Dave Hunt of the Pro Life Campaign Personal Profile
“Sic parvis magna” is a Latin phrase attributed to Sir Francis Drake, the English sea captain of the 16th century. It’s often translated as, “from humble origins to great challenges”. This quote applies neatly to those pursuits and endeavours which seek to further the message of the gospel in today’s world. No one is more familiar with the seed-planting nature of this work than Dave Hunt. Having worked as General Manager for Pure in Heart, and now working for the Pro Life Campaign, he is intimately familiar with the often invisible yield those who undertake work in these fields find. I asked him where his passion for working in this area came from: “I think my family were always very strong in their faith, my mam especially. Growing up my brother was very ill, he died when I was a child, and he had very strong faith. Basically, I think his example, he was only 12, and the example of my mam and how he had his illness, because it was a life-long illness, and how he carried that and how he lived, provided an example of faith that showed me that Jesus was a real person. He was a friend. He was close to them.”
Brother
This relationship with his brother shaped his views on fundamental issues: “I suppose my first encounter with the pro-life movement came when I was about 12 and the ‘X case’ came out,” he says. “As well, yeah, I think it was very strong in our family. I have another brother who died before I was born, he was three. Both Martin and Paul, they both had CF (Cystic Fibrosis), that’s what killed them. Back then it was a death sentence for children, but now people can live into their 40’s and 50’s.”
Hope
“Back then there was no real hope for you. It was a miracle if you grew to adulthood, really. Pauly, my brother, he lived a full life. He was very much a distinct person. He had his own personality, his own mannerisms, and he was a person to us. My mother would always talk about him in that way, and so would my eldest sister…And I think, when you hear about what we hear in the news now about children who have life-limiting conditions, they dehumanise them. I say “no”, because I can point to people personally, in my family, who have had life-limiting conditions and indeed died as children.”
Convictions
Deep relationships and experiences often lay at the root of these convictions, and Dave is no different. First studying, then working in engineering, he knew this wasn’t what he was looking for: “Yeah, it was just very unsatisfying. It was never what I thought it was going to be, the engineering career.” He continues: “I remember I was at a Youth 2000 retreat years ago and a man gave a talk, and it turned out he had been a chemical engineer in the same company as me. He had the same reservations as I had about it all, and he ended up leaving and working for the Presentation Brothers, and he works in catholic communications circles and media and things like that.”
“The idea got into my mind then and it took a long time but when the chance came with Pure in Heart, I was out of work and it all came together very, very quickly. It seemed the right fit for everybody,” Dave reflects. Pure in Heart is a charity that seeks to spread the catholic perspective on relationships and sexuality, and he felt this was in line with the convictions he held. However, as with all mission, it is rarely as simple as getting out there and speaking to thousands in one go. Asked about his experiences there, Dave replied: “I think I was there for the transition. I went through all sorts of plans, what I wanted to do, but as many people have said to me, that time of work, missionary work, is very chaotic and you’re never really in control.”
“I always felt that I wouldn’t be there to see the fruits of my work,” Dave says, “So I always knew that I was there for transition and I was really just to pass it on, so I kind of look back now and like to see where it’s flowing to. They have the podcasts, which grew to the show with Radio Maria, and the blogs.” His experience was in keeping with the spiritual director, Fr. Alan’s, exhortations regarding mission: “That’s mission: the car breaking down, trouble with the laptop before a talk.”
However, this chaotic nature of mission work is not without its rewards: “I also take satisfaction from people who’ve come to their faith, the people who’ve come to the prayer meeting and are a part of the community now. It’s great to watch them flourish.”
Leaving Pure in Heart at the end of 2019, Dave now works for the Pro Life Campaign, which goes hand in hand with both his previous work and his beliefs. Asked about the most rewarding aspects of this new assignment, he responded: “It’s very encouraging because you meet a lot of good people. We’re even meeting people now who had voted yes in the 2018 referendum and had campaigned to repeal, and they’re now turning around and supporting us, and actively volunteering with us. They’re generally young as well, so it’s great to see that.” Slowly but surely, the fruits of his, and many others, labour are showing themselves.