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Volume 26 No. 1 | Autumn 2016
Fr Liam Horsfall SVD, who died in Brisbane last year, has
been remembered as a missionary who was as much
at home taking the Divine Word to the poorest, most
marginalised people in India and PNG as he was sitting
and talking to the young men or the elderly nuns under
his Chaplaincy care in Brisbane.
Born and raised in Brisbane, Fr Liam took his first vows as
a Divine Word Missionary in 1949 and his first assignment
was to India, where he would spend many years and have
extraordinary experiences, including being chaplain for
Mother Teresa’s new congregation in India.
When he arrived in India he was assigned to Orissa, at
Jharsuguda, a small mission station, which would grow
to become a major mission over the next 50 years. The
major missionary activity for the SVDs in India focussed on
the Tribal people, who are among the most marginalised
people in the country.
After earning a Science degree to help secure a good
school in the local area, he would go on to start up eight
schools for the Tribals. In this period Fr Liam also started
his work as chaplain for Mother Teresa’s congregation
and worked with Fr Marion Zelazek SVD at the Karunalaya
Leprosy Care Centre in Puri.
In the mid 1960s, Fr Liam was elected as Provincial in
India (INE Province) and served three terms, a total of
nine years. He contributed greatly to the educational,
vocational and developmental policies of the INE
Province, and there are many priests, brothers and three
Tribal bishops in the SVD throughout India today.
During his time as Provincial, the Catholic missions were
attacked twice, resulting in the burning of churches and
schools. Each time, Fr Liam, the SVDs, the Sisters and
communities would “start again – the only thing to do”.
Fr Liam returned to Australia for a holiday in 1976 and
was elected Provincial of AUS while on leave. He was
heavily involved in the training of missionaries for postings
overseas, as well as establishing chaplaincies with
immigrant communities, while also serving as chaplain for
Marist Brothers College, Eastwood. It was from here that he
began taking dozens of groups of students to India during
their school holidays, to experience the mission there.
One person who says Fr Liam had a big impact on his life,
is Fr Tim Norton SVD, who at the age of 21 took up an
offer from Fr Liam to go to India with him.
“I was mightily impressed with the journey, and the way
that Liam was greeted so warmly by so many folk of all
levels of society indicated the great esteem they had
for him. I remember him fondly as a religious who was
intensely interested in the well-being of people. He truly
lived Jesus’ words of ‘Love thy neighbour’,” he says.
In 1985, Fr Liam was appointed to PNG, working first in
Wewak and then as a teacher at the Divine Word Institute
in Madang where he lectured in Theology and was Rector
of the community.
Returning to Brisbane, Fr Liam spent a few years as parish
priest at Hamilton, where he set up a training college
for teachers from PNG. He then received invitations
to be Chaplain to the Mercy Sisters’ Retirement Home
at Emmaus, Nudgee and also to St Patrick’s College,
Shorncliffe. He remained with both of these chaplaincies
until his retirement due to ill health, early last year.
Paul Corfield, Acting Assistant Principal – Identity at St
Patrick’s, says Fr Liam had a tremendous impact on the
school community.
“This is evidenced by the fact that more than 300
people, including current and past students gathered to
remember Fr Liam during the Mass for the Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15,” Paul says. Current
students from the College also formed a guard of honour
at his funeral, at Emmaus.
In a eulogy delivered at Fr Liam’s funeral, Br Christopher
Pritchard CFC recalled how, even in his later, frailer, years,
when asked how he was, Fr Liam would always respond
with, “perfect!” or “fabulous!”.
“Fr Liam Horsfall, we give thanks to God for the graces
you have received through the Holy Spirit, and used so
well in courageously following Jesus in doing the Father’s
will, making Christ’s life your life and Christ’s mission your
mission, by bringing the Divine Word to places where it
had not been preached before,” Br Christopher said.
“We say goodbye and through the intercession of the
Mother of the Word Incarnate, St Arnold Janssen, the
martyrs and confessors of the Divine Word Missionaries
and the mercy of God, Rest in Peace.”
RIP Fr Liam Horsfall SVD –devoted
missionary to the young, the poor & the
marginalised