For over thirty years one Irish man has challenged and confronted the evils of the lucrative child sex industry in the Phillipines. It’s a long way from his native Dublin home and this courageous and difficult crusade has seen Fr. Shay Cullen face accusations of libel, slander and even rape that could have led to the death penalty had it not been decisively proven to be false. “But,” says Fr. Shay Cullen, matter of factly, “this is an occupational hazard. It’s part of the job.”
Born in Dublin on 27th March 1943, the youngest in a family of seven, Shay Cullen was a pupil of the Harold’s Cross (Elementary) Glasthule, the Christian Brothers, Monkstown Park and the Presentation College, Sandycove. He entered St. Columban’s Seminary, Dalgan Park, Navan, Co. Meath in 1963 and was ordained to the priesthood six years later, as a member of the Missionary Society of Columban.
Fr. Shay’s very first assignment was to change his life– and that of many others– forever. On arrival in St. Joseph’s Church Olongapo City in 1969, he was immediately confronted with the colossal social and human problems caused by the sex industry which thrived beside a US Navy base.
Sexual abuse of children was commonplace and the naval base was eventually closed down as a direct result of his campaigning. His vision to convert the huge facilities into an industrial park succeeded and brought about the collapse of the sex industry and the provision of dignified jobs for thousands of Filipinos.
Following brief periods back in Ireland and with the late Mother Teresa in Calcutta, Fr. Cullen returned to the Philippines in 1972, where he took up further language studies and trained in the operation and management of a Drug Rehabilitation Centre.
He then returned to Olongapo City, north-west of Manila and founded PREDA (People’s Recovery, Empowerment and Development Assistance Foundation Inc.) in 1974, with the co operation of Merly Ramirez Hermoso and Alex Corpus Hermoso.
Through this organisation, committed to helping abused children and working for human rights and development, Shay comes face to face with the horrors and evils of child sexual abuse on a daily basis. Living with a professional team of dedicated Filipino colleagues, he has established a reputation which made his name a familiar one to groups, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and solidarity movements and authorities worldwide in the battle against paedophilia.
“I do not assume a father role in the sense as I see the children as my own,” he says. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t feel concern, of course I do, but the appropriate response is not to ‘own’ them in any way but to restore them to health and reintegrate them with their families and the love of their own home.”
In attempting to explain what motivates him to help the oppressed, Shay goes back to his own childhood and what drew him to accept ‘the call’. “It was the challenge of a different and adventurous life in the great unknown that attracted me at first but the example of Jesus Christ was the overwhelming influence,” he says. “I realised how privileged I was just to be basically secure and to have an education.
“When I read about the oppression and injustice, I felt I wanted to do something meaningful and worthwhile with my life and bring some small change to the lives of these people. It was no one thing, no ‘Road to Damascus’ experience, but a combination of these important realities. I thought it a good thing to do, a worthwhile way to live out life.”
He recalls that the harsh realities of growing up in a rough Irish school system where corporal punishment was thought to be the way to install knowledge and wisdom in young pupils brought him close to understanding the experiences of physical abuse that many children still endure every day in their home and unforgiving societies.
“My schooldays were frequently filled with the dread and fear of mocking, sarcastic teachers and brothers whose inner frustrations were vented on unfortunate children,” he says. “The leather strap and swishing cane raised enough welts and scared memories that have given me a deep sense of compassion with all abused children and a healthy scepticism towards authority figures.”
“Silence about abuse is consent,” he continues. “I felt that to be honest with oneself, action is called for, not just talk and hand wringing at how awful it is. I am a committed Christian and I see this as a challenge as Jesus did.”
Shay’s contribution has been recognised by many and he has been the recipient of numerous human rights awards. “A few times it has felt hopeless to go on.” So much evil, so much apathy here and abroad. But where else can I go? I know many people think that I am a dreamer, trying to change the world, but we have to try,” he says.
Now Hollywood actor Martin Sheen, who currently lives in Galway, has said that he may make a film based on the Irish priest’s life. “Fr. Shay Cullen truly is a hero. I would be honoured to portray him in a movie. Thank God for Fr. Shay, he is a very powerful inspiration and has saved the lives of thousands of these poor children, and he has helped jail some of the world’s most evil paedophiles. What he has achieved is nothing less than a miracle,” Martin Sheen said recently.
Fr. Shay recalls his first meeting with Martin Sheen, which took place in the notorious Payatas garbage dump, pictured above, home to thousands of locals. Father Shay says: “Martin showed only compassion and caring, not revulsion at the nauseating stench that clung to our hair and clothes. The people were covered with the filth and the smell, the dirt and dust of the garbage. To the world they were untouchables and lepers, but to Martin they were just people.”
Oftentimes a controversial figure, Fr. Shay’s stubborn streak and a definitive refusal to accept the injustices of life give him strength. “When I see the oppression and injustice in this world, the sea of poverty and the islands of glittering wealth and obscene extravagance floating among the bodies of the drowning, I feel something in me that says ‘Don’t accept this, don’t turn away, don’t ignore it and seek the easy life.’ They want me to back down, he says defiantly, referring to his enemies, but I won’t.”
Fr. Shay Cullen’s new book is entitled ‘Passion and Power’ and is available in all good bookshops now.