Out of Africa and tracing the changes in Athlone

Monsignor John Roche has observed his native Athlone intently since he returned on a sabbatical after living more than 35 years in his adopted home in Africa. While he has been at home in Arcadia with his mother, Madge, he has returned to the activities of his local community, and can reflect with honesty on comparisons at home and in Africa. He returned to Athlone almost a year ago, and has witnessed the developing recession in the community and among those he knows. However he grew up during the 1950s, and 60s in Arcadia, Athlone, and missed the Celtic Tiger years here, and lived among people who lived in poverty in Malawi, Zambia and Nigeria over those years. "I think anybody of my generation will not be that worried about the recession, because we have within ourselves the ability to get out of it," said the Athlone monsignor. "It might be an invitation to find our community base again, because in the past we shared a lot and helped each other. We hadn't much extra, but we had more than enough to get through." John believes that the recession can be an invitation for people to realise the strength and spirit that they have within them, and he believes that there is also an opportunity for people to tap into their own energies. "It might be scant comfort but I've seen people in Africa struggling to survive and we will survive, and we must also remember that a lot went wrong because of greed, and we now realise that we don't need to be like that," said John. "The earth has enough for all of us, and we can tap into our own vision and imagination, but only as a community will we move out of this." The Athlone Monsignor had a very happy and fulfilling ministry in Malawi, from 1972 to 1992, and while his final years were calamitous, he did triumph over his adversity there. In 1992, after 20 years of serving the Malawian people, as a priest, with seven of those years as an acting bishop, John was expelled under threat of death from the central African country. The end for John in Malawi happened when the powers of the country discussed the assassination of the country's bishops, following a Lenten pastoral letter based on the justice and peaceful teachings of the Catholic Church. The Athlone-born Monsignor had just 24 hours to leave Malawi, or he would have been killed. "Malawi was run by a dictator, Hastings Banda, and during his time there was little room for dissent or promotion of human rights," said John. For a long time there, the regime thought the Bishops were singing from the same hymn sheet as themselves, but John was one of the thorns in the government's side in later years, as he was an outspoken critic of the regime, and a supporter of human rights there. He escaped from the central African country in the boot of a British Secret Service car, and brought to Zambia where there was an Irish consul. He returned home to Athlone, and then divided his time between his home, the St. Patrick's Missionary Society in Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow and the Vatican in Rome. "When I was expelled I had a number of audiences with Pope John Paul 11, and thought he was a very sensitive person, and a very human and personable individual," said John. Two years after been expelled, he returned to Africa, and worked for two and a half years in a township on the outskirts of Lusaka in Zambia From doing his Leaving Cert at Marist College, Athlone, and coming from a family of six siblings, John joined Kiltegan's St. Patrick's Missionary priests. John's mother was Madge Kilroy from Arcadia, and his father Jack Roche, who died in 1967, was from Clonown. "I'm a real Athlone man, with a leg in both camps, because of my mother and father coming from both sides of the river," said John laughing. "My family had a love of religion in a very balanced way and my father was in the old IRA and was on the run for a while, and he always had a relationship with the church, albeit one of questioning. My mother would also have had a great faith in her life, and we were a household like most others who said the Rosary." John's mother Madge and her two sisters, May Green and Alice Egan (who are all in their 90s) published their amazing joint autobiography, 'Growing Up in Arcadia' in 2005. The unique book is an account, not alone of the Kilroy family, and stories of John and his siblings and cousins when they were younger, but also of Athlone and indeed Irish life since the early years of the last century. As a young lad, John got involved with the many football street leagues that were taking place in Athlone. He was involved in the Marist primary school choir which was ran by Brother Brian. As early as that time, John believed he would be a priest, and he was convinced further when he went to the Marist College. "If I didn't join the priesthood I would have been involved in music or drama I think, and I eventually took up the guitar when I went to Kiltegan, but I've a great regret that I didn't keep it up," said the Athlone Monsignor. "I loved drama, and plays with Bro. Brian, and Mrs Seavers from St Francis Terrace used to make the costumes for us." John has fond memories also of Brother Patrick, who he said was a great man for teaching poetry and creativity, and who was a man before his time. Because it was the early 1960's, John couldn't continue playing both soccer and GAA. He decided, with great success afterwards, to stick with gaelic football. Before John decided to join the priesthood in the Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow seminary, he got involved with a youth programme in the GAA, and has fond memories of being trained by two army officers, Cmdt O'Dwyer and Cmdt Quinlan, and by Frank Starken and Bro. Hubert. John was involved with U/16, U/17 and minor level teams. He played in a winning Athlone GAA team in 1971, which got to the Leinster club final, but they were beaten by a point by Portlaoise. He also served three years with the Westmeath team, but because of his seminary commitments he admitted he hardly ever did any training with them. He'd usually travel straight on Sunday to the match to play for either Athlone or Westmeath, and missed a lot of Sundays in the seminary. He has much life experience both at home and abroad, but mostly in his adopted home of Africa. John was based in Nigeria from 2001 until last year, and his next tour of duty will be to Kenya, sometime before Christmas. "I've seen people in Africa living in one roomed sheds, but I've seen families coming out of there with a dignity, and they know they can survive," said John. "I wonder whether it might be time for us in Ireland to think about down-sizing. Over the last ten years, while I was visiting Ireland I saw houses here getting bigger. But a home is just four walls, and, I have seen great and wonderful people coming out of small thatched mud huts." John admits that he discovered in his current time in Athlone that the whole concept of community has changed very much. "When I was growing up, we were in and out of each other's houses, but now people are very private and isolated and I'm shocked by people saying that they don't know who lives beside them," said John. "For myself, I got back involved in the ministry by visiting somebody new every day, and I got involved in the GAA again, and got involved in playing cards with friends. Reconnecting with people is always a good thing to do." A fund-raising American Tea Party for Monsignor Roche's upcoming work in Kenya will be held in Athlone GAA on Friday, October 16, with Mass beginning at 7pm followed by music afterwards.