A few weeks ago, one of my greatest mentors passed away. Father Nicholas Forde, OMI was my first employer in my teaching career. There was something in him that brought about immediate admiration. Somehow I knew that I had a great deal to learn from this man. As I've read books on success, I've come to understand the qualities in Nick Forde that defined greatness.
One of the finest books I've read is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. He points out that effective people live according to solid principles and have clear goals in life. The seven habits are: be proactive; begin with the end in mind; put first things first; think win-win; seek first to understand and then to be understood; synergize; and sharpen the saw (recreate and re-create).
I don't know if Fr. Forde ever read this book, but he certainly lived it.
Nick's goal in life was to make the world a better and a more just place. He believed in equality and in universal understanding. As a young missionary to South Africa in the 1950s and 60s he did all that he could to bring about racial equality. He rubbed elbows with Nelson Mandela and was an early catalyst for the changes that finally took place in the 1990s. In Prince George he built bridges between Catholics and people of other religions, between immigrants and aboriginal peoples. By simply looking at the diversity of humanity in the crowded church at Fr. Forde's funeral, I could see how this goal was achieved.
Nick Forde not only had goals and dreams, he was a man of action, he knew how to get things done. As an employee, I would do anything that he asked me to do. I never questioned it. Everyone who knew Nick said the same thing. Why were we so compliant? Why did we implicitly trust this man? We were there for Fr. Forde because we knew that he would always be there for us. We knew that he was worthy of our trust. He proved this time and again. He was thus able to create an amazing synergy in people. We all felt that we were part of something much bigger than ourselves and we knew that we were all in it together. Nick was able to manifest the "frontier spirit" on steroids. It seemed that he could accomplish anything that he set his mind to.
The preacher at Nick Forde's funeral pointed out that he would not be considered a saint according to the traditional definition of sainthood. All in attendance chuckled, recognizing how true this was. Still, Nick was such a good, true, honest man. There was never any doubt as to where he stood on issues, whether or not we agreed with him. We never felt judged by him and we never judged him. There was simple acceptance, respect and well, love.
May you rest in peace, Fr. Forde. I have always considered you a great mentor in my life, and now I understand why.
