Nick Forde, a longtime Roman Catholic priest in the Prince George diocese, died Friday. Forde played an instrumental role with Bishop Fergus O'Grady in developing the Catholic school system in Prince George. Valerie Giles devoted her March 17, 2007 history column in The Citizen to Forde, who was celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest that year. Below is an edited version of that column:
Forde was born into a home with parents who valued education. His Irish mother was among the first Roman Catholic women graduates of Manchester University. She became headmistress of a school and inspired her son as a young teenager to become involved in Catholic education. "I used to help her teach in school classes. I was always a reasonable sportsman so I taught soccer."
He grew up admiring his uncle, who was a parish priest, and another outstanding clergyman, Father Willie Sweeney, O.M.I., an Irishman from county Donegal, who happened to be a great golfer. Father Sweeney often talked to young Nick about the adventures of foreign missions.
Eventually, Forde felt the calling which could not be denied and he entered the Order of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Looking back, he says "I thought it was a good idea at the time and I've no reason to regret it."
He became a priest on March 16, 1957, ordained by Bishop Fergus O'Grady in Piltown Scholasticate in Kilkenny, Ireland. Bishop O'Grady had been appointed by Pope Pius XII the year before as Vicar Apostolic of Prince Rupert. Of his ordination, Father Forde remembers, "I knew in my heart it felt right." As to divine inspiration, he quips "All my thoughts are inspired by the Holy Spirit...mistakes and all!"
Since 1826, Oblates have served all over the world and through the years built up a reputation as specialists in difficult missions. As a young priest, Father Forde found out about difficulty on his first assignment. His Order sent him to Africa where he served for fourteen years until 1971.
He left Ireland for Transvaal, South Africa where he became part of a group of priests (three Irish; one American and two South African) who travelled around the country. He operated from Johannesburg for seven years and worked at missions from Kenya to Capetown and from Southwest Africa to Tanzania. Despite the dangerous and dicey politics of the day, the priests were required to go to parishes and speak about the faith in a way which would indicate a clear criticism of South Africa's apartheid system.
As the Oblates fanned out over the large territory they would be away anywhere from two months to a year at a time. The typical situation would be to arrive at a mission and spend a month assisting parish and school affairs. They would look over the syllabus and teaching materials to ensure that nothing had been "edited" by the government. Father Forde was involved in the arrangements made for the transference of St. Gemma's, a school in one of the last shanty towns of the Johannesburg area to the new town of Tembisa. Today it is a flourishing elementary and high school. Nobody knows how that all happened. Father Forde blames the Holy Spirit!
Meanwhile in Prince George, Bishop O'Grady carried on the Oblate tradition, which dates here from 1861, of ministering to people in isolated communities in the northern part of the region which became British Columbia in 1871. Beginning in 1956, he placed strong emphasis on Catholic education and created a unique way to establish the schools.
Believing this part of the continent to be the last frontier, he established a movement called "The Frontier Apostolate" and recruited volunteers to help build and staff the schools. Those responding to the call became "Frontier Apostles" and gave freely of their time and talent to do everything required. In return, they were housed and given a modest stipend as they worked for the betterment of society. People arrived from other parts of Canada, the United States, England, Ireland, Scotland, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines and Australia. Together with Bishop O'Grady, they built thirteen elementary schools and one high school.
Waves of immigration eventually brought enough settlement to become a diocese in 1967. Bishop O'Grady saw the need to move the seat of the Diocese from Prince Rupert to Prince George on June 5, 1968, thereby becoming the first bishop of the Diocese of Prince George.
In 1977, Bishop O'Grady telephoned the Irish Provincial of Father Forde's Order looking for assistance to help with Prince George College. Father Forde agreed to come right away because of his respect and admiration for Bishop O'Grady. "He was a first-class academic in both theology and philosophy. In fact, he was the most remarkable missionary priest I ever encountered. He taught me more about what I should attempt to be than any other human being. His vision about the church's work in Western Canada, especially among the native community, was unique and, from my point of view, correct."
Among Father Forde's fondest memories of work in Prince George was building Immaculate Conception School in 1981 and later re-establishing secondary Catholic education as O'Grady High School. Father Forde chaired the board and brought a group of lay people together to manage the school.
In 1998, Father Forde left British Columbia to serve as pastor to seafarers in Southhampton, England. Shortly after arriving back in the United Kingdom, he became ill and faced coping with treatment for cancer. Considering the treatment possibilities, he decided he knew Canada better and came back in 2002. With faith and courage and expert medical treatment, he recovered. Once he felt well, he had no thought of retiring.
A vacancy was open in the Diocese of Kamloops at St. George's in Barriere. After that, Father Forde was attached as parish priest at St. James in Clearwater.
Affable Father Forde genuinely liked and cared about people everywhere no matter what their circumstances. Most of his life's work involved development of education for young people in areas where there was poverty. He was a fierce advocate for the poor and disadvantaged. Outspoken and articulate, he never hesitated to express his opinion.
