Saving Lives, Saving Souls

Spiritan Magazine Volume 41 Number 2 Summer Article 10 Summer 2017 Saving Lives, Saving Souls Dominic MacSorley Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/spiritan-tc Recommended Citation MacSorley, D. (2017). Saving Lives, Saving Souls. Spiritan Magazine, 41 (2). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/spiritan-tc/vol41/iss2/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Spiritan Collection at Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Spiritan Magazine by an authorized editor of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. Spiritan Jack Finucane Saving Lives, Saving Souls Dominic MacSorley CEO, Concern Worldwide ow do you sum up a life what was to become modern humani - of such extraordinary tarian action. At the centre of this achievement? I think that pioneering spirit was Jack Finucane. Hthe best way to capture Jack Finucane is by looking through Bangladesh the lens of some of the greatest hu - When Jack went as Country Director to manitarian crises of our time: Biafra, newly independent Bangladesh in 1973, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Rwanda. There he he recognized that there were massive could be found. These are the places he skill shortages — often citing that there called home. There his leadership shone. were fewer nurses for a local population of 74 million than in any one hospital Biafra in Ireland. Mobilizing young profes - Jack Finucane ’s story with Concern sionals — nurses, teachers and engineers began in Biafra as part of the Irish from every Irish county, the US, Canada response to the world’s first televised and the UK — within a year he had famine, when the young John and Kay under his management 76 volunteers, O’Loughlin Kennedy tapped into the many of them at his funeral today, sup - conscience of a nation and channelled porting the rebuilding of the country the generosity of the Irish people into and creating what was essentially Fr. Jack Finucane CSSp the strong and assured hands of young Ireland’s version of the Peace Corps. priests such as Jack and his older made of, which might be where Jack Really groundbreaking work. brother Aengus who had brought to got his nickname, “The John Wayne of One of the very real challenges 40 their parishes in Nigeria both the grit the developing world.” years ago was persuading Irish mothers and grace of a Limerick upbringing. Jack was an unassuming man, that it was OK to send their child to a For both these brothers, saving souls quieter than his elder brother but no country on the other side of the world and saving lives were indivisible. They less compassionate or courageous, battered by cyclones and war. Yet the swung into action. Jack was responsible no less resourceful. trust of Irish mothers was extraordinary for coordinating the distribution of food This was real frontier humanitarian - — I remember a letter that was sent to and medicine that, under the cover of ism — no blueprint for how to respond a certain Brigid marked c/o Concern, darkness, was flown in 20 times a night to a crisis, no previous lessons learnt. Bangkok, Thailand, Republic of China! to a makeshift landing strip. This was uncharted territory. It was It was a different age! Donald Byrne, journalist for the about instinct, compassion and the Jack always took care of his volun - Irish Times recalled: “I had never dealt courage to engage in complex, humani - teers, he understood that responsibility. with priests like these guys; they were tarian crises, in Biafra, in Bangladesh He also knew the importance of keeping a different breed.” and then Ethiopia. It is this work that people fit, healthy and focused on the It was dangerous and dramatic work changed the paradigm — bringing the work. Everything was thought through; — the stuff that Hollywood movies are long tradition of missionary work into it wasn’t about comfort but about creat - 16 | Summer 2017 | Spiritan e d i w d l r o W n r e c n o C Jack Finucane oversees emergency aid arriving in Biafra, Nigeria, in the late 1960s ing a highly functioning humanitarian of call because of his extensive local we ever got a glimpse of such a man. machine. knowledge. He was an early advisor to There will never be another like him.” His adherence to standards was leg - Bob Geldof on how and where Live Aid Ethiopia was also where Jack took endary. We all remember the tour of in - money should be distributed. Yes, he one of his most controversial stands — spection, that began with the programs ensured that a good percentage went to to work with the 650,000 people who but didn’t end there. In advance of his Concern — he was a businessman after had been forcibly re-settled from the visit there was often a major clean-up of the Concern house and, if it wasn’t up to scratch, you were in trouble. One This was real frontier humanitarianism. nurse in Bangladesh was instructed by Jack to paint the house, and so she did It is this work that changed the paradigm — in bright pink and dark blue; it was pretty awful! Her excuse of “I’m not — bringing the long tradition of missionary a decorator, Jack, I’m a nurse” didn’t work and the walls were whitewashed work into what was to become modern the next time he returned! When Jack asked you do something, he wasn’t just humanitarian action. At the centre of this telling you to do it, he was telling you to do it right. pioneering spirit was Jack Finucane. Ethiopia It was the 1984 Ethiopian famine where all. When Bono and Ali visited, he took north to the south of the country. No Jack’s leadership really come to the them to Wollo, one of the areas worst other organization would get involved. fore. By the time the famine received affected and which made a lifelong Jack, however, got into his car, drove worldwide attention, he already had impression on them both. Ali is here south and spent two weeks in the re- a team of 46 international volunteers today. Bono is on tour but he sent a settlement villages where he saw people and almost 1,000 Ethiopian staff on the message: “We are so shocked at Jack’s already dying, and recognized the po - ground. For many NGOs and the diplo - passing, yet relieved that he made such tential for this to be a massive humani - matic community, he was the first port a graceful exit and indeed humbled that tarian disaster. Concern had to respond. Spiritan | Summer 2017 | 17 e d i w d l r o W n r e c n o C Jack Finucane in Ethiopia, 1989 It was an enormous decision. Jack I remember at one point saying “Jack, ond note to me, “Dominic, start the was initially isolated by the aid agen - we are already at full throttle here. We work in the prisons immediately. I’ll be cies and most of the diplomats, but he can’t do anymore.” There was simply back to see progress in a few weeks.” went on a media offensive — something silence on the other end of the phone. he didn’t do with ease but did well. He I never used that line again. Retirement travelled to Canada and Europe to tell We were struggling with a decision Jack formally retired in 2002, but he the world that not engaging with re- about whether or not we should work never stopped working for Concern. In settlement would only punish the vic - in the prisons, which at that time were 2004, without hesitation, he abandoned tims. It worked; he got the funding. bursting to capacity with those accused all plans for the summer and flew to Concern’s program was effective in sav - of committing genocide. When Jack and Sudan to lead Concern’s response to the ing many lives. Jack’s response: “I knew I visited the notorious Kigali prison, he Darfur crisis. He later went on to over - twenty years ago that it was the right insisted on going into the underground see our operations in tsunami-affected decision; I don’t need an evaluation to dungeon, or cave as it was known, Sri Lanka. Up to the end he remained tell me that.” where thousands of men were crushed passionate and engaged in everything into a tiny space. The conditions were to do with Concern. Rwanda horrific. Only 4 weeks ago he was on Jack’s humanity gave him clarity and Jack didn’t say much, but his own Inishturk island, off the west coast of confidence in his response to re-settle - experience of being in a Nigerian prison Ireland, with 70 former Concern volun - ment. He was fundamentally offended must have been very much on his mind. teers. At the dinner that night he asked by injustice. The next morning I found his note pad me to say a few words: in fact he told I saw this first-hand in Rwanda after on the table beside an empty whiskey me what to say and to keep it short. the genocide. I was Country Director glass. Written in his distinctive hand- He then instructed me to go around and Jack was my boss in one of the writing was a letter to the Irish Times each table and talk to everyone. As I largest relief operations mounted by that opened with the following line, sat down he said, “That’s probably the Concern at the time. Jack would be “In my 30 years of working in Africa, first good day’s work you did in a on the phone every day: “What do I have never been so ashamed of man’s long time!” He never stopped directing you need?” “What more can we do?” inhumanity to man.” There was a sec - operations! 18 | Summer 2017 | Spiritan Memories I remember at one point saying We will all have our own fond memo - ries and stories of Jack: “Jack, we are already at full throttle here.

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