In 1959, 13-year-old Dubliner Andy Campbell was working as a supermarket stock boy. His parents had no money for secondary school, so it seemed his future as a laborer was set. As he worked, he recalled missionaries visiting his primary school to share stories and hand out magazines. Andy had a particular fondness for stories about Africa.

After reading about Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) in ministry on that continent, Andy wrote to their junior seminary asking for admission. He was accepted and spent three years there before becoming an SVD Novice. During his vacation before entering, he worked at the grocery shop to earn funds for his school necessities but was short €10 to buy three cassocks.

No one he knew had money to give. So, when the postman left an envelope with an anonymous €10 in his mailbox, he was sure that, "God would always be there to help me."

Father Andrew Campbell, SVD, was ordained in December of 1970 and sent to Accra, Ghana.

Father settled into a life of service working as a youth chaplain, a parochial vicar, and a pastor. He founded Sacred Heart Middle School and Sacred Heart Vocational Institute for needy children.

He founded the Lepers Aid Committee, made up of mostly young people who care for, clothe, and feed cured lepers. The Committee also pays medical bills and for the burial of the deceased they have served. Although many are cured of Hansen's disease, most locals believe that "once a leper, always a leper." Father Campbell has worked for almost thirty years to dispel that notion. Weija Leprosarium was opened thanks to Father's determination to show Ghanaians that people with Hansen's Disease deserve to be treated with dignity. He also shocked people by freely mingling with those afflicted with the contagious skin disease, who lived in isolation. "I'm referred to as the lepers' priest and I have been told I'm a perpetual beggar," says Father Campbell in an interview with ACI Africa.

Father Campbell's work also supports the Mother Teresa Soup Kitchen for street children, and two Catholic hospitals. He recently helped to lead a road safety awareness campaign on the streets of Accra to bring attention to the rising number of car accidents and the need for safe driving.

At the age of 79, Father feels God is not finished with him yet. He says, "I wish to continue serving the poor and marginalized. My task and mission is to bring hope and love to them. The Gospel message from Christ is a powerful [one] of hope and love. I see myself as a missionary of hope and love."



- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.