Société des Missions Africaines

Sur mer, le 16 juillet 1885, retour à Dieu du père James Hennebery, à l'âge de 24 ans.

James Hennebery naquit à Ballinafunchin, dans le diocèse d'Ossory (Irlande), en 1861. Il fit ses études à Richelieu et à Lyon. Il fit le serment en 1880 et fut ordonné prêtre en septembre 1883. Au mois de décembre suivant, le père Hennebery partait pour la préfecture de la Côte-de-l'Or. Il fut chargé de l'école d'Elmina. Souvent malade, le jeune père s'aigrit assez vite et ne tarda pas à demander à quitter la Société et la mission.

Les supérieurs décidèrent, autant pour son moral que pour le physique, son retour en Europe. Rien ne laissait prévoir une mort prochaine, pourtant le jeune père mourut 24 heures après son embarquement, à peu près en face de Grand-Bassam. Le capitaine, protestant, fit faire des prières avant d'immerger le corps.

Au père Hennebery qui se montrait sévère pour les qualités intellectuelles des Noirs, le père Planque répondait: "Les Nègres ne sont pas des saint Thomas, mais ils ont des âmes et Dieu estime plus le salut des âmes que toutes les spéculations théologiques."

Father James Patrick HENNEBERY (1861 - 1885)

James Hennebery was born in Ballynafunchin, Co Laois, in the diocese of Ossory, on 10 January 1861. He died at sea off the West African Coast, on 16 July 1885.

We know very little about James' background or how he came to the Society. It is likely that he was one of the first, if not the first, student recruited for the Society by James O'Haire, an alumnus of All Hallows seminary, who had met S.M.A. priests in his South African mission and had agreed to introduce the Society to Ireland. Fr. O'Haire commenced recruiting in 1876 and it was in September of the same year that James entered the Society's apostolic school (secondary college) at Chamalieres, Clermont-Ferrand, France. James spent three years in Clermont, learning Latin. He then entered the Society's major seminary at Cours Gambetta, Lyon, on 24 September 1879, accompanied by two other young Irishmen: Jeremiah Moran and William Connaughton, both who almost certainly had studied in the Society's apostolic school at 'Lough View', on the Old Youghal Road, Cork, opened in April 1877 and in 'Elm Grove', Mayfield, to which the school was transferred in October 1877. James took his oath of membership of the Society on 17 December 1880, and was ordained a priest in the seminary chapel at Lyon, on 14 September 1883. The identity of the ordaining prelate is unknown.

After ordination James was appointed to the Gold Coast mission (now Ghana). The prefecture of the Gold Coast had been entrusted to the Society in 1879 after pioneering work by Eugene Murat and Auguste Moreau. In December 1883 James set sail for his mission. On his arrival, the prefect apostolic, Mgr. Moreau, appointed him to the management of the Elmina school. From an early stage James doubted the efficacy of the educational apostolate. Being a young man of strong character he soon made his views known and attracted the censure of his superiors. Circumstances on this mission were extremely difficult, and this young Father, who spent much of his time laid low with fever, gradually became discouraged and began to doubt whether he possessed a genuine missionary vocation.

Eventually, in his second year, he expressed a wish to leave the Society and his mission. He asked Rome to dispense him, a request his Superior General strongly opposed feeling it would give a bad example to other Irish priests. In early July James had a bad bout of fever and his superior, Auguste Moreau, on the advice of a doctor, decided that he should return to Europe. James left his mission, sailing from Elmina in good spirits and improving health. However early in the voyage he fell ill once more and died at sea near the port of Grand-Bassam. Captain Dudley, a passenger on the ship, reported that James was nursed with every care and that his end was peaceful.

He was buried at sea off the West African coast.