Tony Flannery

The word ‘closure’ is being used very commonly nowadays, and has taken on a specific meaning. I has to do with putting an end to a traumatic experience in a person’s life. It is often used in terms of physical or emotional assault, injury, murder of a friend or family, sexual abuse of a minor, or various other situations. We hear claims being made outside a courtroom for example, by families or an individual that a conviction and sentencing of a perpetrator has brought ‘closure’ to the case.

In my recent article in this paper about the imminent closure of Esker monastery I briefly mentioned that the monastery was considered by many people as a place with a healing ministry. This ministry was intimately connected with one of the earliest Redemptorists, an Italian from the eighteenth century, Gerard Majella, who is now a canonised saint. My memory of the monastery in my young days was that there was always one particular priest associated with the gift, and who used a relic of the saint in his ministry.

The parish I was born and reared into is situated between the towns of Athenry and Loughrea in Co. Galway, in the diocese of Clonfert. It is known as Kiltulla/Killimordaly. The parish priest lived in Kiltulla, and the curate in the other end which is where I lived.  Here he served the lovely little church in Killimordaly, along with another one in Clooncah. Killimordaly church has many memories for me. I was baptised there in January 1947, in the middle of a long period when the ground was covered with snow.