As a deacon preparing for my first overseas assignment, I dreamed of going into the Maryknoll Superior General's Office and hearing: "Joe, you are assigned to Africa." In fact, I received my first mission assignment in the seminary laundry room, and Africa was not to be my destination, at least not then.

It was early December 1965. I had just brought my dirty clothes downstairs when I ran into Father Al Nevins, editor of Maryknoll magazine. "Joe, you're assigned to journalism school," he said matter-of-factly. "Be sure to send in your application before Christmas." That was that. I sent in the application.

I earned my master's degree in journalism, specializing in international communications, at the University of Missouri and found myself back at Maryknoll working in the Social Communications Department. What an education I got under the mentoring of the legendary Father Nevins. His filing system was the floor of his office. In those days we did not have professional staff photographers. Nevins would send me to New York City to look for photographs for the magazine at the Magnum and Black Star Photo Agencies, saying, "Don't bring me back 20 different photographs of people in countries where Maryknoll works overseas. Bring me just three great photos." Developing an eye for photos and a heart for mission stories proved great preparation for my next assignment.

When the Regional Catholic Bishops' Conference in Eastern Africa asked Maryknoll for a trained journalist, the Society sent me. I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, in July 1968, and my vocation as a priest-journalist evolved. I established the Social Communications Office of the Bishops' Conference. Our first task was running communications training programs and workshops in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. My baptism by fire came when I had to coordinate the press office for the visit of Pope Paul VI to Uganda in July 1969.

That year I was delighted when another missioner-journalist, Maryknoll Sister Janice McLaughlin, who studied at Marquette University, was assigned to Nairobi to run the Social Communications Office. Her advice to young reporters was always, "Walk the extra mile to get it right." I added, "The golden rule is proofread, proofread, proofread."

We helped many young African men and women study journalism and broadcasting. Several are now in senior positions in the secular, government and church media in East Africa.

The heart of the missionary vocation is to initiate, train, hand over and move on. In 1974 I was able to hand over my office to Father Joseph Mukwaya, a Ugandan priest. Eventually he passed the reins to a Tanzanian priest and became bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese in Uganda.  

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Maryknollers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania