Société des Missions Africaines – Province des USA

né le 26 août 1899 à Bangor Erris dans le diocèse de Killala, Irlande membre de la SMA le 28 septembre 1922 prêtre le 23 mai 1926 décédé le 20 janvier 1973

1926-1931 missionnaire au Liberia 1931-1937 Kilcogan, supérieur du noviciat 1939-1946 Washington, fondateur et premier supérieur du séminaire Reine des Apôtres 1946 Dedham, fondateur du séminaire 1946-1956 vice provincial 1956-1958 provincial 1959-1961 Doylestown, fondateur du séminaire 1961-1966 Washington, supérieur décédé à Georgetown, USA, le 20 janvier 1973, à l’âge de 73 ans

Father Anthony Francis MAC ANDREW (1899 - 1973)

Anthony McAndrew was born at in Bangor Erris, Co Mayo, in the diocese of Killala, on August 2, l899.
He died in Georgetown University Hospital, Washington DC, USA, on January 20, l973.

Anthony (Tony) was one of 12 children born to Patrick and Margaret (nee Murphy) McAndrew The family lived at Ballymunley, Bellacorick, Ballina, Co Mayo. After attending Ballymunley national school Tony went to Dublin to work. However at the age of 15, sensing that he had a vocation to priesthood, he returned to school, to the Christians Brothers at Richmond Street in Dublin. Tony came to the Sacred Heart College, Ballinafad, Co Mayo in September 1918 where he studied Latin. In December of the same year he entered St. Joseph's college, Wilton, Cork, matriculating in 1920. He entered the SMA novitiate and house of philosophy, at Kilcolgan, Co Galway, in the autumn of l920. Two years later, on September 28, l922, he was admitted to membership of the Society. Tony studied theology in the Society's seminary, at Blackrock Road, Cork, and was ordained a priest in the public chapel adjoining the seminary, by Bishop Thomas Broderick, vicar apostolic of Western Nigeria, on May 23, l926. He was one of a group of ten ordained on that day.

After ordination Tony was appointed to the prefecture of Liberia, a mission entrusted to the Irish Province at the time of its foundation in l9l2. On arrival the prefect apostolic, Jean Ogé, appointed him to Monrovia, capital of the Black Republic, where he worked under the guidance of Michael MacEniry, superior of the mission. In 1928, with the transfer of Fr. MacEniry to pioneer a new mission at Grand Bassa, Tony was appointed superior at Monrovia. During his years in Liberia Tony impressed himself as a man of exceptional talents, especially as an educator and administrator. It came as no surprise that in l93l he was selected by his colleagues to represent them at the Provincial Assembly of that year. At that meeting he was elected Provincial councillor (to Stephen Harrington) and was subsequently appointed rector and novice-master at Kilcolgan. While occupying these posts he pursued an academic career at University College Galway, obtaining an honours BA degree in l935 (education and philosophy), and a higher diploma in education in l936. He received a LLD (honoris causa) in l938. During these years too he taught education to SMA students who were attending UCG. These students had already completed the first arts course at University College Cork. From Kilcolgan they went to UCG one day each week where they received lectures in philosophy from Professor Howley, and later from his successor, Fr. Phelim O'Briain, OFM. The lecturer in education was Dr. Pat Larkin. These lectures were supplemented by classes given in Kilcolgan by priests designated for that purpose by the university's philosophy and education departments. Tony was the first to give these lectures. Others who taught the degree course in Kilcolgan included Michael Mahony, Edward Harrington, Tony Glynn, Gerry McGahon, and John A. Creaven. The arrangement had been negotiated by Stephen Harrington and Tony, acting for the Society, and Alfred O'Rahilly (President of UCC) and Professor Howley, acting for the universities.

In l938, at the request of the Superior General, Maurice Slattery, Tony was transferred to the American district of the Society which was shortly to be erected into a full Province and which needed a capable guiding hand for its proposed seminary. Tony was founder and first superior of Queen of Apostles theological seminary, Silver Spring, Washington, DC (l939). In the following year he played a leading role in the establishment of the Province's house of philosophy, known also as the Queen of Apostles seminary, at Dedham, in the archdiocese of Boston. On the formal establishment of the Province in l94l, he was appointed councillor to Ignace Lissner, the first Provincial, and also acted as vice Provincial. At the first Provincial Assembly (August, l946) he was elected to these offices (In 1941 when the Province was erected appointments came from the Superior General). At the Provincial Assembly of 1952 Tony was re-elected to both positions.

Tony was to occupy the post of Provincial on two occasions. In April l946, when Fr. Lissner resigned his office, Tony took his place until the Assembly in August of that year. He was to serve as Provincial again on the death of another Provincial, Peter Harrington, who died in December l956. Although not re elected at the next Assembly (l958), Tony’s work on behalf of the growing Province continued. In l960, as delegate of the Provincial (Patrick O'Donoghue), he received Cardinal O'Hara's great gift to the SMA of the beautiful Mercer Estate at Doylestown, Pa., which was to become the novitiate of the American Province. Later, in l965, he supervised the construction of the new Queen of Apostles seminary in Washington DC. In the years immediately preceding his death Tony raised funds for the American Province both in America and England.

Tony was a lover of Church music and attended in France the most prestigious centres for plain chant. He was both fluent and eloquent as a public speaker and his expansive style always attracted attention. On a personal level Tony was extremely frugal in his tastes and did not like to spend money, perhaps a mindset born developed in the poverty-stricken West of Ireland of his youth. Nonetheless he also had a generous side, best exemplified in his willingness to finance students for the priesthood. Tony also had a facility for writing. The text of an address given on Station WWDC, Washington, on April 25th 1943, titled: ‘The Missionary and the Service-Man’ is preserved in the archives of the American Province, at Tenafly NJ. He also wrote extensively and impressively in the Province’s journal, the African Angelus and for Catholic newspapers and journals.

He is buried in the SMA Community Plot, in Mount Carmel cemetery, Tenafly, New Jersey, USA.