Page 40 - The Gonzaga Record 1986
P. 40
PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS
John Feighery, After a holiday home in 1981 during
Society of the Divine Word which he attended a renewal course in
theology and spirituality in the Divine
Word house in Nemi, Rome, John re-
When Gonzaga College opened in turned to Brazil.
September 1950 John Feighery and his He took up a new appointment in
brother Denis were among its first Belo Herizonte, third largest city in
pupils. Eight years later having matri- Brazil. Here he lived with a small
culated, John went to University group of philosophy students to whom
College, Dublin where he took a he acted as Spiritual Father. These
degree in History in 1961. He then
went to Paris to do research for an MA
degree.
In 1964 he joined the Department of
External Affairs and worked in Iveagh
House as a Third Secretary until 1966.
In September of that year he entered
the novitiate of the Divine Word
Missionaries in Donamon Castle, Ros-
common.
After two years novitiate he went to
Maynooth to study Theology. In
December 1972 he was ordained in
Donamon. In 1975 he left for Brazil.
He spent six months in Rio de
Janeiro studying Portugese at a langu-
age school, and was then assigned to a
small town called Rubin, in a remote
part of the country about 1,000 miles
from Rio. Here John worked with a
German confrere for about three years.
There were a few prosperous farmers
in the area, but the people of the town
were mostly poor, with a degree of John Feighery
poverty that John found painful to
witness. Rubin parish had twenty-five students attended University lectures
outlying commumt1es which the in the mornings, but engaged in
priests tried to reach once a month, or various forms of pastoral work later in
perhaps in two months. Travel on the day. At week-ends John was invol-
almost non-existent roads was by jeep ved offering Mass up to six times in
or horseback, and sometimes when the different areas; and in baptising,
mud was too much even for the horse, marrying, counselling. Early this year
on bare feet. 1986 he transferred to the city of Juiz
In the isolation of Rubin, John kept de Fore, where he has seventeen stu-
sane by listening to the World Service dents under his care, as well as pastoral
of the BBC and his classical music duties. He has however been promised
tapes. the assistance of a fellow priest.
38
John Feighery, After a holiday home in 1981 during
Society of the Divine Word which he attended a renewal course in
theology and spirituality in the Divine
Word house in Nemi, Rome, John re-
When Gonzaga College opened in turned to Brazil.
September 1950 John Feighery and his He took up a new appointment in
brother Denis were among its first Belo Herizonte, third largest city in
pupils. Eight years later having matri- Brazil. Here he lived with a small
culated, John went to University group of philosophy students to whom
College, Dublin where he took a he acted as Spiritual Father. These
degree in History in 1961. He then
went to Paris to do research for an MA
degree.
In 1964 he joined the Department of
External Affairs and worked in Iveagh
House as a Third Secretary until 1966.
In September of that year he entered
the novitiate of the Divine Word
Missionaries in Donamon Castle, Ros-
common.
After two years novitiate he went to
Maynooth to study Theology. In
December 1972 he was ordained in
Donamon. In 1975 he left for Brazil.
He spent six months in Rio de
Janeiro studying Portugese at a langu-
age school, and was then assigned to a
small town called Rubin, in a remote
part of the country about 1,000 miles
from Rio. Here John worked with a
German confrere for about three years.
There were a few prosperous farmers
in the area, but the people of the town
were mostly poor, with a degree of John Feighery
poverty that John found painful to
witness. Rubin parish had twenty-five students attended University lectures
outlying commumt1es which the in the mornings, but engaged in
priests tried to reach once a month, or various forms of pastoral work later in
perhaps in two months. Travel on the day. At week-ends John was invol-
almost non-existent roads was by jeep ved offering Mass up to six times in
or horseback, and sometimes when the different areas; and in baptising,
mud was too much even for the horse, marrying, counselling. Early this year
on bare feet. 1986 he transferred to the city of Juiz
In the isolation of Rubin, John kept de Fore, where he has seventeen stu-
sane by listening to the World Service dents under his care, as well as pastoral
of the BBC and his classical music duties. He has however been promised
tapes. the assistance of a fellow priest.
38
