A memorable Feast

By Fr. Russ Sampson, sfm
April 2000

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

As you probably know, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, December 3, holds a special place in the hearts of all missioners. As one of the earliest and most famous of Jesuit missionaries, St. Francis Xavier is the principle patron saint of the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society. Each member of Scarboro Missions would have an abundance of memories during the joyful celebrations of this great feast day.

For me, at this stage of my missionary priesthood, there is one St. Francis Xavier feast day that I will always remember. But the difference with this feast was that it was also the occasion for a painful parting. Little did I know that the very next morning Fr. Graham Clark would die in a car accident on a road he had driven on many times.

But in order to reflect on the deeper meaning of that event, I have to turn to the late evening of December 3, 1996. After a meeting at the Church of the Ascension in New Amsterdam, I took the ferry across the Berbice River to visit Fr. Clark in Hopetown. It was about 9:30 at night when I arrived, amidst all the Hopetown mosquitoes. Fr. Graham was at the dock to meet me. On his way he had purchased a few things to ensure that I had suitable refreshment after my journey.

We had an excellent meal, actually the result of teamwork. Fr. Graham bought the food and faithful Sister Brian prepared it. We stayed up until 11:30 that evening. What a celebration it was. At one point, after the main course was completed, Fr. Graham disappeared for a few moments, only to reappear with delicious ice cream, a rare treat in Guyana. Don’t ask me where he had bought it, but he did.

We agreed late that evening that since both of us were due to travel to Georgetown the next day, we could travel in his car. Just before midnight, Fr. Graham indicated that I was probably tired and would need to have my rest. Mind you, he proceeded to the chapel to continue his daily prayers.

The next morning something extraordinary happened. For the first time, as long as I could recall, I was up before Fr. Clark. My meeting was scheduled for 8:30 in the morning, whereas Fr. Clark was going to Georgetown for car parts, which could be purchased at any time. Since he was late getting up I decided that I would travel to Georgetown on my own because of the early meeting.

When I was about to leave, Fr. Graham appeared. He saw me and called out, “You’re not going without saying good morning to Jesus, are you?” So we entered the chapel together and prayed.

These were the last words he addressed to me. Later that morning we received the message of his death.

Fr. Graham was a great gift to us and to the Church in Guyana.

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article