Preparing for the Columban Centenary
Fr Malcolm Sherrard is remembered for his steely determination and commitment to mission in the Philippines. He had an amazing ability to supervise the building of churches, set up medical clinics, organise emergency relief in times of natural disasters, and be director of a number of schools.
Answering God’s call to become a Columban missionary priest, Malcolm Sherrard 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.
His principal missionary experience was in the Diocese of Iba in the Province of Zambales, first in Botolan, and later in the remote town of Poonbato.
Although the tropics were demanding, Malcolm found the stamina to maintain a rugged pace for many years. Mission was the straight-forward task of keeping a parish functioning and reaching out to meet basic social needs in the scattered communities.
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.
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. When interviewed for the film Fr Sherrard was asked if he ever felt isolated and lonely. “No,” he says, “people ask me that all the time but I tell them I am at home here. I want to do as much as I can, as long as I can.”
On his return to New Zealand in 1991 Fr Malcolm spent a number of years on the road 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 II church, shaped by practices and devotions from earlier years. Colleagues reckon we are not to see the like of him again.
The short film ‘Never to be Lonely’ can be viewed on the Columban website www.columban.org.au
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - September 2017
