by Richelle H. Verdeprado

They say that our circle of friends can influence who we become. This is particularly true of Fr. Liam O’Keeffe who became a missionary priest after deciding to follow in the footsteps of a school friend who went to the Columban seminary, Dalgan Park, near Navan, Ireland. Since then it has become a decision that is being continually affirmed as he goes on meeting people and going to places where the love of Jesus is shown through the presence of Columbans.

Around County Clare, Ireland

Father Liam is from the parish of Kilmurry Ibrickane, County Clare, on the Atlantic coast of the west of Ireland. He was born in 1940, the seventh of eleven children.

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Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Quilty, one of three churches in the parish
[Wikipedia, Eddylandzaat]

Building Not Only Structures

After finishing high school, the young Liam worked in the office of a construction contractor for a little over a year. He was fascinated with buildings but felt that something was lacking. Perhaps, he was being called to build something else, like a community of people fighting for justice, a community where God is the center of everything. He suddenly thought about his friend and then found himself knocking on the door of the seminary where he was to spend the next seven years, making more discoveries about himself, about his faith and how that faith can touch others. The location of the seminary in the middle of a large farm supported moments of reflection.

Missing the Harvest Season

But being on a farm made him think about home, as he grew up on a dairy farm more than 200 kms from the seminary. Life in the seminary was challenging with its daily round of prayer, study, recreation, and generally was rewarding and pleasant. Homesickness though was a struggle for him. After home vacations at Christmas, Easter and especially the long summer break he would experience a minor crisis. He would leave his family and the farm where barley, oats and potatoes were grown. The return to the seminary after the summer break was the hardest because it was heart-breaking to miss the harvesting work.  As Father Liam said, ‘There are difficult things on the farm, but harvesting is fun and rewarding.’

Ennistymon, where Father Liam attended high school [Wikipedia]

But he learned to deal with that with the help of his friends and companions. It was like embracing the awareness that maybe he was called to do a different kind of ‘harvesting.’ He would remain focused and began to accept his homesickness without letting it overpower him. It was something that would not last for long anyway, while God was revealing wonderful experiences and opportunities to him each time, thereby making the struggles simply part of the background while the desire to be a missionary was the highlight of everything.

Doolin, County Clare, before the harvest

The Highlights

When Father. Liam shared such deep reflections, I thought of the many shapes and forms of suffering we may experience in life. Along the way, we may find ourselves getting so overwhelmed by them that we focus on problems that are just part of the ‘background’. Thus, we may miss the highlights - the beauty of life and the greater purpose to which we are called. The words of Father Liam are reminders that we should remain focused on our goals, of our being Christians. Father Liam also shared about the value of prayer. Prayer is not just a part of life but in a real sense is life itself. Prayer makes our faith a living thing.

After 25 Years

Father Liam was happy to be back in the Philippines. His first visit was 25 years ago when he spent time with the late Fr Niall O’Brien. Apart from a short spell in Australia he has spent all of his missionary years in Korea. Father Liam’s heart is close to Filipinos. In Korea, he works with Filipino migrant workers, most of whom are employed in factories. He is also involved with multi-culture families, and women struggling to fight for their rights. He has seen how Filipinos triumph in hard times and in the face of challenges.  In Korea he sees how Filipinos cope with the challenges of a new climate, a difficult new language, and unfamiliar customs. At the Columban Central House in Seoul, where he lives, a small group of Filipinas gather every month for Mass and for educational and livelihood training activities.

The Cliffs of Moher, Atlantic Coast, looking south [Wikipedia]

When asked what makes him happy, he shared that it is meeting people, sitting with them, hearing their stories, their struggles and achievements that has colored his life as a Columban missionary. He admires his fellow missionaries, Columbans and others, and their work, people who have dedicated their lives to doing good for others. He admires all who remain faithful to God whatever situation in life they are in - all who struggle for righteousness while facing and overcoming challenges.