In this obituary we read of Columban Fr Malcolm Sherrard's response to God’s call to become a missionary priest and how it was lived out both in the Philippines and back home in New Zealand. As this issue of The Far East is dedicated to the promotion of religious vocations, the life of Fr Malcolm Sherrard offers us an inspiring example of one such vocation.
Fr Malcolm Sherrard died in Wellington, New Zealand, on 30 June 2012, aged 86 years.
When he was admitted to hospital during his final illness, the medical staff quickly found out that he was a priest, so on the chart they wrote Fthr. This caused a little confusion with the next shift. I heard a nurse ask, what do I call you? He whispered back, “call me Malcolm”. His life-long mission was about being at ease, helping others to be at home, comfortable in every situation.
Malcolm, the older son of Samuel and Margaret Sherrard, was born in Whanganui in 1925. He received his primary schooling in Feilding from the Sisters of St Joseph, and secondary education at St Patrick’s College, Silverstream. He prepared for seminary formation with evening study of Latin while working on the family sheep farm in the Manawatu.
Answering God’s call to become a Columban missionary priest, he began his preparation at St Columban’s, Lower Hutt, New Zealand in 1948, and later moved to North Essendon, Melbourne, Australia. His studies were completed at Dalgan Park, Ireland. From the early 1950s he carried a lasting sense of achievement from long holiday cycle tours across Europe. After ordination in 1954 he was assigned to the Philippines as a missionary priest.
Although the tropics were demanding, Malcolm found stamina to maintain a rugged pace for many years. Blessed with a calm and assured manner, his ministry was in rural areas. Mission was the straight-forward task of keeping a parish functioning, and reaching out to meet basic social needs in the scattered communities.
His principal missionary experience in the Philippines was in the Diocese of Iba in the Province of Zambales, first in Botolan, and later in the remote town of Poonbato. A Columban movie from that time, “Never to be Lonely”, presents him as a tall, confident, active fellow, totally at home in the local situation. He operated with steely determination, some would say a stubborn streak.
Over the years he supervised the building of churches, set up medical clinics, organised emergency relief in times of natural disasters, and was the director of a number of schools. Civil authorities acknowledged his deep concern for the welfare of people in the district. His one aim was to see that the projects touched and enriched the lives of the poor.
Malcolm later spent a number of years on the road in New Zealand, visiting parishes and schools with movies and slides to illustrate his mission message. For the most part, he remained a true product of the pre-Vatican church, shaped by practices and devotions from earlier years. Colleagues reckon we are not to see the like of him again.
Celebrations with his brother Graeme, sister-in-law Jean and family were times of pride and delight for Malcolm. Likewise, the support and encouragement of the Wellington Filipino Community were a blessing to him. Every visitor to the Columban Mission at Boulcott will fondly remember his gentle manner in hospitality. Kindness was his second name. A genuine concern for others and a selfless readiness to meet needs were at the heart of his missionary priesthood.
He was buried from the Columban Mission in Wellington on 4 July, and buried at Taita. May he rest in peace.
Read more from The Far East, August 2012