Société des Missions Africaines - Province d’Irlande

né le 27 septembre 1911 à Rossbeg dans le diocèse de Meath, Irlande membre de la SMA le 19 juin 1932 prêtre le 21 décembre 1935 décédé le 13 août 1992

1936-1957 préfecture de Kaduna, Nigeria 1957-1971 Kilcogan, économe (1958-1968) conseiller provincial 1971-1976 vicariat de Monrovia, Liberia 1977-1986 diocèse de Meath, Irlande 1986-1989 Wilton, retiré 1989-1992 Blackrock Road, Cork, retiré décédé à Cork, Irlande, le 13 août 1992 à l’âge de 80 ans

Michael Moorhead was born in Rossbeg, Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, in the diocese of Meath, on 27 September 1911. He died in St. Patrick's hospital, Wellington Road, Cork, on Thursday, 13 August 1992.

Michael was educated in the colleges of the Society. He studied at the Sacred Heart college, Ballinafad, Co Mayo (1926 1927) and St. Joseph's college, Wilton, Cork (1927 1930). He entered the Society's novitiate and house of philosophy, at Kilcolgan, Co Galway, in September 1930. Michael received his theological formation in the major seminary, at Dromantine, Co Down. Michael became a member of the Society on 19 June 1932 and was ordained a priest by Bishop Edward Mulhern of Dromore diocese, at St. Colman's cathedral, Newry, on 21 December 1935. He was one of a group of twenty one ordained on that day.

After ordination Michael returned to Dromantine for six months to complete his theological course. He was then appointed to the prefecture of Kaduna, in northern Nigeria. This prefecture, which had been established in April 1934, under the leadership of Thomas P. Hughes, covered a vast area, including the civil provinces of Zaria, Niger, Sokoto, Kano and also part of French Niger. Most of the Christians were Igbo immigrants from the east who had come northwards with the railway line. On his arrival, in October 1936, Michael was appointed to the district of 'Kaduna and Kakuri', where he was introduced to the missionary life. At Kaduna he learned Hausa and undertook supervised pastoral work.

Nine months later, having passed his Hausa examination and having been given faculties to hear confessions, Michael was posted to Kontagora, in Niger Province. This station, situated in a rural district north of Minna, had been founded some months earlier by Robert Stitt, with a view to developing the Church among the indigenous animist population. Michael served with Fr. Stitt for six months before being transferred to Zaria, one of the old 'line' stations. A year later Michael was posted to Minna, another railway line town (first visited by missionaries in 1918 and founded as a residential station by Fr. Stitt in 1932/1933). Michael was to spend the next two years here, assisting Paddy Lee, the superior, in ministering to a catholic community of 600 members and 70 catechumens, and in developing new Christian communities in the district.

Michael went to Ireland on his first home leave in August 1941. His return to Nigeria was delayed because of the war, but eventually he reached his mission in March 1943. Two months after Michael's arrival, Mgr. Hughes was transferred to another jurisdiction and John McCarthy was nominated prefect. Michael spent the first two years of his tour as superior of Masuga district. The principal station of Masuga, near Kontagora, was established in 1937, with Martin McDonnell as first superior. When Michael arrived there were less than 100 Catholics, but almost 300 catechumens, holding out hope for the future. Moreover almost all of these Christians belonged to the indigenous population. In March 1945 Michael was transferred briefly to Kaduna and spent the last four months of his second tour at Kano. In addition to his pastoral assignments, Michael occupied the post of mission 'visitor', responsible to the Irish Provincial for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the confreres. Michael attended the Irish Provincial Assembly in his capacity as 'visitor' in July 1946.

After the meeting, which was held in Cork, he returned to Kaduna prefecture, resuming his duties as 'visitor' and combining this with the superiorship of Kurmin Mazuga, a mission district in Southern Zaria province which had been founded by Malachy Gately in 1943. In May 1949, with the replacement of the post of 'visitor' by that of 'regional superior' whose responsibilities were wider Michael was nominated first 'regional' for the prefectures of Kaduna and Jos. In this capacity he was responsible for the welfare of sixty six confreres. Michael came to Ireland on home leave in March 1952. His return to Nigeria, a year later, coincided with the erection of the Kaduna and Jos prefectures as dioceses. Michael continued as 'regional superior', residing in Kaduna. In February 1955 Bishop John McCarthy of Kaduna appointed Michael as his vicar general (Tommy Lennon became 'regional superior'). Michael discharged his functions first from Kaduna mission and, later, from Sabon Sarki, among the Jaba people, where he was superior.

Michael returned to Ireland on home leave in April 1957. His superiors then posted him to Kilcolgan as bursar. This appointment involved not only management of the house finances, but also supervision of the large farm and estate. Michael was elected Provincial councillor at the Provincial Assembly of 1958, a post he occupied until 1968. In 1971 Michael was appointed to the vicariate of Monrovia, Liberia. There he assisted in the establishment of the young Church in the north of the country. He was to serve there for five years. Between 1977 1986 he worked in Meath diocese, in the parish of Mount Bolus, Tullamore. Michael retired from the active ministry in October 1986, taking up residence at Wilton. From 1989, in deteriorating health, he lived in Blackrock Road.

Michael was 81 years old when he died. He was one of the pioneering missionaries of the Kaduna prefecture, with a reputation for his skill in building churches and schools. He maintained a keen interest in the development of the Kaduna region throughout his life. It was with great joy that he saw the work in which he had participated, grow and flourish, with a rapid increase in the number of missionaries assigned to northern Nigeria and the emergence of an indigenous priesthood and episcopacy. Michael's time as bursar at Kilcolgan was happy because he had a great interest in farming. However his first love was Africa and he was sixty years old when he went to Liberia in 1971. During his years of retirement and through the long illness which led to his death, Michael always bore a smile on his face. Michael was a brother of John Moorhead, S.M.A.
He is buried in Wilton cemetery.