Remembering Tony Young, Memorial Mass, Blackburn
With the sudden death of Tony in PNG and plans for him to be buried there, Brian Gallagher organised a Mass at St Thomas, Blackburn, on Wednesday, January 10th – for MSC Confreres, for Tony’s close family and family friends.
Russell Andersen was visiting Melbourne from Eastern Papua and presided at the Mass. Present was Michael Sims who spent many years in Eastern Papua as well as Chris McPhee, Provincial. Brian Gallagher gave a eulogy. Other MSC present, Paul Castley, Alo Lamere, Philip Malone, Peter Malone, Peter Curry. Robyn Reynolds represented the OLSH, Carmel Slattery the MSC Sisters, also present Madeleine Barlow RNDM and Mary Andersen LCM.
A family eulogy was given by Jo, Tony’s sister on behalf of Tony’ sisters and brothers who were present with their families. Jo spoke very personally about Tony (Anthony in the family and, sometimes, Ant). She also spoke about his work for Hope Academy, ambitions for online education opportunities for the young (the ‘offcuts’ as they were named), reading texts from Tony’s writing about his aims and hopes.
After the Mass, the MSC gathered at Cuskelly House for a sharing of memories – mission commitment, spirituality, as well as humorous anecdotes of absentmindedness. We were thankful for his selfless 60 years of mission commitment and his always being a friendly confrere.
(There were unexpected difficulties with the camera, so disappointing photos of less quality. But, two better group photos, see at the end of the eulogy.)
Eulogy for Tony Young,
Brian Gallagher MSC
We all know – and doubtless, will hear more – of Tony’s extraordinary missionary work in Papua New Guinea – for almost all of the 60 years of his priesthood – in Nimowa, one of the eastern-most island of Papua New Guinea and in recent years at the Hope Academy in Alotau. I would like to speak, rather, of the man himself, Tony Young, that quiet, slow moving, thoughtful, prayerful, forgetful, beautifully loving and caring man of God, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart to his very bones.
We are blessed that many of Tony’s family are here, his sisters Mary, Win and Jo and his brother Bill, and some of their families… they know the man maybe better than any of us. We offer you our sympathy on Tony’s death and we are glad to join you now in prayer. We are blessed, too, that our celebrant Russ Andersen has also been a missionary in Eastern Papua, I guess for as many years as Tony. And Michael Sims, too, ministered in that mission – he was parish priest of Rossel Island when Tony was parish priest in Nimowa. They were neighbours! Maybe only a full day away in the boat.
Tony Young has ended his earthly pilgrimage and it is our privilege to accompany him with our prayers and our love as he now comes into the presence of the God he loved with all his heart. We know of Tony’s profound love of God because he has loved us in the same way – possible for him because he knew in his own heart how loved he was himself – by God and by many many people here and in PNG. That love is captured in the Gospel reading today: Love one another – as I have loved you. In our love for others, we spread God’s love in our world. This is the spirituality of the heart, the spirituality that Tony lived effortlessly. I’ve called him a Missionary of the Sacred Heart in his bones. I doubt that Tony ever said a bad word about anyone. He was simply a loving man.
When Tony was a young man, preparing for priesthood in the seminary in Croydon, he took to heart a hymn sung often in MSC circles called Divine Love in a Human Heart. Written by the Australian composer Janes McAuley. Some of McAuley’s words echo in me as I think about Tony:
Jesus in your heart we find love of the Father and mankind.
These two loves to us impart divine love in a human heart.
Tony, our brother Missionary of the Sacred Heart, our friend, our companion on the journey made these words real in the lives of countless people.
Our first reading, chosen by Tony’s sister Jo and read by his brother-in-law John, is Tony Young to a tee: a servant of God, in whom God delights, chosen and imbued with God’s spirit.
I think Tony knew, deep down, that he was chosen, that he had a unique call to love, to bring healing, to work for justice for God’s people. But he didn’t talk about it. He would talk easily of the people he cared for and ministered to, but he rarely spoke about himself. Tony was quite a humble man.
WE know that Tony could be quite vague, almost dreamy, as though his mind was working elsewhere even when he was with you. Years ago, Tony decided to surprise his parents by coming home for their golden jubilee of marriage. He walked into the house, all smiles ‘surprise, surprise, happy anniversary.’ ‘Ah, Tony, you are 12 months early!’ He came to me after that and asked could I give him a job at Heart of Life – he needed to justify his being in Melbourne!
Our friendship grew around that time. Tony never failed to visit whenever he was home on leave, often spending a few days with me. This was especially so when I was living in Shoreham. Tony loved Shoreham and had a few friends there – stemming from the days when the students from Croydon seminary holidayed there annually. At one point, he vaguely thought of retiring to Shoreham, but the pull of Papua New Guinea and his people there was too strong. Later when I had retired, I even suggested to Tony that it might be time for him to retire – we could live together in Blackburn. Thankyou, but no thankyou. The pull of Papua New Guinea was too strong. On his visits, Tony always seemed anxious to get back to his mission. Her is there, still. Tony would not be unhappy to have died in PNG, and at his request, he will be buried there.
Mentioning Shoreham, as a student, Tony painted a beautiful watercolour of Honeysuckle Bay and the pines down in front of our house there. He left it with his mother and discovered it only after Mary died maybe fifty years later. Warren recalled their going to a second-hand dealer to find a suitable frame. After framing, Tony brought the painting to Shoreham to present it to me. It hung in my house there for years, and now hangs happily in my house here. Just another of Tony’s gifts. I think he knew that, too, but again he didn’t talk about it. He just thought I might like it. I do.
Tony, you have lived your life with great love and loyalty. You loved and were loved by your family, by your brother MSCs, and by the thousands of people whose lives touched yours. We rejoice that, through you, we have known the love of the Father and humankind. You have lived these two loves generously and unwaveringly. We are gifted and honoured for you have shown us the beauty and the wonder of divine love in a human heart. Now, with God, you know divine love in all its fullness. In the words of Gustav Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, ‘what you have longed for is yours.’
Rest, dear friend, in God’s loving embrace.
And the group at Cuskelly House – the photographer told us to look happier, but we were looking at the Provincial!
So a photo with him in it!
