FATHER Kevin Flanagan couldn’t count the number of funerals he has conducted even if he tried.
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They’ve been big and small and for people from all walks of life.
His own funeral to be held on Thursday will be the exclamation mark on a rich life which started in Tocumwal where his family operated the general store and ended early yesterday in the Mercy Hospital when he finally succumbed to a string of recent health issues.
Father Flanagan, 89, had only retired after 54 years as a priest in July and was one of Albury’s most well-known and respected citizens.
He was the parish priest at Sacred Heart in North Albury for 40 years and had a strong connection to the nearby St Anne’s Primary School.
Father Flanagan studied to be a priest in Sydney with his first posting upon being ordained by Bishop Francis Henschke at Narrandera followed by stints at Wagga and time abroad in the southern highlands of New Guinea as a missionary.
Reverend Kevin O’Reilly from the Wagga Catholic Diocese has led the tributes for Father Flanagan, who also served under bishops Frank Carroll, William Brennan and Gerard Hanna.
“We’re pleased he has been relieved of his suffering and distress because it was a long, drawn out one,” Reverend O’Reilly said.
“We’re sorry to lose such a faithful servant and a good man.
“For many years he carried out very faithful service to the church and to people in general.”
His permanent replacement as the Sacred Heart parish priest can’t be confirmed until the appointment of a successor to Bishop Hanna, who retired more than a year ago due to ill-health.
Father Flanagan survived a heart attack in 2003 to continue on for another 14 years.
He was the priest of choice for some of the biggest funerals held in Albury including murdered Myrtleford toddler, Daniel Thomas, in 2008.
Father Flanagan planned to spend his retirement living with an older sister Dorothy, but she also died in recent times.
Sacred Heart Parish Council chairman Justin Clancy said Father Flanagan’s influence on the community extended well beyond the parish.
“He lived life to its absolute fullest,” he said.
“With the ill health he has endured over the last 12 to 18 months he still continued to give what he could give.
“He shared in the journey with so many people as the source of consolation and support.
“There are red eyes and tears today, but there is also a sense we are truly blessed to have had someone in our lives like Father Kevin and for so long.
“There is a richness and depth to Father Kevin I can’t do justice to in words at this point in time.”
There are red eyes and tears today, but there is also a sense we are truly blessed to have had someone in our lives like Father Kevin
- Justin Clancy, Sacred Heart Parish Council chairman
A plaque commemorating his 50 years as a priest was erected at St Anne’s with the school also bestowing the honour of naming one of its houses after Father Flanagan.
Principal for the past two years, Liz Johnston, said he had profound impact on the school.
“Father Kevin had the exceptional ability to relate to everyone, regardless of age, faith, background, gender and culture,” she said.
“We are truly blessed to have had the contribution of such an amazing role model over the past 40 years.
“We are so grateful for his leadership, inclusiveness, involvement in our school, and his genuine love and care for us all.
“His selfless attitude, love, care, compassion and dedication were second to none.”
Outside of the church, Father Flanagan was a sports lover with his many and varied interests including being a boxer when he attended boarding school in Ballarat.
He later developed a passion for canoeing which was used to good effect when he was recuperating from his heart attack more than a decade ago.
Father Flanagan also followed Melbourne in the AFL, enjoyed watching cricket and loved a day at the races.
Archdeacon of St Matthews Anglican Church Peter Macleod-Miller said Father Flanagan was one of the first people he met when he came to Albury nearly a decade and developed a strong friendship despite their different religious backgrounds.
“Kevin’s personal saints and heroes would be more likely to be thrown out of a pub than end up in a stained glass window which is why he connected with people of every age and background,” he said.
“He was an adventurer who in many senses paddled his own canoe, but we are blessed that he chose to paddle it for so long on the border.
“We are gutted to lose a unique friend to whom we owe so much, but he has left a shining track in our lives for which we as individuals and a community will continue to be deeply grateful.”
His funeral will be held at Sacred Heart church, North Albury at 10.30am.