The people of his native Kinawley and neighbouring Derrylin parishes came together on Sunday evening to celebrate Brother Joe Gilleece's 50 years as a Presentation Brother
He professed in August, 1959 in the Order's mother house, Mount St Joseph in Cork and, from there, two of his close friends travelled to be with him, Brother Bede, a former Provincial and Brother Joseph.
Fr Gabriel Kelly, Curate, celebrated the special anniversary Mass in St Naile's Church, Kinawley. He was assisted by eight priests, among them Fr Donald Hannon, parish priest Swanlinbar/Kinawley and Canon Liam Gaffney, PE, Derrylin, a former curate.
Fr Kelly welcomed Brother Joe's family, his brothers brother Michael, a member of the Redemptorist Order in Clonard; Peter (P); and Kevin and his sister, Mary Cussons who, along with Brother Michael did the Readings. The Communion gifts included two Papal awards which Brother Joe received, as secretary of the centenary committee to mark the 100 years of Christianity in Northern Ghana - where Brother Joe has been based for the past 34 years - and the other to mark his golden jubilee.
The gifts were brought up by his brother, Peter (P) Gilleece, his nephew, Bosco Gilleece and by Hugh Murphy and Goretti McHugh. The combined choirs of St Naile's and St Mary's, Swanlinbar sang.
In his homily, Brother Joe (72) spoke of the ideals of the Presentation Brothers (to educate young people in remote areas) founded in 1802 by Brother Edmund Rice, a lay Brother.
In an interview with the 'Herald', he spoke of his own upbringing, in Tully and attending Slieve Russell NS and St Michael's Secondary School in Enniskillen where he spent one year before resuming his secondary schooling in Cork.
"I had the desire of becoming a Presentation Brother and, after professing and training to become a teacher (he read for his degree at night) I was invited to go to Ghana. That was in 1971 and, since then, I have been connected with the Ghanaian Mission ever since. I started taking vocations there and was sent to the US for training in that type of work for a year or two."
During his 34 years in Ghana, Brother Joe earned legendary status as a builder of schools, health clinics and, sinking boreholes for water. He was bestowed the title, Chief Namaltinga ('chief for development') by grateful tribal chiefs and, as was once offered a wife by way of thanks for providing clean drinking water for the people!
"It's the greatest gift you can give people, clean drinking water. It means that diseases such as cholera are eliminated. It's the greatest thrill that people can get and the other thing is that it gives me a thrill that sustains my own vocation in that you feel you're bringing something to the people."
The success of the schools - he was involved in five schools in different dioceses at three levels, primary, secondary and teacher training - brought in non-Christians and, more importantly, led to local people entering the religious life.
"Ghana has three main religions, traditional African, Moslem and Christianity, and because of the schools, Christians are the main group. Families convert to Christianity so their children are allowed into the schools.
"They regard us as having the best schools. Moslem parents will by-pass their own Islamic schools in order to get their children educated."
That in itself has put extra pressure on Brother Joe to find the money to build or extend a school, but, thanks to the generosity of the people of Kinawley and Derrylin and elsewhere and, also, from his own family, the work gets done. He is very grateful for this.
Over-riding everything is the focus on securing Ghanaian priests and Brothers to continue all the good work already done. Brother Joe addressed this in his homily.
"If we can pass on the spirit of our founder, Blessed Edmund Rice, then we have done something. There are only a few Irishmen there, like myself, at the moment. We are all getting old. But, we have had great success with vocations there.
"We started with only two Irish Brothers and now we have five communities in Ghana and a community as well in Nigeria."
And, he found time to work as secretary to two local bishops and still do his other work. This lasted for eight years.
"Why was I asked? Because I was strong and healthy. They saw me as a stable kind of person who could fit the bill. By that stage I had formally retired from teaching as you have to do in Ghana when you reach 60."
But, he is still involved with building and extending schools ('there are never enough schools') and shares that onus with drilling boreholes for water, building health clinics and paying medical fees for those who cannot afford hospital treatment.
"Where I work", he explained, "leprosy is very much a reality and, with it, the myths that surround it. For instance, any family member who has it is shunned but, it can be contained if got in time."
Brother Joe himself has contracted malaria several times, the first time requiring a week-long stay in hospital. He joked that the reason why countries such as Ghana were avoided by the white man was the mosquito.
"I am on what's called preventative medicine and if I feel malaria coming on, I take the proper treatment. If you can find the right drug, it's effective.
"We did have two Brothers die from it, the last one in 2002, but his was a deadly strain."
Finally, he was asked if he wouldn't think of putting his feet up in Tully, or Cork, having given 50 years' service. No, he had just recently acquired a new 10-year passport that will enable him to continue his good work as Chief Namaltinga (chief for development).
Sunday night's events were organised by a committee headed by Michael McBarron. They included a social in St Naile's Hall where a film depicting Brother Joe Gilleece's work in Ghana was shown.
