With the reduction in Irish missionaries operating abroad to less than 1,000, along with the lack of knowledge young persons in Ireland possess related to the missionary movement, it’s essential to contemplate about the missionaries’ influence and the lessons society and faith can derive from them.
The period considered as the ‘golden age’ for the missionary movement was during the 20th century’s mid-point. Thousands of youthful Irish men and women enlisted in Catholic religious and missionary orders and predominantly undertook work overseas in Southern Hemisphere countries. Notably, from 1920 to 1970, more than 30,000 men and women became part of missionary orders.
Their contributions spanned from providing education, health and social care and contributing to parish development and ‘church planting’. Moreover, they often tackled challenging societal issues by advocating for those with little influence – early HIV/AIDS patients, sex workers, prisoners, refugees, landless workers, and others.
Their courage, selflessness and bravery in venturing into far-flung and occasionally hazardous parts of the world often go unnoticed. Despite lacking material comforts, navigable travel and experiencing the absence of familial, friendly and cultural connections, they strived on.
Their purpose was to disseminate the gospel: “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full” (John, 10:10). They dedicated their efforts to empowering the impoverished to improve their lives – through close cooperation with local individuals and community organisations.
When conversing with a group of retired missionaries about their life and work, you’d be struck by their typical backgrounds in a mono-cultural and traditionally Catholic Ireland, juxtaposed with the extraordinary endeavours they carried out. They successfully bridged their faith across cultures, proactively addressing a range of human predicaments. As their missionary work progressed, so did their faith, seizing opportunities for learning, reflecting and revitalising. Indeed, they drew motivation from the Vatican II theology (1962-1965).
The experiences of missionaries could enlighten our perspectives regarding worldly disparity, democratic threats, environmental care, racism and injustice, thereby contributing to societal growth. Despite facing manifold obstacles, these missionaries usually found immense satisfaction in their work, their spirituality enriched through associations with impoverished communities.
Their mission held significance for them as it involved personal and interpersonal introspection, deeply embedded in gospel values but requiring necessary alterations to meet new challenges and experiences.
What can we distil from this exclusive group of ageing Irish diaspora, who seem to have faded into oblivion amid the increasing disdain for religion and the decreasing influence of the Catholic Church in Ireland in recent times?
Firstly, they provide a template for merging faith and society through the comprehensive method they adopted to practice and preach their Christian faith.
Secondly, their positive intercultural interactions exemplify how better intercultural comprehension and unity can be achieved.
Thirdly, their bravery and determination in navigating many obstacles, quandaries and paradoxes offer a model for a society where instant solutions for personal and social issues are often anticipated.
Fourthly, their efforts demonstrate countless adaptable ways of serving as a Christian.
Lastly, they realised that the diffusion of the gospel necessitated collaboration and a sense of fellowship and empowerment of the locals.
A question emerges as to why missionaries seemingly fail to significantly sway the religious sentiments of Irish individuals or why the diocesan church in Ireland wasn’t more affected by the missionary experiences. Although the principles and spirit of Vatican II permeated missionary efforts, they didn’t seem to have similar acceptance within the Irish diocesan church.
How many Catholics comprehended or were urged to learn about this unique way of belonging to the church and being a Christian? Irish citizens displayed financial generosity towards ‘the missions’ but seemed to possess limited understanding of the actual tasks and strategy of our missionaries.
I propose that the valuable inputs from this particular Irish diaspora group have been neglected to the detriment of present-day Irish society and Catholic Church. Their unyielding commitment to social justice, integrated approach and theological acceptance have ever-increasing significance for us in Ireland today.
The experiences of missionaries can provide profound insights about global disparities, threats to democratic values, environmental preservation, racial discrimination, and injustice to help shape a well-rounded society. The urgency to absorb their tales and the chance to acquire significant knowledge from their wisdom and experiences are becoming more pressing.
Dr Carmel Gallagher, a distinguished research fellow from TU Dublin’s School of Social Sciences, Law and Education, has captured these details. The information is derived from narrative interviews with 37 Irish missionaries, both male and female, and was recently written and published by Routledge. The publication is titled “Gallagher, C (2024) Retired Missionaries and Faith in a Changing Society”.