Oblate News

Fr Richard Haslam OMI

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal

Fr Richard Haslam OMI

1926-2020

APPOINTMENTS

1950 – ’54 MAMI & Pilgrimages, Inchicore 

1955 – ’58 St Anne’s Parish, Rockferry

1959 – ’68 Philippines: formation, school admin 

1968 – ’69 Retreat work, Australia

1969 – ’71 Hong Kong, Teaching

1971 – ’72 Ottawa University, Degree in Education 

1972 – ’75 Hong Kong, School Administration 

1975 – ’77 OMI Parish, San Fernando, CA 

1977 – ’78 Sabbatical, Denver, CO

1978 – ’79 Oakland CA, Formation House 

1979 – ’85 Lafayette CA, Dir.  Retreat Centre 

1985 – ’87 Natl.  Novitiate Staff, Godfrey, IL

1987 – ’99 Provincial Admin, Oakland CA – as Provincial Secretary & Provincial Council member; and Vicar Provincial from 1987 to 1996.

1999 – 2020 Oblate Community, Inchicore

Richard Thomas Haslam was born in Belfast, 27 September 1926, to parents John and Catherine (nee Meehan) Haslam. John, from Co. Laois, and Catherine from Durham, had met and married in Belfast. When Richard was 8, the family moved from Lisburn Rd to the Antrim Rd, a move that would significantly influence the direction of his future life. 

Two Oblates, brothers Alfie and Francis Brannigan, came to the house next door, their family home, when on holidays from England and South Africa. Richard got to know them, and through them met with four more Oblates from his parish, James Tate (British Columbia), James McDaid (S. Africa) and the Cormican brothers, Leo and Robert (Canada and Australia). 

He was an enthusiastic altar server, so he served their morning Masses during holidays; they told him stories from their missions, answered his questions, and gave him books written by Oblates. They were influential in his decision about what to do after school. 

So too was the War; people spoke of little else in early 1940s Belfast. Richard was absorbed by war tactics; he charted developments, fleet positions, the locations of ground troops, and he planned his campaigns. As secondary school drew to an end, he thought of joining the British Navy- to his mother’s horror. 

When he decided to go to the Oblate Novitiate in Limerick in September 1943, his mother reluctantly agreed because it was ‘at least better than joining the British Navy’. 

After ordination, Richard, who had joined the Oblates to work in the foreign missions, found himself in Inchicore in the mission office, organising pilgrimages. A further 9 years would pass before he got an opportunity to go to the missions. Two young Oblates, John Murphy and Pete Moriarty, home on holidays from the Philippines, encouraged him to request a change. Eventually, this was granted and he arrived in Manilla in May 1959. 

‘Five days later, with no time to learn a language or get introduced to the history and culture of the country, I found myself alone in a small town on the Island of Mindanao, as the first resident priest in this mostly Muslim area. The people spoke a language I didn’t understand; and my job was to run a school, but first I had to build it…’ And he did build it, with the help of a loan from family in Ireland. Education became his expertise; he got to know the law and how to get things done. When he was asked to take over a failing Catholic teacher-training college and get it officially recognised, organised and staffed, the project succeeded thanks to the support of Muslim leaders with whom he had developed excellent working relationships earlier. 

The years in the Philippines and later Hong Kong brought to the fore those qualities of resilience, determination, courage and missionary purpose that, coupled with good organisational skills, helped Richard make an outstanding contribution to the leadership of the Western U.S. Oblate Province, and also to formation and spirituality ministries in that Province. He helped, too, to make the Western United States a welcoming and homely place for Oblates from our Province who spent sabbatical time there. His generosity and kindness never wavered. 

When Richard retired to the Inchicore Oblate Community 21 years ago, he did valuable organisational work in the archives and generally played a full and much appreciated part in the life of the community and province. A good student and reader, he studied theology and spirituality, reading widely. He became particularly interested in the interface between theology and science, and the implications of the emerging ‘new universe story’ for Christian theology. Searching for fuller and more profound answers to life’s big questions was a sacred quest for Richard. He was deeply moved by the suffering of the innocent and weak, and sought more clarity in his understanding. 

He was deeply prayerful, and regularly shared the fruits of his meditation as short prayers. Much of his prayer was centred on the mystery of the Incarnation and God’s self-emptying love. 

He was also a delightful companion, and when he was able, he liked nothing better than going out for a pasta, a glass of wine and good conversation. He also loved the cinema and good films. When he could no longer go the cinema, he appreciated his friends who provided DVDs of his favourite movies. 

Like his parents, he lived into his 90s, and knew the limitations of deep old age, but he lived each day as fully as he could, and was immensely grateful for his life, his Oblate vocation, the friends who brought grace and joy to his life, his family and his community. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.