Fr Aengus Finucane CSSp: born April 26th, 1932; died October 6th, 2009:FR AENGUS Finucane, who has died aged 77, was a former chief executive of Concern Worldwide and after his retirement in 1997 became honorary president of Concern US.
A straight-talking Limerickman, he earned an international reputation for invariably getting what he needed for whatever project he was involved with, whether in Bangladesh or Uganda. Colleagues spoke admiringly of his canny nose for politics. He had the knack of a rural TD for being able to spot just who was the right politician to side up to in Ireland or Thailand in order to get things done.
Concern's chief executive Tom Arnold said that Fr Finucane's extraordinary commitment to the "poorest of the poor" was rooted in his faith. He described his predecessor as an "inspirational figure" who motivated "a whole generation of overseas volunteers, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, who remained his steadfast friends and supporters".
Born in Limerick in 1932, he was one of seven children of John Finucane and his wife Delia (née Byrnes). Educated at the Christian Brothers' School, Sexton Street, he entered the Holy Ghost Fathers' (Spiritans) novitiate in Kilshane and was professed in 1950.
He graduated from University College Dublin in 1953 with an honours degree in philosophy, and was awarded the higher diploma in education in 1972. Following a period teaching at Rockwell College between 1953 and 1955 he studied theology in Kimmage and was ordained to the priesthood in 1958.
During his first assignment, as diocesan director of Catholic Action in Nigeria and parish priest of Uli, he found himself caught up in the bitter civil war between Nigeria and Biafra. An emergency airstrip in the parish of Uli was widened in order to take up to 40 flights of relief supplies a night. He and his parishioners unloaded and distributed these essential goods, sent by Africa Concern in Dublin, in extremely dangerous conditions. "Uli was bombed every day," he recalled, "but the Biafrans were lined up in the forest with truckloads of gravel to fill the holes in the runway."
Expelled from Nigeria, Fr Finucane moved to Libreville, Gabon, in 1969 and continued his aid mission with Biafran refugees. He had fond memories of the Ibo people.
"There was a tremendous satisfaction working with people who were going places on their own merits, who were thirsting for education and schools. Parents were starving themselves for their kids to go to school."
His first major appointment with Concern was as field director in Bangladesh, working among people who, he said, cared about people and made "a cheerful giving, even of themselves".
Assignments in Thailand and Uganda followed, and his faith survived the desperate refugee camps of Kampuchea and the terrible knowledge that one-third of infants born in even the best Kampala hospitals were HIV positive.
Out of this tempered and sobered faith grew his credo: "We have a strong inclination to do evil, and you have to fight like hell to do any good."
Appointed chief executive of Concern Worldwide in 1981, he travelled to many of the world's disaster areas and witnessed the horrors of Rwanda at first hand. His call to stop people drifting into urban environments with nothing for them unfortunately fell on deaf ears. Nevertheless, he continued to argue the case. Likewise, he emphasised the importance of education, particularly for women, in developing countries.
Heeding his own advice, in the 1970s he took a study break and secured a master's degree in development studies at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. This involved field trips to Africa and Asia.
He established Concern US in the mid-1990s, and after stepping down as chief executive in 1997 devoted his energies to developing the organisation in New York, Boston and Chicago. As president of Concern US he contacted a number of Irish-American philanthropists who, at his behest, adopted the cause of the world's poor.
Today, Concern Worldwide is a major international charity, employing 3,600 expatriate and local staff, and operates in 30 countries. The organisation was among the first to establish programmes in Albania to work with Kosovar refugees. And it is also actively involved in relief efforts currently under way in East Timor, Mozambique and Ethiopia.
Growing up in Limerick, "Gus" Finucane developed a lifelong love of hurling and rugby. He was particularly proud to have hurled for Treaty Sarsfields in the county minor championship, and he played rugby as a young teacher at Rockwell. "He was never fit but he knew how to use his weight," an old rugby friend recalled.
Swimming was another youthful pastime, and in later life he regularly swam at the Forty Foot in Sandycove. He also enjoyed a round of golf and afterwards, a pint with friends.
Honorary doctorates were conferred on him by the National Council for Educational Awards in 1995 and by the University of Limerick in 1999. He was awarded the Freedom of Limerick city in 2005.
Predeceased by his sister Biddy and sister-in-law Pat, he is survived by his Spiritan confreres, brothers Jim, Fr Jack CSSp, Joe, sisters Mary and Sr Patricia (rsm) and sister-in-law Sally.
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