Tony Flannery

In my recent blog about Geraldine’s funeral I mentioned that Archbishop Neary, while forbidding me from celebrating her funeral in the Cathedral, did not make any direct contact with me. So, to be fair, I am publishing a letter I received for the Archbishop a few days ago.

Archbishop’s House,
Tuam, Co. Galway
Telephone: (093) 24166
Fax: (093) 28070. 16 SEPTEMBER, 2021

Dear Fr. Tony

I was very sorry to hear of Geraldine’s death at the end of August, and I write now to offer my sincere sympathy and the support of my prayers to you, Frank, Marguerite, and the extended family.

It is now two weeks since my sister Geraldine Flannery succumbed to the debilitating effects of a long standing heart condition, and died quietly and apparently easily. I don’t know if this is the case for others in relation to family members, but for me I tended to take Geraldine a bit for granted. We were close, and we shared a lot in the course of our lives, especially in the latter years, but closeness can prevent one from fully appreciating the special qualities of a person.

The Bishops, the Government and the Sacraments

I was quite surprised, indeed taken aback, when bishops first announced that they were going to ignore medical and governmental directives, and begin to celebrate the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation. 

The fact that among the early ones out of the traps were Elphin, Waterford and Meath made it a little less surprising. They would typically be the ones on the more conservative end of the hierarchy, and, especially with Elphin and Waterford, with a tendency to go it alone.