User:Seniorymorrison/Father Andrew Morrison

Father Andrew Morrison (1919-2004)was a Jesuit Catholic priest who devoted his life to the liberation of his fellow Guyanese countrymen from a long period of leftist State dictatorship. He also championed the cause for 'freedom of the press' in Guyana that had far reaching effects internationally. Fr Morrison's first major public episode, in view of the international community at large, was his coverage of the Jim Jones led mass suicide-massacre, which took place in 1978 in Guyana. A year later, an assassination attempt upon his life failed because a fellow Jesuit was mistaken for Fr Morrison; Fr Darke was brutally murdered. Such attempts to frustrate Fr Morrison's quest for justice and rights had absolutely no effect upon him. In fact he even publicly exposed a plot by members of the governing regime to assassinate an opposition Guyanese politician (Rodney)in the paper he headed, the Carholic Standard. Amidst awards and honours from the international community he lamented the state of his countrymen and further hardships experienced by the certain few fellow Jesuit elements, supporters of his cause.Fr Connors was deported from Guyana. Nevertheless Fr Morrison would live to see the downfall of oppression in Guyana and a complete return to democracy. This man whom a former national leader had described as a "cassocked obscenity" died peacefully in his home country of Guyana on 27th January 2004, and was laid to rest from the Sacred Heart Church in Geogetowm amidst many tears and emotional tributes. He certainly lives on in the hearts of many as the man described by Fredrick Kissoon and Hugh O'Shaughnessy as a 'Symbol of courage' & one who went about living serenely amidst insecurity; an insecurity that had his co workers quite nervous but was of no concern to him.