By Msgr. Noel C. Burtenshaw

In this year of 1981, the Diocese of Atlanta celebrates merely a silver anniversary of 25 years. Father Michael McKeever has much more on his mind. The now-retired priest of Atlanta has 50 golden years of priesthood to celebrate. And preparations are underway.

The recent confrontations in Northern Ireland are no great new event to Michael McKeever. He lived those confrontations on the streets of Belfast as he grew up in the early years of this century.

Born in the beautiful little town of Castleblaney in Southern Ireland in 1906, Michael and his family moved to Belfast when he was just a boy. His father, Phillip, obtained work on the railroad.

“He was very glad to have a job,” remembers Father McKeever, “even then there was not much work and, especially for Catholics in Belfast, things were very bad.”

“Bad” meant no work but it meant more. It meant discrimination in every walk of life for the Catholic family. Father McKeever vividly recalls those days. "We lived in our own section and had no contact whatsoever with the Protestant community. The police were overtly anti-Catholic and violence often erupted.” He recalls that Catholic workers went to the great ship-yards in Belfast after World War I ended and demanded jobs. Those demands touched off riots in the streets.

“And in 1916,” says Father Michael, “when the Easter Rebellion took place in Dublin, all Catholics in Belfast were branded as members of the I.R.A. which was ridiculous. But that’s the way it was.”

Father Michael went to the Catholic schools operated by the Christian Brothers and after graduation decided to study for the priesthood. This decision, always a high adventure in a young man's life, was more so for the young Michael McKeever. His decision led him to the Society for African Missionaries and an early career on the Foreign Missions.

After ordination in 1931, Father McKeever was sent to West Africa and the country of Nigeria. “It was a vast mission area,” recalls the jubilarian, “with very few Christians. The religion of Islam was moving across West Africa very fast. Our job was to bring the Word of Christ to the native people. We founded schools and supervised the education of the children.”

The young missionary had many adventures in those early years in Africa. It was a lonely life. The closest priest lived 150 miles away and his parish, the size of the state of Rhode Island, was covered on horseback.

“We had two seasons, one very rainy and the other bone dry, and it was hot. About once a year, I would get together with another priest. Year round, I lived alone.”

In 1940, Father McKeever returned from Africa and was assigned to the U.S. Missions. 1941 saw him come to Georgia for the first time. He was appointed pastor of St. Peter Claver Church in Macon. One year later, Father Michael came to Our Lady of Lourdes in Atlanta. There in Atlanta’s oldest black church he would remain pastor for the next 22 years.

Before the civil rights legislation of the fifties, the inner city streets of Atlanta held all the tensions of Belfast in the youthful days of Father Michael. “Black people were treated very badly and had very little sympathy or support. I remember seeing the Klan in open trucks coming down the streets on the way to Stone Mountain. There was great fear of them.”

Father McKeever remembers one particular evening in the late forties when black families from homes surrounding the church took refuge in his church as the Klan came to retaliate for some incident. The Irish priest stood outside the door, dressed in cassock, fearful but ready and watched the Klan trucks pass by. It was an evening he will remember.

The fondest memories of the golden jubilarian are his years stationed in Atlanta. He is founder member of the famed “Thursday Priests” group and has walked many Georgia golf courses with them. Each Thursday without fail and without rain, golfing is still the game of Father McKeever.

Along with his only sister, who lives in New York, Father Michael is planning an anniversary trip to Europe with an extended stay in the old homestead.

A celebration to send him on his way will take place at Holy Spirit church on Sunday, June 7 at 6:00 p.m. His many friends will join him for that evening of grand remembrances.

The new Diocese of Atlanta may pride itself in reaching the 25^th year, but it has another generation to march before catching up to the golden priestly years of Father Michael McKeever.