An interview with Fr Micheal Riordan

Fr Micheal Riordan grew up loving the farm life. He became a veterinarian and worked in Korea for some time. In this interview we will find out how his profession led him to become a priest.

Q: Please tell us a little bit about your background

Fr Riordan: I was born in Ballymun Avenue, Dublin, Ireland in 1954. My parents are both from County Carlow. I remember that the possibility of being a priest entered my mind a few times when I was growing up but I decided it wasn’t for me. I was afraid of making a mistake, and I probably thought that if you went then you couldn’t come out.

Q: So you become a veterinary surgeon .Wasn’t that unusual decision for a city boy?

Fr Riordan: My father was a pharmacist and I had an interest in medical things but the idea of being a doctor didn’t attract me. I used to spend a good bit of my vacations in the country, around Carlow and Kells. I worked on a stud farm in Carlow and I remember one day a veterinarian saying that a particular case was the worst one he had in 40 years. I thought, ‘If I that’s the worst, I can handle it’. I liked the pace of life on the farm where the people had time to talk and yet got their work done. I went to University College Dublin and qualified as a veterinarian in 1977.

Q: And you then made another unusual decision- to get to Korea!

Fr Riordan: I had already decided I would work as a volunteer for two years. I decided to get as much work experience as I could beforehand. So I took jobs as a substitute. Pat Rhatigan, who spent some years as a Coumban student, was at that time Dean of the Veterinary Faculty and he told me about a Columban farming project on Cheju Island, Korea. Neither my family nor friends were too keen on the idea of my going away. Some people said, ‘Why not work and just send the money?’ I was happy with my decision but it was only when I got on the plane that the full reality of what I was doing sank home

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Q: When you arrived in Korea to the Columban farming project in Cheju, was it clear to you how you could make a contribution?

Fr Riordan: My contribution turned out to be a bit different to the one I had expected.  A number of veterinary surgeons had volunteered and worked there before me at the invitation of Fr P.J. McGinchey. They had done the major task- the disease prevention and eradication programs. I just had to maintain that. The farm had about 2,000 beef cattle, 1,000 sheep, and 15,000 pigs. A lot of the cattle had been imported to improve the quality of beef on the island.
I think my contribution in Korea was more in the area of relationships with people rather than through my veterinary work. I made friends that I still have to this day. I finished there in 1979. It wasn’t an easy time but it was life- giving.

Q:  What were you thinking about with regard to the future as you left Korea?

Fr Riordan: I had thought a lot about that. There were different options. Go home, get back to work and get married was one of them. I had a girlfriend in Ireland. But I was also giving thought again of becoming a priest and being a missionary. I found I got new life from contact with another culture. While in Korea I used to attend Mass every Sunday and would often go on weekdays. I didn’t understand Korean very well  so I borrowed an English Missal and used to read the Gospel as it was being read in Korean and think about it during the sermon . I began to come alive. I visited the Philippines and was impressed by what the Columbans were doing there. I gave them a hard time questioning particularly their social involvement. They thought I was challenging them but really I was challenging myself.
I didn’t make the final decision about priesthood until I came home. I then felt it was what I was called to. At first U only told my parents and my brothers. Later my decision caused a bit of surprise to my friends.

Q:  You were ordained s priest in 1986 and since then have worked in Korea. Do you still feel at peace with the decision you made?

Fr Riordan: I don’t regret the decision. Of course there are ups and downs, times when I feel lonely or feel life difficult. But there are times of great hope too and overall the experience is a very positive one.

Q: Are there any experiences of God being ‘in the bits and pieces of every day’ that come to mind?

Fr Riordan: In Cheju there was a Scottish volunteer who used to work in the pig section. He often invited me to go with him to prayer meetings. When he talked of speaking in tongues I told him that the only gift O wanted was to be able to speak Korean to the people around me. At the same time I was often amazed by the fact that one could communicate even with poor language. I remember having to visit two friends who had been detained. I got instructions on how to get to the police station. I arrived at an official looking building where there were people in uniform. In my very poor Korean I asked to see the two people. An uncomfortable looking official told me to wait. As I waited I felt for all the unfortunate relatives there making phone calls – until I realized that I was in the post office! The police station was next door.
I didn’t know what I was going to say to my friend but I wanted to forgotten. The police were getting great mileage out of this inarticulate foreigner. The imported cigarettes I had with me helped a bit. The two friends were brought in. One of the few things my limited language allowed me to do, rather inappropriately, was to ask them if the food was tasty? Soon after this the food was unexpectedly brought in, the first they had seen for nearly two days. Getting the courage to visit them on various occasions in spite of my fears was an experience of the Spirit of God. Later, as a seminarian, I became aware of how so often society, to hide its own injustice and exclusion, uses this system. Often, as I watched prisoners in their rough garb lining up for food I felt that even the toughest of them were sometimes crying out for help. So many people have never visited a prison and so don’t realize what it is like. It was probably only when I returned from Korea as a missionary that I realized that things like discrimination, class distinction and racism which I observed there were also part of my own culture.

Q: Now that there is a strong Church in Korea with its own personnel how do you see your own role?

Fr Riodan: It seems to me that Korea is where God wants me to be. My present job is student formation and vocations promotion. This is one of the Columban priorities. We want to help the Korean Church to be more missionary and to share their faith with other churches. Some have questioned the wisdom of the Columbans developing vocations programs in the countries in we work. My own attitude is if I am happy with the life I have chosen why not offer the possibility to others. We also try to promote understanding between the great religions and to promote a concern for the world. The Church is very important instrument in the promotion of that dream or vision. Sometimes when I am complaining about one aspect or other of the Church I have to remind myself that but for its continuity throughout the centuries there would be very little faith to pass on today.
The promotion of missionary work is an important dimension of being a Christian. It enriches both the sender and the receiver. Looking at history I am aware of mistakes but also of great achievements.

Q: In a sense, could be described as a second phase of mission?

Fr Riordan: I see myself as helping to make the Korean Church more missionary, helping it to be more aware of other peoples and emphasizing that globalization that is taking place is about more than just economic opportunities. I am happy to play a part in that effort.