Mission to the Dominican Republic

A legacy of gifts and talents, of love and solidarity

By Fr. Jack Lynch
January/February 2013

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To write about the legacy of Scarboro in the Dominican Republic is an honour as I believe that in great part those that served there accomplished their objectives, their mission. However, writing about this is a challenge because of the number of Scarboro priests involved as well as other priests and women religious who collaborated with them since their arrival in that country. In a short article, it’s impossible to do justice to all of them, their individual talents and contributions. I can only give some personal impressions and highlight some of the qualities and people who embodied the gifts and charism shared by all.

Fr. Joe McGuckin has lived the majority of his priestly life serving the rural communities of Matazas in Bani, Dominican Republic.

My appreciation of them goes back many years. While I was still in grade school, Fr. Bill Harding, the associate pastor in my home parish, went to the Dominican Republic to visit his good friend, Scarboro Father John Keeler. Fr. Bill returned with eight-millimetre movies of the work of Scarboro priests there and I watched them a number of times, as well as listened to his stories which both fascinated and impressed me. During one of those occasions I remember Fr. Bill saying that if he had to do it all over again, he would have joined Scarboro. That comment made a profound impression on me and my vocation, and led me to become a Scarboro missionary priest.

I also recall that in my first year in the seminary, I saw Dominican Dawn, a movie produced about Scarboro priests in the Dominican Republic. The film only fortified the positive image I had of them, an image which has stayed with me all these years.

When I speak of their legacy, we have to appreciate that from 1943 until the present, 78 Scarboro priests have worked in the Dominican Republic. While Scarboro no longer has responsibility for any parishes or ministries there, Fr. Joe McGuckin’s request to stay on was honoured as this was where he lived out the majority of his priestly life. Fr. Joe is not unlike the vast majority of those who served in the Dominican Republic: their nationality was Canadian but their hearts were definitely Dominican. That love and solidarity that Scarboro personnel personified has been honoured by many Dominicans in innumerable trib-utes. When Fr. Bob Hymus was told that the Cardinal wanted to honour him with the title of Monsignor, his response was that he would accept it only if it was a recognition of the work and sacrifice of all Scarboro personnel who worked there.

The introduction of cooperatives and credit unions in Scarboro parishes helped the people to better their lives. This credit union in Yamasa was built in the 1950s by the members with their own savings and labour. Yamasa, Dominican Republic.

While acknowledging the work of our Scarboro brothers, I know they would have been the first to say that it is most important to recognize the work and great support that came from diocesan priests from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and Kingston, Ontario, who lived and worked with them. They would also be the first to tell you of the importance of the generous commitments of Canadian women religious working in the Dominican Republic who were magnificent pioneers in the fields of education and health care primarily in the rural areas. The principal groups that worked side by side with Scarboro personnel were the Sisters of Charity from Halifax, the Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception from Pembroke, Ontario, and the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph from Kingston, Ontario. The Sisters of St. Martha from Prince Edward Island also collaborated most generously.

Most of the missioners worked in rural areas among the poorest of the Dominicans, an experience that pro-foundly influenced and touched their lives. They spoke out about injustice and lived out an option for the poor long before it became part of the Church’s social teaching. A few had to leave the country under death threat for speaking out about the conditions under the dictator Trujillo. In 1965, Scarboro missioner Fr. Art MacKinnon spoke out at the Sunday masses about the unjust detention of students. He was killed that evening, a martyr for his commitment to justice.

Our priests were leaders in the introduction of credit unions and cooperatives in the Dominican Republic. Many of them were influenced by the Coady movement in Nova Scotia. Frs. Jack McIver and Harvey Steele were among the leaders.

In 1965 Scarboro missionary Fr. Art MacKinnon was assassinated because of his defence of young members of his parish who were unjustly imprisoned by the Dominican military.

In rural development, Frs. Joe Curcio, Lou Quinn, Robert Smith, and Joe McGuckin are recognized for encouraging the participation of the local population in identifying and solving their own problems. Fr. Lou Quinn was involved in that work for more than 40 years and became known nationally as the “padre of the poor.” Besides being a recipient of the Order of Canada, he was made a Dominican citizen.

Fr. Joe Curcio

Monsignor Robert Hymus

One of my proudest moments as a Scarboro missionary was to witness the love and esteem that the people had for Fr. Lou at the time of his funeral. Not only did some 30,000 people come into the town of San José de Ocoa from the surrounding mountains, but the President, many senators and all members of the Supreme Court came to the funeral and wake along with the papal nuncio and the Canadian ambassador. The President ordered the national flag flown at half-mast throughout the country.

As Scarboro missioners they set out to build up the local Church and one of the highlights of this work was the day that 25 Dominican priests were ordained in the national stadium in a nationally televised event. Scarboro as a Society has always had as its goal to build up the local Church and to encourage vocations for the local Church. We are not a religious order and did not accept priest candidates for Scarboro, but always promoted the local clergy and Church, its growth, consolidation and witness.

The work of making Canadians aware of the reality of some of our poorer neighbours continues through the work of a former Scarboro lay missioner Dean Riley in the town of Consuelo, and through ADESJO, the community development organization in San José de Ocoa started by Fr. Joe Curcio and continued by Fr. Lou Quinn.

Yes, I am very proud of the brothers who have gone before us and have left us a marvellous legacy. To all of you we say, well done good and faithful servants. Now we move forward to the new challenges.

Fr. Lou Quinn

Fr. Robert (Buddy) Smith

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