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SENATE RESOLUTION

  
 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to  
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learn of the death of
Father Aengus Finucane, who passed away 
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on October 6, 2009; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, Father Aengus Finucane was a native of County 
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Limerick, Ireland; at a young age, he devoted his life to the 
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Finucane family tradition of public service; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, Father Aengus Finucane was known throughout the 
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world for his philanthropic service; he began his lifetime of 
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service as a young missionary with the Holy Ghost Fathers as 
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the Parish Priest in Uli, Nigeria; during his tenure in Uli, he 
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found himself in the midst of the bitter civil war between 
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Nigeria and Biafra in 1968; during his time there, he literally 
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came face to face with famine, with starving men, women, and 
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children at his doorstep; Aengus and his brother, Father Jack 
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Finucane, along with their colleagues from all faiths, knew 
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that they had to act immediately and do what they could to 
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alleviate the suffering in Biafra; and
 
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    WHEREAS, In response to the humanitarian crisis in Biafra, 
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Father Aengus Finucane and his brother turned schools into 
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refugee camps and set up food distribution centers and 
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emergency hospitals; at the height of the crisis in the summer 
 


 






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of 1968, an estimated 6,000 children were dying every week due 
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to lack of food and medicine; to aid in their efforts, Aengus 
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and his brother turned to their home country to raise awareness 
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of the seriousness of the famine; the response from the people 
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of Ireland was extraordinary, with relief supplies flown in 
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from Ireland every night on the Uli parish’s newly expanded 
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emergency airstrip; thanks to the efforts of Aengus and his 
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brother, hundreds of thousands of refugees caught in the 
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conflict were given critical aid in their times of need; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, As a result of Father Aengus Finucane's 
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intervention in the Biafra war zone, the humanitarian 
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organization, Concern Worldwide was born; for the next 30 
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years, Aengus worked among and fought for the poorest of the 
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poor in conflict zones, disasters, and famines; he lived in and 
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traveled to the world’s poorest countries, including Ethiopia, 
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Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uganda, and Rwanda, where he witnessed 
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the horrors of the Rwandan civil war firsthand; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, In 1981, Father Aengus Finucane became Chief 
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Executive of Concern Worldwide; he held the post until 1997, 
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when he came to the United States to set up Concern Worldwide 
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US; he then served as Honorary President of Concern Worldwide 
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US until his passing; during his tenure at Concern Worldwide 
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US, he worked alongside Executive Director Siobhan Walsh and 
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Chairman Tom Moran to build the organization from a small team 
 


 






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of 4 to an organized group of 25 that raises millions of 
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dollars to support Concern's work in the field; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, Father Aengus Finucane will be remembered fondly 
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by countless people in Ireland, the U.S., and the many places 
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around the world that benefited from his generosity and 
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compassion; his work with Concern saved innumerable lives and 
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improved the quality of life for millions of people; his 
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message of unity and caring make him a role model for the 
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people of the State of Illinois, the citizens of our nation, 
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and the world at large; therefore, be it
  
 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Father Aengus Finucane; 
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and be it further
  
 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Father Aengus Finucane as an 
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expression of our sympathy.