St. Joseph’s
Advocate Mill Hill Missionaries
Winter 2018
Wearing traditional headdress in Sarawak, Malaysia Winter 2018
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A Christmas Prayer for all our friends and benefactors May the celebration of Christ’s birth and the wonder of his presence light up your hearts and lives. May this Christmas bring love, joy and peace to you and your families, and may the New Year bring many blessings to you all. 2
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Advocate
Winter 2018 Volume 58 No. 3 ST. JOSEPH’S ADVOCATE
Published by: Editor: Printed by:
Mill Hill Missionaries Fr. Jim O’Connell Modern Printers, Kilkenny
CONTENTS From the Editor ....................................................................................................... 2 Walking through a Minefield ................................................................................ 4 The New Generation of Mill Hill .......................................................................... 6 Jubilees...................................................................................................................... 8 Founder of Prague House...................................................................................... 10 Jubilee Day Homily ............................................................................................... 12 Jubilee Photos......................................................................................................... 14 Obituary Fr. Patrick Harrington ......................................................................... 15 Obituaries............................................................................................................... 16 Photo credits: Fons Eppink, Michelle Slater, Jimmy Lindero, Jim O’Connell, Philip O’Halloran, Michael Brophy, Terry Campion.
MISSION OFFERINGS
All Postal Orders and Cheques to be sent direct to us at St. Joseph’s Advocate, Mill Hill Missionaries, 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535. Bank Giros to be sent directly to our Bank account. Details of the a/c available from our office: 01 412 7707 St. Joseph’s Advocate Mill Hill Missionaries 50 Orwell Park Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535 Tel: (01) 412 7707 Winter 2018
Email: organisingmhm@gmail.com Website: www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk
St. Mary’s Parish 25 Marquis Street Belfast BT1 1JJ Tel: 04890 320482 1
From the
Editor
Fr. Jim O’Connell, mhm
As we approach Christmas, we have another year’s experiences to reflect on. For some, these were happy and joyful; for others, they may have been painful and difficult. Perhaps you have had to cope with great personal suffering or the loss of a loved one with the grief and heartbreak it brings. For many there will be that mixture of joy and sorrow which is so much part of human life. The message of Christmas tells us that Jesus is our companion on the journey through life. God has come to live among us in the person of Jesus, born in a stable at Bethlehem on the first Christmas Night. This is the great mystery at the heart of our faith. We can truly say, “Jesus is one of us.” This little phrase reminds me of the words of Father Damien to the lepers on the Island of Molokai; “Now I too am one of you.” In the second half of the nineteenth century, Fr. Damien, a Belgian priest, chose to work with the lepers on the 2
Island of Molokai. It was a very brave thing to do. He knew that he could never again leave the island, and that he would inevitably get leprosy himself. Miraculously, Damien worked with the lepers for twelve years before he got leprosy. Then one night, when he was washing his feet he found he had lost the feeling in his right foot – the first sign that he had contracted the disease. The following Sunday, he began his sermon with the words: “Now, I too am one of you.” He felt he had now identified with the lepers in their dreadful condition. Fr. Damien was canonised in October 2009 and is now St. Damien. Perhaps Damien’s words are a helpful way to express the mystery of Christmas. The Baby of Bethlehem is ‘Immanuel’, a name that means ‘God is with us’. We can imagine Jesus saying to us: “Now I too am one of you.” He identifies with us in our humanity, our suffering and our weakness. He takes our sins on Himself. He is with us at the heart Winter 2018
of life’s experience; we meet Him where we are, as we live our ordinary, everyday lives. He invites us to enter into and become aware of his power and presence in our world and in our personal lives. Sometimes we can be very aware of this, while at other times, there is just a whisper or gentle touch of His presence that brings help and hope to all who turn to Him in their hearts. We believe that Jesus is now one of us, one with us, present in our hearts and in our world. When our hearts awaken to His presence, we come to know
and experience his Love for us and for all humankind. As we celebrate Christmas, we pray for the grace to open our hearts (and our homes) to the love of Jesus. Jesus invites us to live that love, express it in our lives and share it with others. We are all part of this great ‘mission’ at a personal level but also as a Mill Hill family. Our Mill Hill members on the missions and at home, our families, our friends and benefactors, our sick and elderly, all play a part in helping people to know and believe in God’s great love revealed in Jesus our Saviour who is Immanuel, God with us.
“And is it true, this most tremendous tale of all, A baby in an ox’s stall? The maker of the stars and sea Become a child on earth for me.” (From the poem: Christmas – by John Betjeman)
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‘Walking through a minefield in the dark’ By Michelle Slater (In St. Joseph’s Advocate of Spring this year, we brought you an article by Aidan Hart entitled: ‘The Experience of a Lifetime’. Aidan described his experience of a few years ago when he spent time with Fr. Tom Keane, MHM, in Shauri Moyo parish in a vast slum in Nairobi. Last year, Michelle Slater of ‘Missio U.K.’ visited the same parish and was impressed with the new generation of Mill Hill Missionaries.) For many people living in a city like Nairobi, there is not much to be joyful about, unless, of course, you have the means to live in a nice house in a quiet suburb, and access to one of the many shopping malls springing up in the smarter areas of town. Fr. Francis Makuba is a Kenyan Mill Hill Missionary living among and serving the people of Shauri Moyo, a very poor suburb in Nairobi. He leads the thriving St Joseph’s parish started by the Mill Hill Missionaries some 37 4
years ago in an area that is far from being a smart suburb. “Many people in the parish (Shauri Moyo) are without jobs and live from day to day, often living in very basic conditions, without access to clean water, electricity and sanitation, sometimes without hope.” - Fr Francis explains.
‘Like walking through a Minefield in the dark’
With poverty comes the common ills of urban life including crime, gang violence, drugs and alcohol abuse, alongside the instability of family life and a high rate of teenage pregnancy. Growing up as a young person in this environment is ‘like walking through a minefield in the dark’ – as Fr. Francis describes it. In this darkness, Fr Francis and his fellow Mill Hill Missionary, Fr John Baptist, are trying to offer some guiding Winter 2018
light to the youth of the parish by providing them with the opportunity to meet together to discuss their problems and encourage each other in their faith. For through faith, we are enlightened by the ‘God who revealed his immense love in the crucified and risen Christ’, as Pope Francis teaches. Watching Fr Francis interact with the youth is a real lesson in youth ministry. Surrounded by dozens of energetic young people he plays the part of the elder brother, being able to relate to them and generate much needed hope and joy. As their priest, he gives them spiritual guidance and pastoral support. One of the youth, Jemimah, says the programmes have helped her “acquire skills, have friends, feel loved and even noticed in society, and has helped me to escape bad company.” Young James, who shows all the signs of being a good missionary, related that “through this programme, we young Catholics come
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together to show our cooperation in spreading the Gospel.” Through your prayers and financial support, ‘Missio’ and the Mill Hill Missionaries have been helping Fr Francis and his co-workers to be a light in the darkness for the youth of Shauri Moyo. He knows firsthand how difficult it can be to enkindle the light of faith and hope in young people living among lights contrary to the Gospel. Fr Francis has the last word: “Ours is an Easter faith. Christ is the Light of the world. He has overcome the darkness. He will lead the way! Thank you for your help and support.” (Acknowledgements and our thanks to Michelle Slater who works for ‘Missio U.K.’ and is editor of the Missio magazine ‘Mission Today’)
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The New Generation of Mill Hill Missionaries
In this issue of the Advocate we have photos taken during the Jubilee celebrations in Dublin in July. Two Members celebrated 60 years and three others celebrated 50 years of missionary service. Here, we have photos of the new generation of Mill Hill Missionaries. The contrast is striking; we can clearly see the changing face of Mill Hill!
These young missionaries continue the Mission of Christ in the footsteps of those who have gone before them. During the Jubilee celebrations, we looked back with gratitude, but we can also look forward with hope when we see these young Mill Hill Members from Africa and Asia, who now number over 100.
Development Seminars Fr. Jimmy Lindero, a member of Mill Hill General Council, led ‘Development Seminars’ in East Africa during February-March 2018. The aim of the Workshops was to help our missionaries prepare projects and present them to funding agencies for financial support. Those who attended work in Kenya and Uganda. They work in very difficult and challenging areas and need all the spiritual and financial support they can get. There is money available from funding agencies for projects (that was the focus of the ‘Seminars’), but money is also needed on a daily basis to help the poor who cannot afford food, medicine, education. This is where the donations of you our benefactors come in. We can assure you that our young Members really appreciate your support and take good care to use wisely and well what they receive, as they reach out to some of the neediest people in the world. 6
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Mill Hill ‘Global Formation Meeting’ in Pune, India [From the 27th to the 31st of December 2017, the staff members from the eight Mill Hill Formation Centres in Africa and Asia came together at our Formation House in Pune, India, to attend a ‘Global Formation Meeting’. The Mill Hill General Council member in charge of Formation, Fr. Andrew Mukulu, attended the meeting. The Councillor for Asia, Fr. Jimmy Lindero, accompanied him.] Fr. Andrew wrote, “This meeting is a very important one on the Formation calendar. It is a forum for the staff members from the eight Formation Centres to present reports. They also share about their challenges and together discuss possible solutions. This results in the formulation and recommendation of policies that fit our times. We discussed many issues, including problems with obtaining Entry Visas to India and other countries. We also concentrated on issues regarding achieving a balance between academic formation and the other pillars of formation such as spiritual, personal and pastoral formation. We reflected on and shared about the whole process of discernment. During these meetings, the formal discussions are important, but the informal discussions are also an opportunity for members to share how to go about formation work. Members who attend these meetings always express how at the end of the forum they go away highly enriched by the experience.
Our Formation Programme is growing in strength each day, something that is worth rejoicing about as we offer our thanks to God.” Winter 2018
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y a d n u S e e l Jubi Sunday July 8: St. Joseph’s House, Dublin On Sunday July 8, we celebrated the Jubilees of Fr. Pat Byrden (Diamond), Fr. Jim O’Donoghue (Diamond), Fr. James Anthony Boyle (Golden), Fr. Maurice McGill (Golden), and Fr. Wijnand Huijs from Holland (Golden). Family, friends and Mill Hill colleagues joined the Jubilarians for Mass and for refreshments and a meal afterwards. Our Jubilarians celebrated years of loving service in many different countries from the Philippines to the USA, with India, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, England, Ireland and Holland all featuring on the list. “On Jubilee day, we express gratitude to God, to our families, benefactors, classmates and other Society members, and to the people – many of them in foreign lands – we have met on our journeys of 50 and 60 years of priesthood.” (From Homily of Fr. Maurice)
L. to R. Frs. Jim and Pat Diamond Jubilarians. Frs James Anthony, Maurice and Wijnand Golden Jubilarians 8
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Fr. Jim with his brother and sisters
Tanya McGill, Fr. Maurice, Sr. Colette McCann, Fr. James Anthony
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Fr. Pat with his niece
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Founder of Prague House, Freshford, Co. Kilkenny
Remembering Sr. Patricia Dee, FMSJ (1928 – 2017)
Picture Right: Sr. Patricia in the early days of Prague House (Picture: Terry Campion)
[The Requiem Mass (followed by burial) for the late Sr. Patricia Dee, fmsj, was celebrated in Burnley, England, on the 17th of August 2017. The evening of that same day, people from the parishes of Freshford, Lisdowney and Tullaroan, filled St Lachtaín’s Church, Freshford, Co. Kilkenny, for a concelebrated Memorial Mass for Sr. Patricia, the founder of Prague House, Freshford. We reproduce here part of the homily delivered by the parish priest, Fr Pat Comerford, at the Mass.] The Mill Hill Missionary Congregation was founded at Mill Hill in London in 1866. Seventeen years later, in
Sr. Patricia at the Faith Fest in St. Kieran’s College in 2013. (Picture: Michael Brophy)
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1883, Cardinal Vaughan and Mother Mary Francis founded the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of St Joseph at St Joseph’s College, Mill Hill. The Franciscan Missionaries of St Joseph have always worked in close collaboration with the Mill Hill Missionaries. Sr. Patricia joined the Sisters’ congregation in 1944. Over the past 73 years she has served generously, joyously, faithfully and with total dedication in the appointments entrusted to her by her Congregation. Fortunately for the people and parishes of Freshford, Lisdowney and Tullaroan, she was appointed to Mill Hill’s St. Joseph’s College, Freshford, in 1970. A Care Home for the Elderly Drawing inspiration from Bishop Peter Birch at that time, Sr. Patricia envisioned ‘a care facility for the elderly’ in Freshford. Working with like-minded people, she set about the task of making the vision a reality. When we dream alone, it is but a dream; but when we dream together there is the dawning of a new reality. In 1974 the care centre known as Prague House opened its doors with 12 new residents. Sr. Patricia chose the name Prague House because of her great devotion to the Infant of Prague. Prague House and Sr. Patricia will be forever synonymous; when we think of Prague House, we think of Sr. Patricia; when we think of Sr. Patricia, we think of Prague Winter 2018
Kilkenny hurler Tommy Walsh pictured with Sr. Patricia (front left), Sr. Peggy (front 2nd from right), Fr. Pat, Sr. Johanna (back row beside Fr. Pat), residents and friends of Prague House, at the launch of a Fundraising Draw in 2012. (Picture: Michael Brophy)
House – you cannot have one without the other! Thus in heartfelt gratitude we gather in prayer at this Memorial Mass for the happy repose of her soul on the day of her Christian Burial, in Burnley, England. We have come here to think about and pray for Sr. Patricia; to include her life and death in sacred remembrance at this Memorial Mass. Sr. Patricia was always faithful to her God, faithful to her faith, faithful to her Religous vocation and faithful in generous giving all the days of her long life. She trusted in God, and she prayed with child-like confidence to the Infant of Prague that all she asked of the Father would be granted. Sr. Patricia fed the hungry and … Sr. Patricia listened to Christ’s call in chapter 25 of Matthew in which the deeds listed are ordinary everyday deeds of feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, comforting the needy and visiting the sick. Sr. Patricia fed students and priests in St. Joseph’s College, Freshford, and in Mill Hill, London. She fed residents, staff, visitors and the many volunteers in Prague House. She fed soup and Winter 2018
sandwiches to fundraise for Prague House. She helped feed needy people in the wider community by establishing a flourishing daily ‘meals on wheels’ service from Prague House for those most in need of a hot meal. Sr. Patricia was great for visiting the sick in their own homes or in hospital. She made people who were carrying a heavy burden or cross her special care, praying with them and chatting with them as she helped revive their drooping spirits. There is no doubt that the words of the Gospel of St Matthew took flesh in her, as she ministered to the face of Jesus hidden in his needy ones at Prague House and in the wider community.
Sr. Patricia loved Freshford and its people. In the summer of 2016, she moved to the FMSJ Sisters’ Nursing Home in Burnley, England. At the edge of the village of Freshford, she looked back with her ready smile, waved her hand and said “good bye Freshford”. We say “good bye Sr. Patricia” - in the Lord’s own house may you dwell forever and ever. Amen. 11
Homily given on Jubilee Day by Fr. Maurice McGill, mhm
[Above: Jubilee Mass – left to right - Fr. Jim O’Donoghue (Diamond), Fr. Maurice McGill (Golden), Fr. James Anthony Boyle (Golden), Fr. Pat Byrden (Diamond), and Fr. Fr. Wijnand Huijs from Holland (Golden). Below: Fr. Maurice McGill (wearing hat) at Tibati Lake, before he left Cameroon in 2008]
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On Jubilee day, we express gratitude to God, to our families, benefactors, classmates and other Society members, and to the people – many of them in foreign lands – we have met on our journeys of 50 and 60 years of priesthood. In expressing gratitude and assessing our lives, we can look at the three significant dates given under our names in the Mill Hill Directory of our Members. The first date: Date of birth. In the first half of the 20th century, the date of birth and the date of baptism coincided (or were in any case very close together). We became a child of the birth family and a child of the family of God; we began our journeys of life with the name of a specific family and as a child of God. It is right that on this jubilee day we welcome members of our families here to this Mass of celebration and thanksgiving. With you, we remember our parents, other family members and friends who have gone to their eternal reward. We also remember in gratitude the neighbours, priests and teachers of our early Winter 2018
years. It is a coincidence that the Gospel of this Sunday speaks of Jesus going to his hometown. He was not very welcome; the carpenter’s son did not live up to the expectations of his family and local townspeople. We Jubilarians have always been welcome in our homes and in the homes of our family members. The second date: Date of Perpetual Membership of Mill Hill Society. Kneeling before the Superior General, each of us recited the Perpetual Oath: ‘In the presence of the Most Blessed Trinity, of Mary the Mother of Jesus, and of St. Joseph, our patron, I promise obedience to the Superior General in accordance to the Constitutions of the Society’. After saying the words, each one signed their name in a ledger: a missionary committed for life. The Jubilarians wish to express their thanks for what the Society has been and done for them. We thank God for the people we have met and served over the years… and for the people who live in this house and for the staff who work here and care for us. Pope Francis in his latest letter (Apostolic Exhortation) writes ‘Growth in holiness is a journey in community, side by side with others. Let us not forget that Jesus asked his disciples to pay attention to details. A community that cherishes the little details of love, where members care for one another, is a place where the risen Christ is present’. The third date: Date of Ordination. Kneeling before the Bishop, we answered questions: to the questions on willingness to be a priest, on celebrating the sacraments faithfully, and on exercising the ministry worthily, the answer was Winter 2018
‘Yes’. To the question, ‘Are you resolved to consecrate your life to God for the salvation of people, and to unite yourself more closely to Christ, the High Priest, who offered Himself to the Father as a perfect sacrifice’, we answered ‘Yes, with the help of God’. Yes, it was a major undertaking. St. Paul in today’s second reading speaks of an obstacle he encountered – ‘a thorn in the flesh’; we do not know what he is referring to, but the Lord assured him, ‘My grace is enough for you; my power is at its best in weakness’. Keep going; remain faithful – even if there are obstacles and weaknesses. Pope Francis talks of the subtle obstacles or enemies on the path to holiness: a knowall attitude and relying on one’s own efforts. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, a patron of Mill Hill Society, wrote in her Offering of Love ‘In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you emptyhanded, for I do not ask the Lord to count my works’. A fourth date: Now, as Diamond and Golden Jubilarians, we move towards a fourth date when we will appear in another Society publication - the booklet with the names of deceased members; this will take place in the not too distant future. We look back with gratitude and we look to Jesus, not welcomed in his home village and rejected by the authorities in Jerusalem and crucified. On Easter day, he came to his followers - men of sin and weaknesses as we are – and said ‘Peace be with you, I am with you always’. Yes, in our everyday lives and actions, Jesus is with us. So each of us can say ‘Yes’ again after 50 years or 60 years of missionary service and add ‘with the help of God’. 13
Jubilee Photos
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Winter 2018
In memory of
Fr. Patrick Harrington, mhm Fr. Patrick Harrington, mhm, died on Thursday the 30th of August 2018, in Muyuka, Cameroon. Patrick was born on the 25th of May 1945 in Glengarriff, County Cork (Diocese of Kerry). Patrick had two brothers and four sisters. He was a student at St. Joseph’s College, Freshford, from 1957 to 1962. He then moved to our house in Dartry, Dublin, to follow a three-year B.A. programme in philosophy at University College Dublin. From 1965 to 1969, he studied theology at Mill Hill, London. He took his Perpetual Oath on May 1st 1968 and was ordained priest on June 15th 1969 at St. Brendan’s Seminary, Killarney, by Bishop Denis Moynihan. Following ordination, Patrick returned to University College Dublin, where he completed a one-year Higher Diploma in Education. From 1970 to 1975, he was a member of the teaching staff at our college in Freshford. In 1975, he was appointed to Buea Diocese, Cameroon, where he was to spend the next 43 years. From 1976 to 1987, he served as pastor in Akwaya, Kumba, Tombel and Mbetta. From 1987 to 1994, he was a member of the teaching staff at Bishop Rogan College. From 1994 to 2005, he was Financial Secretary for the Diocese of Buea, based in Soppo. This was not a purely administrative role, since Patrick found himself involved in many aspects of missionary outreach: pastoral, educational and medical. He Winter 2018
spent the weekends in Tiko, where he celebrated the Mass with poor plantation workers. Patrick’s next appointment was to Mutengene, where he served as parish priest for twelve years. Recently, he moved to the Parish of Muyuka, where he was happy to serve as assistant priest. Patrick’s superiors noted that he showed “great conscientiousness and commitment to the people and to the work entrusted to him.” The civil authorities acknowledged that commitment when they awarded him the Cameroon Order of Merit in 1986. Patrick had health problems in recent years, requiring an annual trip to Ireland for a medical check-up. He had been home in July this year and returned to Cameroon on July 31st. The Bishop of Buea described his last hours: “Fr. Patrick celebrated Mass in the morning with the parishioners as usual. He later went to bless a family home and went to the church at noon for the Angelus. After the Angelus, he went back to the presbytery where he collapsed; he was rushed to Muyuka Hospital and died there at 1.30pm on August 30th.” Fr. Patrick is greatly missed and will always be remembered with deep respect and affection by his family, friends and Mill Hill colleagues. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis 15
Obituary List (Up until 1/9/2018)
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on the souls of: Dymphna Byrne, mother of Fr. Dermot Byrne, MHM. Michael Dennehy, brother in law of Fr. Donie O’Connor MHM.
Members Sr. Genevieve, Sr. M. Ignatius McCarthy, John Byrne, Nancy Carr, Bridie Chapman, Seamus Cooke, Mary Coyle, Mary Daly, Donal Duggan, Monica Hanlon, Emma Harden, Noel Hourihan, Hugh Lafferty, Margaret Lynch, Bridget McCarthy,
James McCarthy, Mary Morrison, Kathleen Moore, Peggy O’Dwyer, Maura O’Shea, Sheila O’Sullivan, Teresa Prendergast, Anne Quinn, Amelia Roche, Johanna Ryan, Ina Sheehan.
Please Remember the Missions in your will I bequeath to St Joseph’s Society for the Missions Inc, (Mill Hill Missionaries), 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535, the sum of e..................................................................... free of duty
to be applied for the general purpose of the said Society, and I declare that the receipt of the Rev. Director shall be a sufficient discharge of the same. Please Note: We regret that we have fewer pages in the Winter Issue of the Advocate; this is due to changes in the postage rate for sending the Advocate and Calendar together. The other Issues (Spring and Autumn) will not be affected. 16
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• • • • •
It keeps our friends and supporters in touch with our missionary work. It promotes devotion to St. Joseph - our patron and protector
There are three issues per year plus a Calendar at Christmas. It is sent to all our members.
Membership is e10.00 per year, £7.00 for those in the sterling area, $12 for the U.S.
Members give generously to help our missionary work and we deeply appreciate their great support.
If you would like to become a member and receive the Advocate, please contact: St. Joseph’s Advocate, Mill Hill Missionaries, 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535
r New Member
r Renewal of Membership (If you have not renewed)
Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................................ Perhaps you might interest a friend in becoming a member. All help for our missionary apostolate is deeply appreciated, and you share in the prayers and good works of our missionaries.
Important Notice about Data Protection We want to assure you that your personal data which we hold is being stored and protected in accordance with the GDPR (General Data Protection Resolutions) that became law in Ireland on 25/05/2018. This covers your name and address, as well as information about your donations for the Missions, for Masses and for the Magazine (St. Joseph’s Advocate). All the details of our Data Protection Policy are on our website: www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk Winter 2018
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St. Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill
Advocate Autumn 2017:Layout 1 29/06/2017 12:54 Page 1
ST. JOSEPH’S ADVOCATE MILL HILL MISSIONARIES 50 Orwell Park Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535 Tel: (01) 412 7707 Email: organisingmhm@gmail.com www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk 18
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