By Rowena D. Cuanico

Fr Patrick McCaffrey was born in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland in 1944 and ordained in St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry, on 20 December 1967. He went to Fiji in 1968 and moved to Pakistan when the Columbans opened a mission there in 1979. In 2000 he was transferred to Britain where he worked mainly with Muslims, some of them refugees from the Middle East, in Bradford. He also celebrated Mass regularly there with Pakistani Catholics. He moved back to Fiji and later was again assigned to Pakistan, where he died suddenly on 18 May this year.

Rowena Cuanico, from Samar, is a Columban Lay Missionary who worked in Fiji before taking up her present assignment as Coordinator of Columban Lay Missionaries in the Philippines.

Big heart. These are two words that I feel best describe Fr Pat McCaffrey, the man, his life, faith and vocation. His heart was big, so big that it had a sacred space for everyone. In his heart, everyone mattered.

I first heard the name Pat McCaffrey when we – six Filipino Columban lay missionaries on our first mission assignment in Fiji - were doing our orientation on Columban Mission in Fiji. But it wasn’t until Beth Briones and I arrived at Holy Family Parish, Labasa, a few months later that I started to come to know more about Father Pat and his work with the people of Labasa.

Since Beth and I both studied Hindi, we started our ministry in the Hindi-speaking apostolate in the parish. We were based at the Mission Centre in Naleba, which serves as the heart of the Hindi-speaking Apostolate. Hearing the name of Fr Pat McCaffrey did not come as a surprise at all. Countless stories about him were being told and retold by the people who came to know him when he was a young priest in the 70s. They would tell us about how he would visit them in their homes, ate, laughed and cried with them. He worked with them in the sugarcane plantations. He encouraged them to study, even making it possible for some to train at Corpus Christi Teachers’ College. He was simply one of them.

Fr Thomas O'Hanlon. Photo taken after Easter by Fr Gary Walker.

From these stories Father Pat became more real for me. He seemed like an idol, a living legend. And as I heard more stories about him, I felt uneasy and afraid. Big shoes to fill, I told myself. But I also felt proud to be part of that long tradition of Columban missionaries who are remembered by the people with great respect and a deep sense of gratitude in their hearts.

The moment for me to finally meet the man came in September 2002. It was Father Pat’s sentimental return to Fiji after 22 years. It was special for us in the parish as he was to be the main celebrant at the Mass of the Triumph of the Cross, the feast of the Naleba Catholic community.

Father Pat arrived in Labasa two weeks before the celebration. Word slowly spread that he was in town. And it was greeted with joy. For them Father Pat had come home. For nearly two weeks Father Pat, Beth and parish leaders visited families in almost all the sectors of the parish. This was very Father Pat.

Two days before the celebration, Master (Teacher) Patrick Dass, Master Mul Deo and I went to see him at the presbytery (convento) to discuss the program. He was still on the road! It was then left to Fr Palenapa Tavo, acting parish priest, to try to get hold of Father Pat and explain to him the activities for the feast day.

He came the night of the celebration. The preparations were in full swing. Beth and the rest of the decorations committee were working on the altar and the stage. Some women were making Indian sweets. Others were preparing the food. It was a very festive atmosphere.

Rural scene in Vanua Levu, the island where Labasa is situated

The welcome was indescribable. When they saw him, it was as if the whole place sprang back to life, life in its fullest. There were introductions, hugs, laughter, and tears. It was a welcome fitting for one of their own.

It was ‘full house’ during the celebration. People from different sectors of the parish, from neighboring villages, and friends came. There was something in him that people were drawn to him. And I soon quickly realized the reason why: he knew each one of them, by name. They were in each other’s hearts.

At the beginning of the Eucharist, when he began to speak and read in Hindi (Devanagri), I was amazed. I could not believe that he had been away for nearly 22 years. His Hindi was simply flawless! When he preached, everybody seemed fascinated by his amazing sense of history of the place and of the people. He paid tribute to their strong faith and how their faith had carried them all these years. For me it was a very memorable occasion.

After the celebration we spent nearly two weeks visiting families in the neighboring villages. We would take parishioners with us so they could visit their relatives, thus making the visits extra special. We drove for over two hours to visit one Catholic family that lived in a mainly Hindu community. While we were visiting families, we tasted practically all kinds of tea and juice, Indian sweets and curry. Stories were told and re-told. It was like learning history from the very people who were part of the story. These were sacred moments.

It was a privilege for me to have come to know Father Pat. I treasure deeply the time we spent together in Labasa. Our days would begin early and end late. But we found time to share about our vocation, missionary life, his life in Pakistan, my life in Fiji and our families in different parts of the world. But I never realized that his visit was going to be beginning of a shared journey and of a beautiful friendship.

I returned to Fiji in August 2003 for my second term. A few months later, Father Pat returned to Fiji. I was at the Central House in Suva when he arrived. I still vividly remember my words of welcome to him: ‘The heavens are rejoicing that you have decided to return to your first love.’ He gave me a big smile and a warm hug. For indeed his return was greeted with joy and hope by the people who knew him.

Very soon we found ourselves working together in the Hindi-speaking Apostolate in the Greater Suva Area covering eight parishes. I was not officially assigned to this ministry. But since we have a Hindi-speaking community at St Pius X Parish, Raiwaqa, where I was assigned, we were part of his coverage area. And as for me, this ministry was beyond what was ‘official’. It was a very personal choice. I was very interested in being involved in the ministry. I simply wanted to share the experiences on mission that the people of Labasa had blessed me with.

Family visitations became the heart of the Hindi-speaking Apostolate. Father Pat spent hours after hours visiting families in the eight parishes. I joined him many times in visiting families. He worked tirelessly with the local clergy, parish leaders as well as with leaders of the Hindi-speaking communities in trying to bring people together. The coordinating committee, which was formed by leaders from the different parishes, worked hard to organize programs, events and celebrations. It was a time of renewing acquaintance with many.

Father Pat initiated the revival of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) in eight parishes. With Rosema Dass, we would meet every week at St Joseph’s Secondary School to go through the sessions ourselves. Then we would conduct the classes for catechumens in our respective parishes. This went on for nearly one year! The commitment and dedication of the RCIA instructors from the different parishes were extraordinary. But Father Pat’s encouragement and support to all of us also meant a lot.

Father Pat’s dedication to his ministry and to the people he worked with was unquestionable. Not even sickness would prevent him moving around. I remember when he was down with gout a few days before a big activity in the Hindi-speaking Apostolate. I told him that the coordinating committee was on top of the situation. But this did not convince him to take the day off. He was insistent that he had to fulfil his responsibilities. I threatened to strap him to his bed so that he could have the rest he needed. But his responsibilities were all that mattered. He was limping but there he was on the road again! This was also very Father Pat.

The activities in the Hindi-speaking Apostolate were many, varied and were located in different parishes. These required a lot of my time, effort and energy. I was already struggling to have some balance between my commitments. I said to Father Pat one day, ‘Thank you for all the excitement that you bring to my life.’ He simply laughed.

But it was not all work with Father Pat. He, American Columban Fr Ed Quinn and I would really try go to a restaurant or a movie every week. These weekly outings were always a nice treat for me. When we would go out we had a golden rule – ‘Anything Columban is banned in our conversations’. So we would end up talking about politics, sports, families and our former lives!

Father Pat’s generosity extended ‘beyond borders’. He also gave his reassuring presence to the Filipino community in Fiji, in our joyful and sad moments.

I enjoyed working with Father Pat, with and despite the excitement that his intense passion for mission brought to my life. But I felt even more privileged to have him as my personal companion for four years. My life was enriched by our honest and open sharing. His deep faith and trust in God inspired me. And I really felt that he knew and understood the beatings of my heart so well.

It was in Taiwan on the first day of the Columban Lay Missionaries’ Renewal Gathering in February 2008 that I learned of Father Pat’s assignment to Pakistan – from the Superior General himself. I was happy for him. But I felt sad. I thought I was going to lose a friend. He was a life support to me. From Taiwan I sent an email to him wishing him well on his new assignment and thanking him for his support and encouragement. But I also expressed to him my sadness that I would be losing a friend.

But Father Pat did not leave me behind in Fiji. It was I who left him behind there. Two months after his appointment to Pakistan, my appointment as Lay Missionary Coordinator of the Philippine Region came. Father Pat was happy for me. But he also knew of my apprehensions in taking up the new assignment. He was very encouraging.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore

Father Pat was one of those who saw me off at the airport. He was the last person to give me a big and warm hug. He told me one of his sincerest wishes for me – that after I finished my term in the Philippines, we would see each other again in Pakistan!

I remember when friends in Fiji learned that he would be returning to Pakistan. Most of them could not understand why. In the absence of any credible explanation, I simply told them, ‘He wants to die there.’ I could sense that for him his return to Pakistan was a homecoming. Fiji must have been Father Pat’s first love. But I have the feeling that in his big heart, Pakistan turned out to be his real love.

You may email Rowena Cuanico at rowenacuanico@gmail.com or write her at St Columban’s Lay Mission Center, 34 Rosario Drive, Cubao, 1111 Quezon City, Philippines.

Some links to Articles on Father Pat McCaffrey