Société des Missions Africaines – Province d’Irlande

né le 1er juillet 1916 à Elm Grove dans le diocèse de Dromore, Irlande membre de la SMA le 29 juin 1938 prêtre le 14 décembre 1941 décédé le 19 octobre 1949

1941-1949 missionnaire au Nigeria décédé à Kwa, Nigeria, le 19 octobre 1949, à l’âge de 33 ans

A Kwa (Nigeria), le 19 octobre 1949, retour à Dieu du père Francis Sands, à l'âge de 33 ans.

Francis Sands naquit dans le diocèse de Dromore, en Irlande, en 1916. Il fit ses études au collège diocésain de Newry et, en 1936, il entrait au noviciat des Missions Africaines à Kilcogan. Il s'y fit remarquer tout particulièrement par sa profonde humilité, sa bonté et son grand calme.

Ordonné prêtre en 1941, il fut affecté à la préfecture de Jos au Nigeria. Le père Sands resta l'homme parfaitement humble et travailleur; il était aussi l'homme que rien ne pouvait détourner de son but. Cette ténacité et cette persévérance lui permirent d'accomplir, en peu de temps, un magnifique travail.

Il mourut d'une attaque de fièvre paludéenne.

Father Francis Benedict SANDS (1916 - 1949)

Francis Sands was born at Elm Grove, Mayobridge, Newry, Co Down, in the diocese of Dromore, on l July 1916. He died in Kwa mission, Jos prefecture, northern Nigeria, on 19 October 1949.

Francis Benedict (Ben) was educated in St. Colman's college, Violet Hill, Newry, the junior seminary of Dromore diocese (1931 1936). In the autumn of 1936 he was one of a class of twenty two who came to the S.M.A. novitiate and house of philosophy, at Kilcolgan, Co Galway. Two years later, in September 1938, he entered the Society's seminary at Dromantine, Co Down, having been admitted to membership of the Society on 29 June of that year. He was ordained a priest, along with nine colleagues, by Bishop Edward Mulhern of Dromore diocese, at St. Colman's cathedral, Newry, on 14 December 1941. Ben had a brother, Hugh, who became a missionary with St. Columban's Missionary Society.

After ordination Ben returned to Dromantine to complete his theological studies. In June 1942 he received his first appointment, to the prefecture of Jos in northern Nigeria. Ben was delayed in reaching his mission because of travel restrictions during the world war. However, eventually he secured a sea passage and sailed for West Africa on 11 March 1943. A classmate who travelled with him recorded that it was a difficult voyage: 'eight of us were squashed into a cabin originally built for two people'. The mission which Ben reached late in March was under the leadership of William Lumley (who was first prefect of Jos, nominated in 1934). He presided over a territory which had endured grievous hardship. Already four members of his young staff (John Marren, Tony O'Dwyer, Florence O'Driscoll and Andy Geraghty) had been lost due to tragic illnesses. Ben was to be the fifth to yield up his young life. Nonetheless these too were the years when the foundations for today's flourishing Church in Jos archdiocese were laid. In particular it was the period when firm roots were planted among the indigenous population which in the early decades of the century had been given less attention than the more amenable immigrants from eastern Nigeria who followed the railway northwards.

Ben enjoyed relatively good health during his first tour of duty. Already during his student days he had shown outstanding qualities as senior prefect at Kilcolgan and during his first tour of duty he was to fulfil the promise of earlier years, revealing himself as an energetic, resourceful missionary and a much loved colleague. His first appointment was to Pankshin, in the south east of the prefecture, where he served under Billy McAuley, a senior missionary who had first come to Jos in 1936. Six months later, Mgr. Lumley found it necessary to make new appointments (a number of priests had gone home on leave, others had returned) and Ben was transferred to Udei mission where Dick Tobin was superior. Udei station, among the Tiv people, had been opened in the year the prefecture had been erected. It was one of the larger missions in the jurisdiction, with some 600 catholic members, 700 catechumens, 22 catechists, and a rate of between 7-10 catholic marriages annually. One of its outstations, Makurdi, is now the headquarters of a diocese. Udei also had a boarding school (the Tiv Training Centre), founded by Dick Tobin, which catered for the most promising boys in the villages. Ben was given special responsibility for this school. In June 1945 Ben was appointed to Shendam, which was the first mission established in northern Nigeria - in 1907. Mgr. William Porter had founded a vernacular teacher training college here in 1932. This catered for candidate teachers who had little English and were tutored through the medium of Hausa. Ben was appointed to this important college.

Returning from his first period of home leave in July 1948, Ben was posted first to Jos mission, and then to the rural district of Kwa, about 20 miles from Shendam. In February 1949 Ben suffered the first of a series of malarial attacks which was to weaken his constitution and eventually lead to his death at the age of 33 years. Mgr. Lumley recorded the following facts concerning his death: 'It would seem he was well as usual until Sunday evening when he got a fever. He got long good turns in between very bad ones. It was like that Monday and Tuesday. Good on Wednesday morning but he got a very bad turn in the afternoon. It got worse and they anointed him. According to Fr. S's letter [the reference here is to Eugene Sirlinger an Alsatian confrere] he died at 8 p.m. that evening. Lord have mercy on him. Such a good priest and such an extremely good and capable missionary and so full up of most important work in Kwa and Kwande areas, it is an awful shock and a terrible blow.

Once again, the Lord has picked out our very best to make the blow harder. His will be done'. Mick Harrison, 'visitor' for northern Nigeria (entrusted by the Provincial with the spiritual and temporal welfare of his colleagues) wrote the following poignant words about the aftermath of Ben's death: 'He was washed and laid out in his priestly vestments. The Christians and catechumens were in the church saying the rosary. At 10.30 p.m. he was laid out in another room and the school boys relieved each other in groups of four saying the rosary till 2 a.m. when Fr. O'Malley went to the church and offered up Holy Mass. After that the work of digging the grave commenced. At break of day two carpenters made a coffin. At 8 a.m. Frs O'Malley (who was stationed with Ben in Kwa) and Maguire said Matins and Lauds for the dead. At 9 a.m. Fr. Maguire said Mass followed by the full burial ceremony. Fr. Sirlinger (Kwande) arrived just as the burial service was over'.

Ben left behind him a number of private spiritual notes and diaries, which are preserved in the Provincial archives at Cork. A colleague wrote the following remarks about Ben's life: 'He had a profound insight into people. He maintained that the Dimmuk people, in Kwa parish, had great potential as Catholics. There was little to justify this opinion in 1948. But now the Dimmuk people are mostly catholic - and very genuine ones - with a true and authentic faith. Maybe Benny's prayers from heaven are responsible. Archbishop Ganaka (of Jos) says that his vocation was inspired by seeing the reverence the early missionaries had towards the Blessed Sacrament - and Benny was one of those early missionaries with a deep devotion to the Eucharist. "Their lives were living sermons", said the archbishop.'

He is buried in Kwa, Jos, Nigeria.