Fr William “Bill” McGarry SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia from 1980 to 1986, died at a hospital in Manila on December 29 at the age of 90. According to an obituary published by the Philippine Province, Fr McGarry had long been suffering with pulmonary ailments and needed regular oxygen.
In 2014, he wrote for The Windhover, a publication of the Philippine Jesuits, about Jesuit life for the aging and aged, having moved from the Jesuit residence to the infirmary.
“Should all give up all work as they pass a specific age?” he asked rhetorically. “Why in the world would they? The 35-year-old Jesuit should be involved in the ministerium passivum and activum but mostly in the active. The man in his 80s might well spend most of his time in the passivum but not all if he still has some strength.”
Fr McGarry was a man devoted to his mission. Fr Francis Hezel SJ, former Regional Superior of Micronesia, described how Fr McGarry did nothing by half measures. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, he was assigned to Micronesia in 1960, two years after being ordained to the priesthood.
“He learned the language and culture of Pohnpei with a thoroughness that the rest of us could only admire”, wrote Fr Hezel. “Before long his reputation soon began circulating throughout the island among foreigners and local people alike. If a young Pohnpeian wanted to know some obscure respect term used only of high chiefs, off to Bill McGarry he would go.”
Fr McGarry spent 20 years in Micronesia, doing pastoral work in Pohnpei where he was superior of the Pohnpei Jesuits from 1970 to 1973 and later Regional Superior of Micronesia from 1973 to 1980 while concurrently serving as Pastor of Awak. He began the diaconate programme in Pohnpei in the 1970s along with some of the liturgical changes that occurred during those years.
“The vision Bill promoted was of a church that was fully indigenised–one for islanders and staffed by local priests”, related Fr Hezel. Fr McGarry saw the importance of Vatican II and its relevance in helping define more clearly the mission of the Jesuits on the island.
“Under his influence the mission was transformed from a collection of individuals, each following his own star, to something that could almost be called a team”, said Fr Hezel, describing Fr McGarry as “the man who more than anyone else had shaped the course of the modern Jesuit mission in Micronesia”.
In 1980, Fr McGarry moved to Manila where he was President of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia; later Oceania was added to the name, according to Fr McGarry, upon the insistence of two major superiors. He returned to Micronesia to become Episcopal Vicar of the Vicariate of Pohnpei-Kosrae from 1986 to 1990, then back again to Manila as first Rector of Arrupe International Residence (AIR).
Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) President Fr Tony Moreno SJ was a member of the first AIR community. In his memo to the major superiors, he recalled how Fr McGarry helped form a generation of Jesuits coming from diverse provinces and regions.
“It was something new for him to accompany a multigenerational and multicultural formation community and not without tough personalities. We were the first occupants of the house and, thanks to him, Arrupe International Residence is what it is now in some measure because of his leadership. He wanted the house to be welcoming and hospitable to guests. He kept insisting on the universal and missionary character of our vocation. He was particularly critical of clericalism and triumphalism. He wanted us to be personally responsible for our formation. At times he was irritable, but he was quick to apologise”, shared Fr Moreno.
Former JCAP Formation Delegate Fr Norris Seenivasan SJ of the Malaysia-Singapore Jesuit Region was a resident of AIR from 1993 to 1997.
“Looking back I feel that my stay at AIR was a time of growth because of Fr McGarry. As a scholastic I felt trusted by him. He gave me what I thought to be some important responsibilities at AIR. Even though he was the rector and I merely a scholastic he was humble enough to consult me on matters connected to my responsibilities. For me it is such men who truly capture what it means to be a Jesuit and inspire us to continue the mission”, Fr Seenivasan wrote during AIR’s 25th anniversary in 2015.
After AIR, Fr McGarry returned to Micronesia, becoming again Episcopal Vicar for Pohnpei-Kosrae from 1996 to 2001. Once more, he came back to the Philippines as Assistant Tertian Director of the JCAP Asia Pacific Tertianship programme from 2001 to 2010.
Since 2012, failing health brought him to the Lucas Infirmary, then in 2016 to the new Jesuit Health and Wellness Center until his death. He still managed pastoral ministry, especially spiritual direction and conversation, until pulmonary ailments made this difficult.
In his article for The Windhover, Fr McGarry wrote, “Jesuit life is not abandoned in diminished old age. It just takes somewhat new forms or emphases.” He considered living in the infirmary as an apostolate. “Are not our friends (or brothers) in the Lord objects of our apostolate? Someone has said that the members of our communities are our first apostolate”, he wrote.
Fr McGarry touched the lives of so many people as a missionary, pastor, friend, confessor, spiritual director, companion and leader.
“He certainly gave so much of his life in the service of the Church and Society and particularly in our conference as President, Arrupe International Residence Rector and Assistant Tertian Director,” said Fr Moreno. “We can only thank the Lord for sending Bill to us.”
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The passing of Fr William McGarry, architect of the new Micronesian Mission
Aging and the Jesuit Life