Global Missions
Missions Updates
The Fisherman Who Got Caught
“And Jesus said unto them, ‘Come ye after Me,
and I will make you fisher of Men.” Mark 1:17
It was a good life on the boats, but he knew one thing: He was not ready to meet God...
Larry Dunne was a fisherman, and he loved it. He was brought up in Skerries, County Dublin, which for hundreds of years has been one of Ireland’s premier fishing ports. He could hardly avoid the lure of the Sea and fishing on the big trawlers - some as long as 85 feet. They would trawl the bottom of the ocean with nets, pulling in anything they could - prawns, cod, and lots of other fish.
Larry remembers the big day each year in the town, the “Blessing of the Boats,” in which the Catholic priests would sprinkle “Holy” water on the fleet. The day started with a ceremony at the Catholic Church, then a pipe band marching toward the harbor, and the politicians and religious leaders getting their word in. It was a family day, and many of the boats would take people out for a short trip around the nearby islands.
At the age of 15, he went to work on the trawlers. During the best season, they would go out for sometimes up to 17 hours a day, or even a few days, and they would take turns sleeping less than an hour at a time. It was rough and hard-going at times, but Larry enjoyed the labor. He began to earn more than his dad did working for the County Council. He made enough money to buy many motorcycles and later cars – it all seemed like a great life.
Then one day, just before his 17th birthday, a car pulled across the road in front of his motorcycle, killing his pillion passenger and nearly himself. Ten days in the hospital set him back on his feet again. At this time, he was becoming more religious and would not miss mass on Sundays or other days of obligation.
In the early 80’s, he went to The States for a time and worked with trawlers on the East Coast, from Florida up to New York. He continued his spiritual search. While fishing out of Norfolk, Virginia, one Sunday morning, he went looking for a Roman Catholic church, which he could not find, so he went into one which turned out to be a Baptist church - something that, at that time, was unthinkable. Another time he met some “Moonies” in New York City, and they persuaded him to come live in their commune, where he listened to lectures from 8 in the morning until 12 midnight. Eventually, he came back to Ireland and bought his own trawler.
Larry knew that a fishing trawler could be a dangerous place to work, with all the ropes, chains, and machinery. He knew of men who were knocked overboard and some who had lost life and limb.
One Saturday afternoon in March 1985, he was out fishing with just one crew member. He went down below to clean the water filter under the drive shaft. Loose threads from his jacket got caught and wrapped around the rapid-moving shaft and violently pulled him in, knocking him out. When he gained consciousness, he knew he was stuck with the shaft still spinning and cutting into his back. His crew man was asleep, but Larry managed to flip his legs over himself to kick the door and alert him. He awoke and sent out a distress call. Within an hour, a helicopter came to take Larry to the hospital.
He lost his arm in the accident, but he remembers lying in the hospital with a sense of peace, even telling those around him that he believed God allowed it to happen for good. Surprisingly, he experienced no bitterness nor self-pity.
That autumn he began to spiritually seek more earnestly. He started to go to mass every evening, praying the rosary with a group after mass, and attending confession regularly. His religious life was seen by others, and a priest once said to him, “You are a very devout young man.” Larry also made inquiries about becoming a priest. In September 1985, he was given a free ticket to visit Rome and other religious sites. This seemed great, but he came back feeling no closer to God.
One day in October 1985, when it was too rough to fish, he went into Dublin to do some shopping. Walking on Henry Street, Larry noticed a man who had gathered a crowd and was drawing pictures on a board. The man talked about sin and Christ. At one point, this stranger said he was sure he was going to heaven. The man had an American accent, so Larry was cautious, for fear that he might be exposed to another cult. Larry thought to himself, “Here I am going to mass every day, saying my prayers and confessing my sins, and the best I could say is that I hope I am going to heaven?” Then the man began to talk about how hard people work to earn God’s favor and how this is impossible, since sin separates us from God. Next, he spoke about Jesus Christ and how he had paid the penalty for our sins. He also said that it’s out of love for God that we should live good lives, but not to gain eternal salvation. Larry began to see that nothing he could do himself could satisfy God, but that Jesus had already done all that was needed. It all made sense to Larry, but it just seemed too easy.
Soon after that, Larry put his full trust in Jesus as his Lord and Savior of his soul. It turned out that the sketchboard man was a fisherman like Larry, only he was fishing for souls for his Master -- “I was a fisherman, but I got caught and brought into the love of Jesus. I was lost, but now I am found, having true peace with God through Jesus Christ. After searching for all those years, I now have the assurance that if I died at this moment, I would go to heaven.”
A few years after that, Larry stopped fishing from the Sea and began fishing for souls for Jesus Christ. He became a “fisher of men.”
Written by Larry Dunne, Calvary Missionary. Larry and his wife, Kathy, serve in County Mayo, Ireland with Global Outreach Mission. This summer, Calvary has a STORM team of eight going to serve with the Dunnes. To read more about the Dunnes - click here.