Shepherd of the people

Fr. Lou Quinn wove pastoral sacramental ministry together with economic and social development aimed at improving the lives of his parishioners

By Fr. Mike Traher, S.F.M.
January/February 2008

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On Friday October 19, 2007, the people of the town of San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic, along with their neighbours from the surrounding mountain villages gathered in their parish church to bid farewell to someone who is regarded by each of them as a cherished member of the family.

Scarboro missionary Fr. Lou Quinn, or "Padre Luis" as he was commonly known, spent his entire priesthood in the Dominican Republic, most of it in the parish of San José de Ocoa, a mountainous region near the centre of the country. There he served the people of Ocoa for 42 years, a beloved pastor committed to helping the poor. With seemingly inexhaustible faith and energy he wove pastoral sacramental ministry together with economic and social development aimed directly at improving the lives of his parishioners. His efforts and vision opened up a future of hope for their families and communities that is evident today in the bustling life of Ocoa.

On October 11, 2007, at 79 years of age, Fr. Lou Quinn died peacefully while hospitalized in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was struggling to recover from heart surgery and post-operative treatment. Born in England in 1928, he came to Canada as a young child. Growing up in Toronto, he graduated from St. Michael's Choir School. While a student at St. Michael's College he felt the call to priesthood and entered Scarboro Missions' St. Francis Xavier Seminary. In December 1952 he was ordained for Scarboro Missions by Cardinal McGuigan. The next year he was assigned to Scarboro's mission in the Dominican Republic.

Sr. Mary Jo Mazzerolle of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph at Fr. Lou Quinn's wake. Sr. Mary Jo has been in San José de Ocoa since 1965 and has administered the Padre Arturo Centre in town. The Centre has an elementary school as well as vocational and technical training facilities and is named after Scarboro missioner Fr. Art MacKinnon who was martyred in the Dominican Republic. The community of Religious Hospitallers in Ocoa have for many years served the community in the areas of health care and education.

After a few years in the Dominican Republic he returned to Canada and did studies at the Coady International Institute in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, known for its excellent training in the development of cooperatives and credit unions. Returning to the Dominican Republic he was all the more convinced of the need to balance his sacramental ministry with a ministry incorporating socio-economic development. He believed with a passion that both were needed to break the cycle of poverty, indebtedness and desperation that held his parishioners in its grip. For him it was a matter of justice. Truly living the Gospel of Christ had to include economic opportunity for the poor.

Lou always loved to tell the story of Cachan, a developmentally challenged member of the community. At the end of Mass one day, Cachan passed in front of the altar just as Lou said: "The, Lord be with you!" Stopping in his tracks, Cachan pointed a finger at Lou and said in a strong voice: "That's the way it's gotta be!"

Inspired volunteers

Fr. Quinn inspired many high school and university students, especially Canadian Catholics, to come to Ocoa as volunteers to work with the people. Supported by a small but equally dedicated community of Canadian religious Sisters and fellow Scarboro priests in Ocoa, their collective efforts helped radically transform the lives and wellbeing of whole communities throughout the area.

They worked together with international partners, individuals and groups with specialized skills such as engineering, labouring successfully on a multitude of projects.

Today schools, homes and health clinics continue to be built in remote villages by numerous groups of Canadian students. Volunteers who participate in ongoing projects, like the D.R.E.A.M.S. project, are often profoundly transformed by the hospitality and friendship they encounter. They are amazed at being so welcomed into the homes and communities of the poor. Likewise their hosts are equally delighted by their foreign guests who have come to live and work with them for a while, some becoming life-long friends.

All the above actions are regularly celebrated in various ways by the many small Christian communities throughout the parish. Conscious of the need to connect faith and life, Fr. Quinn continually expressed to his parishioners the need for living one's faith through working together not only for the good of one's own family, but as well for one's neighbour. He observed in an interview (Scarboro Missions, March 2003) that the only meaningful way to celebrate Eucharist each Sunday was to bring an offering that came out of service to one's neighbour. He said:

"Christ has promised a full life to all people. You should not be celebrating Eucharist unless you are sharing with others and trying to bring about that possibility of a full life and a better life for all. The Good News is not just a said word. It has to be a lived word."

Little Darius makes friends with Chris, Nicco and Steve, D.R.E.A.M.S. participants from St. Mary Catholic Secondary School who volunteered in Ocoa building a home in his mountain community.

In his years of service, Fr. Quinn received many kinds of recognition for his labours from Canada, the Dominican Republic and internationally. But he confided to colleagues that what meant most to him was being made a citizen of the Dominican Republic by President Lionel Fernandez.

Perhaps the finest tribute is being bestowed on him in death. After a lifetime of shepherding his people, he is being buried in a simple wooden coffin, the kind used by ordinary campesinos (farmers) for the burial of their loved ones. The funeral Mass, presided over by his bishop, Msgr. Freddy Bretón, was celebrated Friday, October 19, in the parish church. Fr. Lou's body was interred in a specially built crypt inside the church beside the stairs leading to the choir loft. There, each time they pass by on their way to worship, the hearts of the people of Ocoa will be stirred again as they remember the faith, spirit and dedication of their beloved shepherd.

Fr. Mike Traher is Vicar General on Scarboro's General Council.

Above: Children of a campo (mountain village) enjoy being visited by Fr. Lou Quinn and St. Joseph Catholic High School teacher Jim Lacey. San José de Ocoa. 1997.

Fr. Lou's body rests in a specially built crypt inside the church beside the stairs leading to the choir loft. Each time they pass by on their way to worship, the hearts of the people of Ocoa will be stirred again as they remember the faith, spirit and dedication of their beloved shepherd.

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