Fr Gerard Muligan CSsR RIP Funeral...
Click here to see the full Funeral Booklet...
It was both a sad day and a happy one as the Redemptorists, the Mulligan Family, and many other religious, Priestly and Lay People gathered on the 25th of March to say a final farewell and to pray for Fr Gerry's eternal, happy and peaceful repose.
Sad - Fr Gerard CSsR death has left a hole in so many peoples' lives - more than we might actually appreciate.
Happy - Fr Gerard CSsR lived life to the full, straining to be a servant to his Master, the Lord.
It is only right that we should rejoice in the knowledge that
Fr Gerry has gone home to the Father's House.
Vivat in aeternum! Requiescat in pace!
Fr Gerard Mulligan CSsR - RIP
Fr Elias Gweme CSsR, Rector of Kinnoull, Fr Richard Reid CSsR, Provincial and Br Michael Duxbury CSsR
The Holy People of God
Find here the words addressed to the congregation
by one of Fr Gerry's dear friends,
"I am very grateful to have the opportunity of saying a few words in memory of Father Gerry – Gerard - as he is known in the family. And that gospel passage which we have just heard, reminds me of how often my own heart burned within me when I was with Fr. Gerry.
Gerry has been a friend of mine since 1965, and one of the great privileges of my life is to have lived in the same community with him on a few occasions. As a friend, it might be difficult for me to be objective about this amazing man of God. I’m not going to canonize Gerry. I’m sure he had his faults as we all do; but he was truly an extraordinary and outstanding man and Redemptorist priest; and the large crowd gathered here today – and from every sector of society - is, of course a validation of this.
As many of you may know, Fr. Gerry studied in Rome, and then came back and taught in our student house in Hawsktone Hall, after which he was elected Provincial Superior. When that ministry was completed, he moved to Chawton to be on the editorial team of Redemptorist Publications after which he came to Plymouth where I was stationed. Here he had his first opportunity of ministering as a parish priest, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. It was in parish in a very deprived area, and Fr. Gerry flourished among the people. He was very much loved.
After that, he moved to Middlesbrough and again his ministry there was so real and outstanding that that he was awarded Man of the Year by the civic authorities. As far as I can tell the only bonus of this was a free parking place outside the City Hall, which he never used. However, for those who knew him, it was validation of his pastoral care of those in greatest need. He used to call it, a Hospice for the Living.
Then he came here to Kinnoull, where he served as Rector for two terms, and also as Vicar Provincial - and continued to live here, as his dementia began to develop. During his time in the monastery, he was always a breath of fresh air, a soul of compassion, and a source of extraordinary wisdom and understanding.
He was a man of the gospel. The number of times, that he would see beyond a situation and have a deeper insight was astonishing. I remember him saying to me about a situation that was near to my heart: “This is not of the gospel!” - and that was always his benchmark….. the Gospel.
Of course, his compassion, for the marginalised and the poor at times was challenging for me, and for others in the community. I remembered in Plymouth, how frequently I’d come in to find a gentleman of the road, sitting at table, scoffing a large meal and going off with a few pounds in his pocket. And I would say to Gerry you know he’s going to use that for drink. His response was forty years ahead of Pope Francis, who a couple of years ago said, “You know when you pass beggars on the street the tendency is to ignore them, or to think well if I give them money, they’ll use it for drink or drugs”. Pope Francis said ‘You don’t know that! They might be genuinely needy in other ways – but, of course they might use it for drink - a drink that might be their way of dealing with the awful pain they are in.” That was the philosophy of Gerry; and no one was ever turned away.
I remember a young homeless man, Samuel, who alternated between Sr. Sheila’s community in Bodmin and our community and who was staying in Plymouth for a few days. We had to go away to some meeting and so Fr. Gerry, who was the superior, said he could stay in the house. I said “What if he steals something, and Gerry’s response was, “What is there to steal here!”. We duly returned and everything was an order…nothing missing - but a few weeks later the phone bill came. There was a massive bill for the days Samuel was there and we were away. As you can imagine I shook the bill in front of Gerry and said “See, see!” His response was “Well poor Samuel must have been very, very lonely if you needed to spend all that time on the phone”. Now Gerry was not naive. He was compassionate. He could see things through the lens of the wounded and the broken. He had this extraordinary gift of being able to touch the sensitive part, the painful part of a human being - and simply to be with them in these moments. It is something I learned from him over the years and something I deeply cherish.
He always had such a kind way of dealing with things. I used for ten years send a monthly letter to our Province; but I would always show it to him first. Invariably he would come back and say,”That’s an excellent letter; but you know, I wouldn’t put what you’ve said here and there in quite that way”. He would then offer suggestions which were so, so much better. Again, it was this wonderful way of respecting another human being, that was so special in Father Gerry.
And as you know, Gerry had a passion for Italy, from the time of his studies in the early 60s, he loved everything Italian….., the food, the people, the countryside, the art, the architecture, and he returned there regularly. He knew the Italian psyche quite well, and I always love when you would tell this story which illustrates it:
During his time Rome, Gerry on his own admission was a bit of a party animal. He was very gifted intellectually, not a very focused student. The Hebrew examination was coming up and he was in a panic about it because he hadn’t done the necessary revision. So, he asked one of our German confreres, who as you can imagine was very conscientious, for some help, and the guy said: “Well don’t worry because this lecturer always asks basically four questions which you should study. You will be fine”. So, Fr. Gerry sat up all night with black coffee and crammed the information – and sure enough the questions came up.
Then Gerry then had a scruple. He felt perhaps he had been less than transparent. So a few days later he went along to the professor, and he told him he had not really fully covered the course, and had only studied four main exam areas. The professor looked up and said, “Well I wouldn’t worry if I were, you because you failed anyway”. “But he added, “You only failed by one mark. Now this is Italy, and we can solve things like this; so, I’m quite sure we can find you half a mark for good writing and half a mark for diligence. So, many congratulations you’ve passed!” I always enjoy the twinkle in Gerry’s eyes when he told that story.
I am conscious that we have to complete the Mass and go down to the cemetery and there is so much more I would wish to say but there is a time constraint.
All of you here today - family and friends will recognise one of these aspects in the life of Father Gerry, and will be smiling as you to call his goodness, his compassion and his love.
To his family, his brother John and his wife Frances and their families, to his sister Kathleen and the Notre Dame family, and to our confreres from throughout the Province and Zimbabwe who knew Gerry in a very special way, thank you for the wonderful support you offered him, especially in the last two years of his life.
To the social workers from Murray Royal Hospital, the Sisters of Nazareth House and the staff there who looked after them with such care, we say thank you – as we do to the doctors and nurses from Ward 8C at Gartnavel Hospital.
To our own staff here in the monastery who truly loved Gerry. and looked after him with unutterable care and tenderness, we are so immensely grateful.
But perhaps, above all, for all for the many of you who are here today, who knew him in an entirely different capacity, I am so touched and moved by your presence here which speaks volumes about your love and care for him. On behalf of Gerry and all of us, may I express our deep gratitude for your presence mong us today. Yesterday after Mass, one of the regular attenders, Bob Dolman, was speaking about Fr. Gerry – and he simply said, “You know he was one of the kindest persons I have ever met in my entre life”. For me, this sums up Fr. Gerry.
Gerry enriched, our lives and lives of countless people that we will never know. That love and that compassion live on. His gospel understanding of the wounded, of forgiveness, of healing live on. And the most noble service we can render him is to try and live in this spirit. In the weeks and months that lie ahead we shall keep Gerry alive in our hearts - in our communities, in our workplaces, in our ministries, in our families, and above all in our hearts.
Gerry, you have lived a great life. You have touched so many of us. You have laboured with many burdens, especially your health, in these past few years. Now rest in peace, rest in peace - and please don’t forget us. Amen"
Fr Ronald McAinsh CSsR
