Fr Raymond Hickey (middle), flanked by Archbishop Kaigama and other bishops, is seen blessing a car which was bought for him by his parishioners as a birthday gift. Fr Raymond Hickey OSA will be remembered for his love of Nigeria and its people, writes Fr Justine John Dyikuk
Following the death of Irish Augustinian Fr Raymond Hickey, who answered the call home in the early hours of July 9, eulogies have been pouring in from people from all walks of life. Typical among them are those of the Augustinian Prior Provincial, Province of Nigeria, Fr Anthony Okechukwu Kanu OSA. He told of how the deceased priest touched the lives of his confreres in different ways, saying, “his commitment to duty and prayerfulness are two important factors that will remain with me”.
Fr Voviyere noted that Hickey ‘hardly criticised people destructively’ but ‘always looked for their positive aspect’”
Fr Kanu added that the gallant missionary was a quiet but industrious historian, and described him as “an Augustinian, whose inner peace, honesty, self-effacing demeanour, yet joyous sense of humour has fascinated friars. If I were to go beyond his impact on my life and talk about his influence on the Order of St Augustine in Nigeria, I would say that he gave us a positive collective identity through his hard work.”
The Prior Provincial believes that Fr Hickey’s name and values are already “engraved in the chambers of our hearts and will never be forgotten by us and by those yet to come”. However, he maintains that “the Order of Saint Augustine, Province of Nigeria will ensure that it keeps the fascination of Fr Hickey alive and attractive even for generations to come”.
For his part, Fr Emmanuel James Voviyere OSA, the Augustinian Secretary of Nigeria, said that the Irish Augustinian came across as someone who was “down to earth, simple and ready to teach”. He maintained that “even when he was sick, he was ready to assist”. Fr Voviyere noted that Hickey “hardly criticised people destructively” but “always looked for their positive aspect”.
Congregation
One of those who have interacted closely with Fr Hickey for the past 60 years is the Archbishop Abuja, Dr Ignatius Kaigama. In his condolence message to the deceased’s congregation and family in Nigeria and Dublin, he wrote: “Please pray for the repose of the soul of our longest-serving missionary in Africa who passed away peacefully in Nigeria”.
Archbishop Kaigama said that the cleric “loved Nigeria and her people and has served with very great merit at various times as a parish priest, a historian, a researcher, an archivist, an author, but above all, as a humble and dedicated Irish Augustinian priest”. He prayed God would “preserve a special room for him in his Kingdom”.
During his condolence visit to the Augustinian Community at St Monica’s Parish Rantya, Jos, where he is also a parishioner, Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong described the Augustinian priest as a man whose love and passion for Nigeria and its people transcended the barriers of religion, ethnicity or socio-political attributes.
Mr Lalong, who described Fr Hickey “as a huge reservoir of knowledge on the history of the country”, marvelled at his love for Nigeria, where he easily connected with people at all levels. He added that this is what earned the missionary tremendous respect “as a historian, researcher, conservator, an author, but above all, as a humble and dedicated Irish Augustinian priest”.
He raised parishioners, helped catechists, supported priests and bishops and contributed to the physical and spiritual growth of the Church”
Parishioners to whom the late Fr Hickey ministered were not left out of those who reflected on how impactful his life was. Gloria Thomas, a parishioner of St Monica’s, Rantya, and a veteran journalist on the Plateau State, explained that for the more than 10 years she knew the priest, he taught her humility, simplicity, consideration for others and serving God no matter the circumstances.
Ms Thomas said that “parishioners saw him as a very dedicated, kind and loving priest” and lauded Fr Hickey’s efforts in the Church in North-Eastern Nigeria where in her words: “He raised parishioners, helped catechists, supported priests and bishops and contributed to the physical and spiritual growth of the Church.”
Another parishioner, Sir John Edeh KSM, insisted that Fr Hickey “should be immortalised given that he left his country even as a young priest and made huge impact in the life of the Church in Nigeria”. Sir Edeh stated that Fr Hickey always wanted parishioners “to follow the Catholic Doctrine with precision” and praised “his demonstration of love for Mass in Hausa language”. He added that the cleric’s “vast knowledge of history of the places he had evangelised added to his strong sense of intimacy with them”.
For Dr Sylvester Dagin, a fellow Church Historian, “There is no Catholic Church historian in the North that can have access to the past without reference to Hickey”. He surmised that the Irish missionary “remains one of the historical footnotes of the Church in the North” who “should be immortalised as a missionary and a Church historian”.
Fr Hickey should not be left to become a victim of his specialty. This is why immortalising his legacies is key. Ms Thomas suggests that all his writings should be published and made available. She also recommends that a block should be named after him at the Augustinian Monastery, St Monica’s Church or St Augustine’s College, Du. For Fr Alexander Longs, a fellow Augustinian friar based in Rome, “His writing and that of Malachy Cullen will remain as the foundation and platform on which doctrinal literature of Northern Nigeria will be resolved”.
Born in Dublin in 1936, Fr Hickey was ordained a Catholic Priest in February 1960. He arrived in Nigeria, October 1960, as a missionary and served in Borno and Yobe States for 28 years. Fr Hickey, who was fond of saying he is both Irish and Nigerian spoke Hausa fluently. Apart from working in Lagos, Mararabar Ngurku, outside Abuja and Jos towards the end of his missionary sojourn, he lived among many different peoples across Nigeria. The veteran missionary watched as Nigeria moved from independence through to military coups and civil war, to the years of military dictatorship and then to the democratic dispensation.
Living Memory
For this writer, Fr Raymond Hickey (1936-2021) was simply the “Living Memory of the Church in Northern Nigeria”. He was buried on Thursday July, 14, 2021 at the Augustinian Novitiate, Tudun Wada Jos, after a Requiem Mass at St Monica’s Rantya, Jos, Plateau State. We commiserate with his sister Gladys and brother Desmond, the Augustinian communities in Ireland and Nigeria and the Catholic Archbishop of Jos Archdiocese, Dr Matthew Ishaya Audu, on this irreparable loss. We pray that this “significant footnote of the Church” that has seemingly disappeared would remain with us for a long time.
Fr Justine John Dyikuk is a Lecturer of Mass Communication at the University of Jos, editor of Caritas Newspaper and Convener of the Media Team Network Initiative (MTNI), Nigeria.