Société des Missions Africaines –Province d'Irlande

né le 18 août 1910 à Castlebar dans le diocèse de Tuam, Irlande membre de la SMA le 2 juillet 1931 prêtre le 21 décembre 1934 décédé le 20 juillet 1998

1935-1945 missionnaire au Nigeria (Asaba-Benin) 1945-1949 Wilton, supérieur 1950-1954 Héliopolis, collège Saint-Georges 1954-1961 Cork, éditeur de African Missionary 1961-1964 diocèse de Benin-City 1965-1967 Cork, éditeur de African Missionary 1968-1995 Clarenbridge, aumônier 1995-1998 Claregalway, retiré décédé à Claregalway, Irlande, le 20 juillet 1998, à l'âge de 87 ans

(Michael) Joseph Barrett was born in Castlebar, in the archdiocese of Tuam, in the parish of Turlough, on 18 August 1910. He died in the Mystical Rose nursing home, Claregalway, Co Galway, on 20 July 1998.

Joseph Barrett (he was known in the Society as ‘Joe D. Barrett’), was born a few miles outside Castlebar. His mother (Mary Deasy) died when he was six years old and he was brought up by an aunt, Mrs Rockett. Because the Rockett family moved frequently, Joe’s schooling in his early years was somewhat disrupted. However he was an excellent student and read a lot. From an early age he wanted to become a priest. His first contact with the S.M.A. came through Fr. Tom McEniry, a native of Foxford, who visited the Barrett home in Castlebar. A year after completing his primary education Joe applied to join the Society. He entered the Sacred Heart College, Ballinafad, after an interview with its superior, Fr John Levins, in September 1925. A year later he progressed to the senior cycle secondary college, St. Joseph’s, at Wilton, Cork.

In 1929, along with his classmates, Joe sat his Leaving Certificate examination in the Christian Brothers school, on Sullivan’s Quay. Supervising the examination was Brother Patrick Kelly, superior of the school. A year later, when Joe was promoted to the Society’s novitiate and house of philosophy, at Kilcolgan, Co Galway, he was joined by the same Patrick Kelly (later a Provincial of the Society). Joe also matriculated in 1929, attaining one of the highest marks in Ireland for his Latin. In September 1931 he commenced his theological studies in the Society’s major seminary, at Dromantine, Co Down. Joe was received as a member of the Society while in Kilcolgan, on 20 July 1931. He was ordained a priest in St Colman’s cathedral, Newry, by Bishop Mulhern of Dromore, on 21 December 1934. He was one of a group of twelve ordained on that day (known subsequently in the Society as ‘the Apostles’). Joe was a member of the first class to be ordained at Christmas. Previously the ordinations had taken place in the summer. Joe’s aunt and uncle, his brother, Brian, and a number of relations and friends, came for the ordination. He said his first Mass in the Holy Rosary church, Castlebar.

After ordination Joe returned to Dromantine for six months to complete his theological training. He then received his first assignment from the Provincial superior, Stephen Harrington. Joe was assigned to the vicariate of Asaba-Benin, in mid-western Nigeria. After a departure ceremony at Cork, on October 1st, 1935, Joe, along with several colleagues, crossed from Dublin to Liverpool, travelling on to Lagos by the steamer Abosso which was making its maiden voyage. Joe was the only member of his class to be appointed to the mid-west that year. He was welcomed by the vicar-apostolic, Bishop Leo Taylor (who resided in Asaba) and posted to the town of Warri, a large sea-port with a conglomeration of tribes, including a large number of Igbos who had come from the East. Under the supervision of the superior, Eugene Straub (an Alsatian member of the Society), Joe was introduced to the missionary life. Joe showed a particular flair for teaching and within a matter of months he was posted to St. Thomas teacher training college, Ibusa, which produced elementary school teachers for the vicariate’s growing educational network. Joe worked under the principalship of Joe Donaghy; also on the staff was Sean Sweeney and two African tutors. Joe described those days in a memoir written late in life: ‘There were some 60 students and we had an extremely heavy work-load, perhaps 22 to 24 classes a week. There was a single palm roof over our heads and we went into class with our white soutanes and sun helmets. I was teaching mathematics which wasn’t my forte and I had to work very hard to keep up with the syllabus.’

Joe’s health suffered and in 1938 he was sent home to Ireland to recuperate. A year later, he returned to the vicariate and was posted to Warri parish, under the superiorship of John J. Healy, a veteran missionary whom Joe came to greatly admire. In 1940 Patrick J. Kelly succeeded as vicar apostolic. This remarkable man presided over the jurisdiction until 1973, overseeing an astonishing growth of the Church. Joe, who had a gift with words and was a keen observer, gave a description of Bishop Kelly in those early years, which is worth recording: ‘Bishop Kelly’s custom was to travel by bicycle wearing an open-necked shirt. He was careful of two things - to wear his ring and pectoral cross. He would wear the cross inside his shirt. He had no trace of vanity but had a deep appreciation of the dignity of the episcopal office... He had great humility and was, above all, a man of prayer. He drove the people and priests hard, but inspired an enduring and profound loyalty.’ Joe ministered in Warri until the close of 1942.

During these years he campaigned for a new approach to catechetics. He wrote on the subject in the Nigerian Catholic Herald, opposing the traditional method which had catechumens memorising catechism without proper understanding. Not everyone agreed with Joe’s ideas, but they did give rise to lively debate, and his particular interest in the training of catechists was noted. Noted also was the excellence of the catechists which he himself trained in Warri. Indeed so impressed was the bishop that despite their differences over method, he saw fit to ask Joe to start a new catechist school at Ubiaja. This institution, named after St. John Bosco, which began in an old class-room with 12 pupils, was soon to flourish, with numbers increasing, and fine physical plant constructed by Tom Greene, the parish priest. Later it was erected as a teacher-training college, in order to avail of government grants.

Joe returned to Ireland on leave in the summer of 1945. At the end of his year’s vacation he received instructions from Bishop Kelly to study for a degree in social science. Joe, in his memoir, records that the Provincial Administration was not enthusiastic about the assignment and failed to find a suitable college for him. Whatever happened next is unclear but what is certain is that after Christmas Joe, along with another confrere, Johnny Donnelly, joined a course in the London School of Economics, where the ‘notorious’ Professor Harold Lasky was the dominant influence. Six months later, unimpressed by this choice of course, the Provincial Administration recalled Joe to Cork, appointing him superior of the juniorate and secondary school at Wilton. Joe was to spend the next three years here, supervising some 80 students and a staff which included Jim Byrne, Francis McNamara, ‘Pere’ Harmon, Tom Hurst, Martin Farrington and Harry Kenny.

Joe’s next appointment, which he took up in October 1950, was to St. George’s college, Heliopolis, Egypt. The choice of Egypt was dictated by the fact that Joe’s doctors advised against his returning to tropic Africa. There was a long tradition of S.M.A. involvement in the Egyptian mission, mainly by French confreres, but there had always been some Irish involvement too, principally in education. In the early 1950's the Irish province had charge of St. George’s college, and also St. Austin’s college. Joe spent four years in Eygpt. Later he was to write of those years: ‘Cairo was the crossroads between Europe and the East, a meeting place for all manners of secular and religious tradition. I went there reluctantly but ended up loving it. My work was teaching, although I did occasional ‘supplies’ in a Coptic church, saying Mass there for Latin Catholics. Although we were mainly teachers our presence was a witness to the Latin Church, which was important in that part of the world.

In 1954 Joe’s considerable writing skills (his brother Brian was a senior journalist with Independent Newspapers) were given particular recognition by his superiors when he was recalled to Ireland to edit the Province’s magazine, The African Missionary. Joe had always been interested in writing and during his first tour in Africa had taken a correspondence course in journalism. Since his student days he had been a frequent contributor to The African Missionary and other journals. Joe tackled his task with great enthusiasm, editing the magazine with flair and skill during the Society’s centenary year (1956), and maintaining these high standard throughout his stewardship until 1961.

In that year Joe returned to Africa to his old jurisdiction which, since 1950, had been erected as the diocese of ‘Benin City’. The next three years were to be difficult. Joe wrote: ‘I was out of sorts during that tour. I suppose I was out of touch with Africa after so long an absence and my health became steadily worse.’ It was clear on his return to Ireland for leave in May 1964, that he would have to be given a home appointment. Once again his talents as a writer and editor were invoked and he assumed charge of the magazine for the next two years.

It was in November 1968, that the final chapter in Joe’s long life of ministry commenced. While editor of the African Missionary Joe had acted as confessor to the Brothers of Charity at Lota, a home for young mentally handicapped males near Cork. There he heard the confessions of the brothers, the scholastics and also the boys. Over the years Joe had become deeply interested in the apostolate to the mentally handicapped. In 1968 it happened that the Brothers of Charity were seeking a chaplain for their Kilcornan Centre, at Clarenbridge, Co Galway. Approaches were made to have Joe released for the position and they were successful. Joe was to spend the remainder of his active life as chaplain in Clarenbridge. Here he ministered, with great effect, not only to the boys and the brothers, but also to parents and lay staff. To anyone who visited him he was loud in his praise of the Kilcornan Centre and the wonderful services they provided.

During these happy years Joe was able to indulge his interest in local history and archaeology; for on the property was a 12th chapel in poor condition. Joe chronicled the history of the chapel and secured funds for its complete restoration. In 1995, growing ill-health led Joe to relinquish his chaplaincy (he was succeeded by Fr Tony Millerton) and he took up residence in the Mystical Rose nursing home, near Claregalway. During these years he was tended with great kindness by the nursing staff. However his closest friend and carer was Sr. Collete. Her family had been friends with Joe over the years and during his last years she visited him every day, and frequently took him out when he was able. Joe lived to a great age, being one of the few members to celebrate his Diamond Jubilee, in 1994. After his death his remains were brought to the S.M.A. House at Claregalway, and after Mass on Wednesday, 22nd, to Wilton for his Requiem Mass.

He is buried in Wilton cemetery.