Our History
On the 1st of July 1967 a young man called Bernard Phelan, one of six children, was ordained by Bishop Casey at St Peter in Chains Church, Hornsey as a Mill Hill Father. After his ordination he was sent to Uganda which at that time was quite peaceful and prosperous. Not knowing what to expect, he was full of misgivings. He was appointed to one of the most rural areas you could imagine and, for a city boy from North London, this was quite a challenge.
Also on that day a process began as family and friends in the parish, including Paddy and Michael Phelan, Sam Ewing and Howard McBrien, started a parish organisation to support Bernard in his work. They called it ‘The Friends of Tororo Mission’ and soon after Paddy Phelan became the Honorary Director.
These humble beginnings of SPICMA were based around a small parish effort, raising money through dances and jumble sales. Family and friends all chipped in. This gradually grew into St. Peter in Chains Missionary Association (SPICMA), the parish in North London where they all came from.
In 1971 SPICMA moved into a higher gear. The coup mounted by Idi Amin Dada brought many difficulties to Uganda, not least the collapse of the government health services.
SPICMA was now advertising in the Catholic press for funds. With the help of the then Overseas Development Aid (ODA) of the British Government, numerous 20ft sea containers were packed on weekends by volunteers and sent out, containing everything from drugs, medical equipment, beds and fridges to Land Rover Ambulances. At that time a lot of the medical equipment was obtained from health authorities who were closing down wards in the UK. Pharmaceutical companies, such as Glaxo, donated huge amounts of medicine. This effort enabled the Church Medical Services in Eastern Uganda to provide a health service to the people.
By 1975 SPICMA had grown so much that it was felt necessary to register it as a legal charity. The acronym SPICMA then became Special Projects in Christian Missionary Areas. Gradually a close relationship with the Mill Hill Missionaries developed. Over the course of its history, help and funds have been sent through Mill Hill Missionaries on the ground, and also though Jesuits, Missionaries of Africa, Comboni Missionaries and many other missionary sisters and priests.
In the early 1980s SPICMA began to branch out into other countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East where people were in need. The philosophy was to help people who were “falling through the cracks.” While help was being channelled to various countries, a civil war broke out in 1986 in Eastern Uganda. SPICMA excelled itself, sending out emergency consignments that consisted of tons of milk powder firstly by airfreight and then followed up with larger 20ft and 40ft sea containers to feed children who were starving because of the war. Many lives were saved.
In the mid-nineties SPICMA began to fund projects which helped people stand on their own feet, following the philosophy that it is better to give a person a fishing rod than a fish. SPICMA Derry helped fund development of schools and The Friends of Kidetok from Whitstable helped build a health centre. The Justice and Peace group in Fenham also contributed funds.
In 1997, the Mill Hill Missionaries embarked on a new Mission in Kotido Diocese, North Eastern Uganda. This is an area (Karamoja) which is very different from the rest of Uganda and very much affected by regular droughts and shortages of water. From the outset up to today SPICMA has helped raise funds to provide relief food to the vulnerable people of the area, and fund the drilling of boreholes to provide clean water to the people.
Unlike many other UK Catholic agencies, SPICMA has always been ready to help with the construction of churches and church buildings, including those used by church-based youth and women’s development groups. Construction projects have been financed in several African countries, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ecuador, the Solomon Islands and The Philippines.
