Joseph G. Healey
Encyclopedia
Joseph Graham Healey is considered one of the leading researchers, compilers and writers on African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories. He is a consultor to the African Proverbs Project and various journals. He is featured in the International Who's Who of Intellectuals, International Authors and Writers Who's Who, International Directory of Distinguished Leadership, and Contemporary Authors
.
, son of John Anthony Healey and Virginia Mary Graham. At an early age his family moved to Baltimore
, Maryland
. He has two brothers, three stepbrothers and one sister. He attended Gilman School and graduated from Portsmouth Abbey
High School in Rhode Island
in June 1956. After three years at Princeton University
he entered Maryknoll College, Glen Ellyn, Illinois
, on September 4, 1959. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Maryknoll College in June 1961, and his Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Maryknoll Society of Priests and Brothers Seminary in New York. He was ordained a priest there on June 11, 1966. After ordination, Father Healey received a Masters degree in Journalism (International Communications) at the University of Missouri
in 1968 and then worked for the Maryknoll Magazine at Maryknoll, New York
and produced religion television programs for the local NBC affiliate station in New York City.
In 1968 he was assigned to the 'then' Maryknoll Africa Region. In 1968 he founded the Social Communications Office of AMECEA (Association of the Catholic Bishops Conferences in Eastern Africa) based in Nairobi
, Kenya
and was the Social Communications Secretary from 1969-1974. He served as Editor of AMECEA Communications and conducted training workshops in communications media. He served as the Church Press Officer during Pope Paul VI
's visit to Uganda
in 1969 and during various Regional and Continental Bishops Meetings. For this service in 1969 he received the Pro Ecclesia papal medal from the Vatican
. After a spiritual renewal sabbatical he lived a ministry of spiritual presence in Nyabihanga Village in Rulenge, Tanzania
from 1976-1978. In 1979 he was assigned to Maryknoll's Formation-Education Department and coordinated the Integration Year and taught mission spirituality at Maryknoll Seminary, New York. He received a Master degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University
in 1981.
After returning to the Tanzania Region in 1982, Father Healey worked in the Iramba Parish in Musoma Diocese, where he concentrated on building Small Christian Communities and developing the Adult Catechumenate (RCIA). In February 1987, he became the Social Communications Coordinator of the Africa Region of the Maryknoll Missionaries based at Makoko, Musoma. He did research on African proverbs, sayings and stories and gave occasional lectures on inculturation at the Makoko Language School.
On August 25, 1989, Father Healey was appointed the Second Assistant to the Regional Superior of the Maryknoll Tanzania Mission Region. For many years he was the Editorial Advisor to two publications, Communicatio Socialis Yearbook and New People. On September 18, 1989 he was elected Second Chapter Delegate for the Tanzania Region and attended the Ninth General Chapter of the Maryknoll Society at Maryknoll, New York in October 1990.
In November 1994, Fr. Healey moved to Dar es Salaam
, Tanzania
, where he worked in a variety of mission, communications and pastoral ministries. He was the Chairperson and later Coordinator of the Mission Awareness Committee (MAC) of the Religious Superiors' Association of Tanzania (RSAT). He was a member of the St. Charles Lwanga Jesus Small Christian Community (SCC) in Drive-in Estate and a member of the Jesus Caritas Fraternity. He was the Local Superior of the Maryknoll Society House in Masaki, Msasani.
In March 2007 Father Healey moved to Nairobi, Kenya. Presently he is the Editor of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Africa Region Newsletter and is the representative of the Maryknoll Africa Region on the Orbis Books
Advisory Board. He is the Moderator of the African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories Website at http://www.afriprov.org and the Networking Coordinator of the Small Christian Communities Global Collaborative Website at http://www.smallchristiancommunities.org.
In the January 2008 he began teaching an Elective Course on "Small Christian Communities As a New Model of Church in Africa" at both Hekima College and Tangaza College in Nairobi, Kenya.
Advocate
, November 10, 1982.
America
, May 1, 1980.
Baltimore Sun, August 20, 1969.
Catholic Review, May 1, 1975; April 15, 1981.
Faces of Africa, February, 1992.
Maryknoll
, November, 1974; August, 1975; October, 1983.
Maryknoll in Touch, February, 1992.
Portsmouth Abbey School
Bulletin, Winter 2002.
Maryknoll News, June 19, 2006.
The Beacon
, July 6, 2006.
Contemporary Authors
Contemporary Authors is an annually updated reference work published by Gale Cengage. It provides biographical details on over 120,000 writers in all genres whose works have been published in the English language...
.
Biography
He was born on April 29, 1938] in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, son of John Anthony Healey and Virginia Mary Graham. At an early age his family moved to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He has two brothers, three stepbrothers and one sister. He attended Gilman School and graduated from Portsmouth Abbey
Portsmouth Abbey
Portsmouth Abbey is a monastery of the Roman Catholic English Benedictine Congregation in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The Abbey was founded on 18th October, 1918 by the Bostonian, Dom Leonard Sargent, as a priory of Downside Abbey. Its monks run the Portsmouth Abbey School....
High School in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
in June 1956. After three years at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
he entered Maryknoll College, Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Glen Ellyn is an affluent village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the village population was 26,999.-Geography:...
, on September 4, 1959. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Maryknoll College in June 1961, and his Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Maryknoll Society of Priests and Brothers Seminary in New York. He was ordained a priest there on June 11, 1966. After ordination, Father Healey received a Masters degree in Journalism (International Communications) at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in 1968 and then worked for the Maryknoll Magazine at Maryknoll, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and produced religion television programs for the local NBC affiliate station in New York City.
In 1968 he was assigned to the 'then' Maryknoll Africa Region. In 1968 he founded the Social Communications Office of AMECEA (Association of the Catholic Bishops Conferences in Eastern Africa) based in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and was the Social Communications Secretary from 1969-1974. He served as Editor of AMECEA Communications and conducted training workshops in communications media. He served as the Church Press Officer during Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
's visit to Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
in 1969 and during various Regional and Continental Bishops Meetings. For this service in 1969 he received the Pro Ecclesia papal medal from the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. After a spiritual renewal sabbatical he lived a ministry of spiritual presence in Nyabihanga Village in Rulenge, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
from 1976-1978. In 1979 he was assigned to Maryknoll's Formation-Education Department and coordinated the Integration Year and taught mission spirituality at Maryknoll Seminary, New York. He received a Master degree in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
in 1981.
After returning to the Tanzania Region in 1982, Father Healey worked in the Iramba Parish in Musoma Diocese, where he concentrated on building Small Christian Communities and developing the Adult Catechumenate (RCIA). In February 1987, he became the Social Communications Coordinator of the Africa Region of the Maryknoll Missionaries based at Makoko, Musoma. He did research on African proverbs, sayings and stories and gave occasional lectures on inculturation at the Makoko Language School.
On August 25, 1989, Father Healey was appointed the Second Assistant to the Regional Superior of the Maryknoll Tanzania Mission Region. For many years he was the Editorial Advisor to two publications, Communicatio Socialis Yearbook and New People. On September 18, 1989 he was elected Second Chapter Delegate for the Tanzania Region and attended the Ninth General Chapter of the Maryknoll Society at Maryknoll, New York in October 1990.
In November 1994, Fr. Healey moved to Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, where he worked in a variety of mission, communications and pastoral ministries. He was the Chairperson and later Coordinator of the Mission Awareness Committee (MAC) of the Religious Superiors' Association of Tanzania (RSAT). He was a member of the St. Charles Lwanga Jesus Small Christian Community (SCC) in Drive-in Estate and a member of the Jesus Caritas Fraternity. He was the Local Superior of the Maryknoll Society House in Masaki, Msasani.
In March 2007 Father Healey moved to Nairobi, Kenya. Presently he is the Editor of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Africa Region Newsletter and is the representative of the Maryknoll Africa Region on the Orbis Books
Orbis Books
Orbis Books, is an American imprint of the Maryknoll order, that has been a small but influential publisher of liberation theology works, founded by Nicaraguan Maryknoll priest Miguel D'Escoto with Philip J. Scharper in 1970. It was the first to publish Gustavo Gutiérrez's seminal work A Theology...
Advisory Board. He is the Moderator of the African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories Website at http://www.afriprov.org and the Networking Coordinator of the Small Christian Communities Global Collaborative Website at http://www.smallchristiancommunities.org.
In the January 2008 he began teaching an Elective Course on "Small Christian Communities As a New Model of Church in Africa" at both Hekima College and Tangaza College in Nairobi, Kenya.
Works
He has written extensively on Small Christian Communities, African proverbs, sayings and stories, communications, inculturation, and mission. His books include- A Fifth Gospel: The Experience of Black Christian Values (Orbis Books, 1981)
- Kuishi lnjili—Living the Gospel (Benedictine Publications, 1982)
- Kueneza Injili Kwa Methali—Preaching the Gospel Through Proverbs (Benedictine Publications, 1984)
- What Language Does God Speak: African Stories About Christmas and Easter (St. Paul Publications, 1989)
- Kugundua Mbegu za Injili—Discovering Seeds of the Gospel (Benedictine Publications, 1993)
- Je, Mungu Anasema Lugha Gani? (Benedictine Publications, 1993)
- Towards An African Narrative Theology (first printed in 1996 and now in the following editions: Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 7th Printing 2007 and Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 4th Reprint 2005)
- Once Upon a Time in Africa: Stories of Wisdom and Joy(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004)It was selected as one of The Best Spiritual Books of 2004 by Spirituality & Health Magazine Award.
- African Stories for Preachers and Teachers (Paulines Publications Africa, 2005)
- Small Christian Communities Today: Capturing the New Moment (edited with Jeanne Hinton) (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2005).
Further Readings About the Author
PERIODICALSAdvocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
, November 10, 1982.
America
America (magazine)
America is a national weekly magazine published by the American Jesuits that contains news and opinion about Catholicism and how it relates to American politics and cultural life....
, May 1, 1980.
Baltimore Sun, August 20, 1969.
Catholic Review, May 1, 1975; April 15, 1981.
Faces of Africa, February, 1992.
Maryknoll
Maryknoll
Maryknoll is a name shared by three organizations that are part of the Roman Catholic Church and whose joint focus is on the overseas mission activity of the Catholic Church in the United States...
, November, 1974; August, 1975; October, 1983.
Maryknoll in Touch, February, 1992.
Portsmouth Abbey School
Portsmouth Abbey School
Portsmouth Abbey School is a private, coeducational boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12, located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Founded by the Benedictine monks of Portsmouth Abbey in 1926 as Portsmouth Priory School, the school offered a classical education to boys...
Bulletin, Winter 2002.
Maryknoll News, June 19, 2006.
The Beacon
The Beacon
The Beacon is the student-run newspaper of Florida International University in Miami, Florida and has a circulation of 7,500. The Beacon is published thrice weekly in a compact format during the Fall and Spring semesters and once a week on Wednesday during the Summer...
, July 6, 2006.