missions Africaines –Province d'Irlande

Le père Stephen JohnWOODLEY (1887 - 1936)

A Southampton (Angleterre), retour à Dieu du père Stephen Woodley, à l'âge de 49 ans.

Né dans le diocèse de Shrewsbury, Angleterre, le 23 février 1887, Stephen Woodley, orphelin très jeune, fit ses études à Liverpool, puis à Cork, Chanly et Lyon. Il fit le serment en 1911 et fut ordonné prêtre en 1912. En octobre de la même année, le père Woodley partait pour le vicariat de la Côte du Bénin.

Excellent confrère, dévoué et zélé, le père était aussi un excellent administrateur. Il savait trouver de l'argent, se servir des personnes et faire réussir ce qu'il entreprenait. Jusqu'en 1927, le père Woodley jouit d'une excellente santé, mais cette année-là, il dut se surmener pour faire prospérer sa paroisse et surtout pour la construction d'un collège. Il dut alors revenir en Europe avec une grave maladie de poitrine. Il passa deux ans au sanatorium du clergé à Thorenc (Alpes-Maritimes), puis se retira chez une cousine à Southampton.

Father Stephen John WOODLEY (1887 - 1936)

Stephen Woodley was born at Chester, in the diocese of Shrewsbury, England, on 23 February 1887. He died at Southampton, England, on 30 April 1936.

Little is known of Stephen's background and how he came into contact with the Society. His obituary in the Society's General archives in Rome records that he was orphaned young in life, and went to school in Liverpool before entering the S.M.A. secondary school at Wilton, Cork, in 1902. There is a letter in the files of the Irish Province at Blackrock Road from an M.J. Cunningham, then a resident in the Nazareth House, Hill Lane, Southampton, England. Mr Cunningham, writing in 1983, recalled that 'Father S.J. Woodley came from a good family who lived near Birmingham'. Having completed his secondary education at Wilton, in 1907 Stephen commenced his novitiate in the Society's house at Chanly, Wellin, Belgium. He entered the major seminary at Cours Gambetta, Lyon, France, in 1908. Stephen was received as a member of the Society on 27 May 1911 and was ordained a priest in the seminary chapel at Lyon, on 14 July 1912. Ordained with him on that day (among other confrères) was Peter Harrington from Co Cork, later to become Provincial of the American Province. The ordaining prelate was Bishop Paul Pellet, formerly vicar apostolic of the Bight of Benin (south west Nigeria) and at the time Superior General of the Society.

In October of the same year Stephen went to the vicariate of the Bight of Benin. This jurisdiction was originally part of a vast territory erected in 1860 as the vicariate of Dahomey. In 1870 this vicariate was divided and the territory of what is today south western Nigeria and northern Dahomey was erected as the vicariate of the Bight of Benin, with its headquarters at Lagos. Stephen came to Lagos at a time when almost all the priests were continentals and spoke virtually no English. There was growing pressure on the mission from the colonial government to supply English speaking priests capable of running good schools. Thus it was that, the vicar apostolic, Bishop Ferdinand Terrien (he had been ordained a bishop on 1 July 1912), put Stephen in charge of the 'Catholic schools of Lagos', with his residence in Holy Cross mission.

Stephen gave an account of these schools in an article he wrote for the African Missionary, in September 1915. 'Bishop Terrien has in his vast vicariate 34 schools, with nearly 4,000 pupils. Eleven of these schools are under the government and are situated in the colony of Lagos. The number of children in these schools is almost 2,300. These eleven schools fall directly under my control as manager of the schools assisted by the government. Education in the colony is divided into three branches, viz. infant, primary and secondary, and once a year the children in these respective departments are examined by His Majesty's Inspector of Schools. The masters in the boys schools are for the most part certificated native teachers, but in the girls schools each standard is taught by an European Sister, assisted by a native pupil teacher. In the grammar school (at Holy Cross) there are three native teachers, together with Fr. Herber as professor of the Latin and French languages, and the principal (Fr. Woodley) takes the higher classes in the different English branches. This year we intend to send four of the grammar school boys to sit for the Cambridge examination. The Catholic schools of Lagos can compare favourably with the best Protestant schools in the town, and our boys are admired by all the European population for their spirit of obedience and discipline'.

Stephen was an intelligent, articulate priest, a good conversationalist, with a talent for administration. He was an excellent teacher and keenly interested in sport. He quickly won a reputation in the colony for his work in education. Something of the esteem in which he was held by government and people alike may be seen from this report in the African Missionary of his 'send off' from Lagos when returning for a badly needed vacation in 1921: 'Eight and a half years of unremitting labour for souls is no small achievement, especially when it is spent in the African portion of God's vineyard. This is nevertheless the record of one of our Fathers, Stephen Woodley, stationed at Lagos, Nigeria. He has just returned to Europe to take a few months well earned holiday. Fr. Woodley is extremely popular with all classes on the Lagos mission, and his 'send off' was made the occasion of some remarkable demonstrations of esteem. Besides addresses and presentations from several sections of the Christian community, the Catholic recreative club (founded by Fr. Woodley) gave an 'At Home' at which Sir Hugh Clifford Governor of the colony and Lady Clifford were present among the guests. In the course of a short speech, His Excellency paid a high tribute to Fr. Woodley's devoted ministrations, and expressed their own and the general wish that their cherished pastor would enjoy a pleasant voyage and a happy holiday, and speedily return to take up his valuable work in their midst'

The obituary in the General Archives tells us that up to 1927 Stephen enjoyed good health but in that year, engaged in building a new college, he overworked and was compelled to return to Europe. Mr. Cunningham has a differed version of events. He wrote: 'Fr. Woodley was sent home from Lagos because of a back injury caused by a Nigerian hitting him with a brick. I understand a young girl came to him for protection as her father required her to marry a man against her will, and in the end Fr. Woodley sustained this fatal injury'. After his return from Nigeria Stephen spent two years in a sanatorium for clergy at Thorence (Alpes Maritimes, France) before retiring to the house of a relation in Southampton.

Mr. Cunningham, who knew him during this time, gives the following reminiscences: 'He used to say Mass at St. Edmund's church in Southampton for a while, then he became very ill, and was conveyed to the General hospital where he died on 30 April 1936. My wife tended his grave for years little realising that she would be buried near his grave. When my second son was born in 1940, he had to have the name of Stephen John, and my wife regretted that I did not add "Woodley" to it. I remember taking Fr. Woodley to Portsmouth to see that team play Tottenham Hotspur who at that time were playing brilliantly. Fr. Woodley enjoyed it as he was a keen student of soccer. I know he wrote to Aston Villa F.C. and asked for their old shirts so that his students in Lagos could wear them. This famous club acceded to his request. When the Prince of Wales (later King Edward 8th) visited Lagos and recognised the shirts, he asked Fr. Woodley where did he obtain them. Father told him the story and the Prince was very interested and congratulated him. The Prince was fascinated by the skill of the players who were in their bare feet. Years afterwards a sports writer in the Daily Express referred to this incident, and praised Father Woodley who had then gone to his eternal reward'.

Stephen was not a member of the Irish Province. Ordained in the year that Province was formed, he opted for membership of the Lyon Province. He did, however, receive part of his training in Ireland (strictly speaking he should not be included in this collection of biographies)

He is buried in Southampton, England.