Homily delivered at Fr Tony’ Requiem Mass

A week ago today (11th August), the Church celebrated the feast of St Clare of Assisi. So inspired by Francis, she too left everything and took up a life of poverty. A life of poverty which, like that of Francis, has continued to attract thousands of others – not just Catholics, not just Franciscans – but generations who have put aside anything which would hinder them from doing the most important thing in life – God’s Will For Them.

Tony spent 27 of his 63 years as a priest at St Clare’s, Brookfield. It was perhaps a gracious gift from God that he died on her feast day. He was devoted to that parish – a source of great joy to him. It was for him, a great adventure to journey with his people in deepening their love for God. Tony brought to this, his first parish, a wealth of experience.

The Gospel today speaks to us of Jesus the Good Shepherd, the example to us, his priests, in dealing with the Lord’s flock. Tony certainly took that message to his heart – reaching out to the poor in post war York and Bridlington, dedicating himself to the care of the sick in hospital, something he cherished all his life. Often in those years he was reprimanded for speaking to everyone, not just the Catholic patients – his reply was, God never asks for a membership card!

While working in York, he visited a man who hadn’t eaten or had his bed changed for some time, so Tony fed him and made his bed. However, on returning home, he realised he had picked up some visitors – six fleas! He said this taught him that after visiting certain homes, he always had to return to the presbytery and have a bath. He thought deeply about his priestly ministry and learned through some difficult suffering as a curate, never to give up hope in the Church or the future, and to cling to the Lord come what may.

In our prayers today we remember a man who taught us always:
to thank God in good times and bad;
to trust God because he never ignores us;
to trust God because he never abandons us;
to trust God because he for ever upholds us – as our first reading reminds us.

Tony’s breadth of experience and vision made him a wise counsellor, able to see the bigger picture, tempering emotions, looking to be as compassionate as possible and always holding on to God’s will. That divine will was everything to him. There is nothing greater he would say. He had no interest in empire building or acquiring titles. Building churches, presbyteries, schools were not his measure of success. His joy and reward was being with his people and visiting them in their homes.

Before he went to St Clare’s, he had been a curate to a succession of elderly parish priests. As he left his last, Mgr Michael O’Sullivan at the old cathedral, he asked ‘Have you at last run out of old men to send me to?’ – I wonder if Monsignor realised he was the last of that list? Now his priestly ministry could flourish. You may remember that there was no presbytery at St Clare’s and so for six years he lived simply and frugally, like a true Franciscan, in the sacristy-come-meeting room. He involved the people in everything – his was the practice long before the words ‘collaborative Ministry’ were ever thought of!

Those years are full of memories for me – the smell of percolating coffee during the 8 o’clock Mass, the lunch cooking during the 10 o’clock – my homilies were certainly kept short – in those days! Life was never the same again for Tony once I arrived on the scene!! But I was the beneficiary of his priestly experience and today I thank him for all he has given to me since 1972: his generosity; his guidance; his loving friendship; his devilish sense of humour. For example, the one and only time I got up before him, he came into the dining room, he lifted his glasses as was his custom, and said ‘Are you coming or going?’

When Tony discovered charismatic prayer, he was a first in setting up prayer groups. Here he found a new spiritual freedom – praying, not just saying prayers. Today, he would want to thank his brothers and sisters and particularly his parents. Their deep, practical faith expressed in the Legion of Mary and the SVP embedded him in a life-long love for the poor and a keen sense of justice. He was ever enthusiastic about education and delighted in the two parish schools, St Clare’s and St Gerard’s. He brought to education his pioneering work in catechetics, enduring ridicule from some colleagues. He introduced into the parish a preparation for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion through the Brusselmans programme. He also taught those studying for the Catholic Teacher’s Certificate at Middlesbrough College.

Always he had a free and loving way of being a priest and like a Good Shepherd, knew his people by name and spent his life for their good. Tony lived to a great age, boasting he had buried all the Bishops of Middlesbrough up to and including Bishop Harris. He never stopped being a priest – remembering his prayers, persevering with his failing memory and health, to be faithful. His last words to me were to give me his blessing.

Last Wednesday, when God called a most faithful servant to himself, Tony could truly say:
‘I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith.’

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace.

Rt Rev Mgr Canon Ricardo Morgan