Cyril Hally RIP

Cyril Hally was one of my mentors. He would quietly draw me aside on my visits to the Columban houses where he lived and sit me down to do theology as a great storyteller. He inspired me read, research and study well. He had a breadth of scholarship and a compassion that come from a life lived in graced solidarity with the human condition of joy, hope grief and anguish.

I grieve his passing, give thanks for his life and offer this post of memorials and collected writings that you might remember him in prayer and continue his legacy of mission and justice making.

HALLY. - Rev. Fr. Cyril Thomas. Priest and Missionary of St Columbans Missionary Society.

Died peacefully at Mercy Place, Parkville on May 18, 2010. Born in Temuka, New Zealand on Feb. 9, 1920. Eldest son of Thomas and Ester Hally (both dec.). Brother of Mark (dec.) and brother-in-law of Pauline Hally, Rangiora, New Zealand. Missionary in Japan, New Zealand, Sydney P.M.I. and Melbourne

Concelebrated Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Rev. Fr. Cyril Hally will be offered at St Columbans Chapel, 69 Woodland St, Essendon on FRIDAY (May 21, 2010) commencing at 12 p.m. The Funeral will leave at the conclusion of Mass for burial at Melbourne General Cemetery, College Cres., Parkville. A Vigil Service will be held in the above Chapel on THURSDAY (May 20) at 7.30 p.m



Cyril Hally Funeral May 21 2010 from Tony Robertson on Vimeo.



 


THE HALLY LEGACY
Cyril Hally: What is needed is a process of healing of memories which provides strength to the victims to tell the truth. This in turn calls for the conversion of the perpetrators of injustice and full restoration of the perpetrators' humanity. This has come out very clearly in the truth and reconciliation things in South Africa, where the police stood up, and had to stand up and say what they did, because they were less than human, and they were told that during the torture processes. Could it be that the weakening of the powerful institutional aspect of the Australian church's recent past, the decline in mass attendance, the decline in the numbers of clergy and religious, scandals of paedophilia and orphanages etc. are rendering the church more vulnerable and therefore open to reconciliation, healing of memories, the need for forgiveness. Are we prophets of gloom and doom? Or do we see the spirit moving to make us vulnerable?  (Religion Report  Wednesday 21/07/99 )


The Reverend Father Cyril Thomas Hally SSC JCL received an honorary doctorate from ACU at the Sydney Town Hall on 31 March 2005 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the cause of global peace and justice. "The life and ministry of Father Hally stand as a chronicle of the quest for peace in the 20th Century, of the Mission of the Church in the world, and of the common unity of humanity," said Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Sheehan AO

FR CYRIL HALLY Fr Cyril received a ‘Life Membership’ of the Paulinian Lay Missionary Association (PALMS). It recognised his contribution in helping found PALMS, which now places volunteer missionaries in the Pacific and Africa. Fr Cyril has moved to Essendon.

A Hundred Years of Irish Missionary Effort  (The Furrow ,Cyril Hally 1971)

Cyril Hally and the story of the South Pacific Association of Mission Studies 

Cyril Hally ssc, missiologist: Sensus fidelium in practice (ARC - Occasional Papers No. 2 - October 2004 p. 48)

The Transforming Power Of Healing On the island of Bougainville, reconciliation is as important as punishment in the judicial process. By Fr. Cyril Hally (Columban Newsletter)


Citation read by the Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University on the occasion of the conferring of the degree of Doctor of the University, Honoris Causa, on Cyril Thomas Hally on 31 March 2005.

Cyril Hally: a dramatic voice at crucial moments | 2005-03-30
Reflections on the life and work of Cyril Hally on the occasion of the conferral of his honourary doctorate by the Australian Catholic University.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Fr Cyril Hally was my uncle. My father Mark passed away just last year, and Uncle Cyril flew to NZ to perform the Mass for dad, ( and he was the older of the two).

He baptised me,and he baptised my daughter, and a very good friend of his Fr Daniel O'Connor (currently in Pakistan), baptised my son.

I want to thank you for this blog on my beloved uncle, and just know that he was a loved member of the Hally family in New Zealand.

Adrienne Hally
9 Stafford St
Cobden
Greymouth 7802
New Zealand
Unknown said…
Adrienne, its lovely to read your comment. I had the honour of attending Cyril's funeral on Friday - it was such a great tribute to a great man. May he intercede for you and your family for all the gifts you most need. Keep an eye on this blog as I have forwarded to Tony who runs it a little bit of video I took at the funeral ....the sound is low but you can hear if yo use earphones. Blessings. Annette