The Columbans sent me to study scripture in Rome back in the 1970s. Eventually, the Jesuits gave me a doctorate for finding “love” in the Apocalypse. I jest but did end up doing a thesis entitled “The Reciprocal Love between Christ and the Church in the Apocalypse” under a very wonderful Jesuit professor, the late Fr. Ugo Vanni at the Gregorian University. As I was finishing my studies in Rome in September 1988, our then superior General, Fr. Bernard Cleary, called me and told me there had been a request for my services in the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva, Fiji. They would be willing to release me there for a year, but I should be ready to leave at the end of the year if required. What did I think? I said yes and arrived in Fiji on March 25, Holy Saturday, 1989, taking up residence at the seminary under Fr. Larry Hannon SM, the Rector. I started teaching and as there have been no further phone calls, I am still teaching there. I get to teach the Apocalypse once a year.
Vatican II asked that people have access to the scriptures (DV 22) and in response I decided to write as simple, clear and as accurate a commentary of the Apocalypse as I could for the people of Fiji. I did this in a series of articles for the weekly Fiji Catholic newspaper, the Contact, founded — and refounded — by Columban Fr. Dermot Hurley and at that time edited by Mr. Mika Turaga. It was taken up in Tongan by its local Catholic newspaper, the Taumua Lelei. Since I had all the articles on the computer, I decided to make a book of it, added to and edited what I had, and included appendices. Perhaps the most valuable one was the four-page one that gave the main Old Testament allusions found in many verses of this book. I managed this by copying them from a book Fr. Vanni had published in which he gave each Apocalypse verse on one page and on the opposite page he printed the Old Testament text to which this verse alluded. I just gave the references, chapter and verse without the text.
With the help of our wonderful secretary, Mrs. Morven Sidal at the SPATS office where I helped out (the South Pacific Association of Theological Schools, still prospering), I published 1000 copies of Everyone’s Apocalypse for about 2000 Fiji dollars (less than 1000 Euro). My uncle, Canon Seamus Corkery of Charleville, Cork, Ireland, my other maternal uncle, Tadhg, of Mallow and other priests on my home diocese of Cloyne, especially Fr. (later Canon) Jackie Corkery, assisted financially. I was able to sell it for about 5 Fiji dollars, an affordable price here in Fiji. I have since managed to reprint it three of four times and it has been translated into Fijian and Samoan. Some U.S. seminaries found it useful, including St. Charles in Philadelphia and the Saint Paul Seminary in Minnesota. I had taught in both places at various times.
Why did I want to write it? Well, many people are fearful of this wonderful last book of the bible with its dragon, beasts and fearful visions of the end. I suppose I was also until I met Fr. Vanni and attended his courses. They opened my eyes to see that this was a really marvelous book about the Risen Jesus who gets authority over history and all its rulers from God his Father, Jesus who leads us, the Church, to heaven.