John McAuliffe

After his religious profession, Brother Norbert dedicated himself with passion to teaching in the United States. He began his career as an educator at St. Patrick's School in Indianapolis, taking care of a large class of young students. At the same time, he continued his studies and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University in New Orleans. For nearly three decades, he taught and directed schools in several American states, notably in Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Washington State. In 1931, responding to the call of his superiors, he was designated to lead the very first mission of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Uganda. Arriving in Gulu on August 15, 1931, the feast day of the Assumption, he took over the direction of St. Louis College. This institution had been founded by Italian missionaries, but the British colonial authorities now required English-speaking teachers. His dedication, his gentleness, and his life of intense prayer left a deep mark on the local population. The outbreak of the Second World War forced him to return temporarily to the United States, where he was appointed director of his congregation's training center in Metuchen, New Jersey. In a context of wartime deprivation, he provided spiritual guidance to young postulants and novices. As soon as conditions permitted, in 1946, he returned to Uganda. There, he developed St. Joseph College in Gulu and founded a permanent training center in Alokolum to foster and accompany local vocations. Under his leadership as regional superior for East Africa, the mission also expanded to Sudan (in Okaru) and Kenya (in Nyeri). Thanks to his efforts, the congregation in Africa grew from six brothers upon his arrival to more than 80 members (novices, postulants, and missionaries) by the end of his life.

The reputation for holiness of Brother Norbert McAuliffe was established during his lifetime, both among his confreres and the Ugandan populations. His life was characterized by a constant union with God, a rigorous asceticism, and tireless charity toward the sick and the poor. After his death on July 3, 1959, in Alokolum (Gulu), the bishops of Uganda quickly invoked his name as an intercessor for the country. The cause for beatification and canonization was officially opened in the Diocese of Gulu on June 16, 1994. The diocesan inquiry allowed for the collection of numerous testimonies regarding the heroic nature of his virtues, and the file (Positio) was subsequently transmitted to Rome to be examined by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

On May 19, 2018, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Norbert McAuliffe (born: John). By this act, he was officially declared Venerable of the Catholic Church. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is required.

The spirituality of the Venerable Norbert McAuliffe was centered on the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a filial devotion to the Virgin Mary, inherited from his years spent with the Dominican Sisters. He spent long hours in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, particularly during his daily rest periods. The people of Uganda, struck by his continual piety, nicknamed him in the Acholi language Dano Ma Lego, which means 'the man who always prays' or 'the man who walks with God'. His most lasting legacy lies in the formation of generations of Ugandan educators and brothers who have continued his work of evangelization and education in East Africa.