Obituary Notice
This obituary notice has been digitally processed from a scanned archival document. Some words may be imperfectly rendered.
Fr. Hilarian Gallagher (1869-1949) aa ra — 7 | Gattagle a” a 7a. oe Soe | gt. Mary's Retreat, Qarmarthen, OBITUARY Notign. . | or FATHRR NILARION OF ‘Tis MO'THRR OF dod. gee: cai Shi ee eee ere oe ee Father Hilarion »of the Nother of God, bailed in the world martin. Oallagher, wan a hear felntive of two distinguished and well- ' penatibered Passioniate of the: former Anglo-libernian Province, Father Pite hevine and Father Arthur Devine, hig eounina, found time, in the midst of a buvy wiasionary life, fo enrich the Catholie liternture of thedy darn whth many published works, eome of whieh had an almoat world-wide eiroulation ‘and are gti1i held in high favout both by dlergy and leity, ft weit probabiy due to the influence and reputation of those twe devoted priests thet young Mardin ‘Uallaghor folt the firet stirrings of a vooation to the Congregation of the Passion. | gon of James Gallagher and Mary Durkan, he waa born in gubbarourry in the dounty of @kaa ligo und the diosesa of Achonry, Ireland, on, tha lst at dotover, 1969, ‘The dharaater of his hotte may. be intorred fyom the faot. that 1% gavo two other prieste and a nun.fo the service of the ohureh. fle necelved a sound envly. educe | ation An tha estlesiastioal nan inary of his native dlooase and at twenty years of age entered the Pasatoniat Novyitinte as 34. daviour's te Hotreat, Brosdway. Here ‘he was trained in the apind bund life by i . ero See
\ a . “y . EM arn 9 tg : ° rn 5 A , Ai : : Pa ‘ "as aceig unenbl ‘ey . 2. fa J ¢ v PR, . 5 - é the saintly N viee Master, Father Raymund bisano, a contemporary and diaéipie of thé ven. Father pominie, and made hie religious pYottedsion on the let of November, 1600. Hin atudies for the priesthoud were ¢hietly made in $t. Joseph's Retreat, Highgate, where he was. regarded both vy hia Superiora and his fellow-students ap the most brilliant of hia class and 4 model for all in his devotion to study abd in hig fidelity to. the fegular obsevanee. He woe ordained priest in 8t. Joseph's Ghureh, Highgate, on the —LTth of November, 1096, by Cardinal Vaughan, Archbishop of Weatminster. Father Hilarion wae gifted with a singvlarly elear and penetrating mind, well disoiplined by study and well stoeted with knowledges He was, moreover, distinguished by a deep, simple and unostentatious piety foundad in his devotion to the Passion of Ghrist. and to. thea Mother of sorrows, whth sueh mental and sp&titual equipment it is little wonder that high hopes were entertained of his fusure services to the Gongrégation. But he was haunted by the epeotre of iilshealth from the close of his student daya to the end of hie life. - And though in the early years of bis priesthood he was preparing and hoping for an notive and fruitful esreer on the missions, 1% soon beaane evident to his superiors that he was unfitted to endure the phy si¢al strain of misalon work or, indead, prolonged appideation of any kid kind, He was thus condemned by eireumstances (t6 lead the 1ife of a semisinvalid, But it was a life which sontinually aimed, in spite of cireumstances, at the fulfilment of the Paasionist ddeals . 1b was a life of atudy. He had agquired a profound know \ | ledge espeotaily of dogmatia theology. — And in this respect he may be
& = = cd a a ee ' XN of i Te Fd rn 3. an J an . gaia to have been a ‘man of one book! =. the Summa of st. Thomas, which he, apparen ty had at his finger-ends, It was always a pleasure to ~eohault niin on any point of Alepute or difficulty and to liaten to the fhlefinite and ¢lear-wut exposition of hie views, It was also a life. of prayer, Me was davtted to the religicus obsetrvence ahd, so for as hig health permitted, was assiduous in hig attendance at Choir. He shrank. from. all. contest with the outside world except what duty imposed ‘upon him end seemed to live aonstantly in the preeence of God. ie poctety of his own brethren was seriieient for bie, end, without being in the. Lount congsedour. of 1¢, he wae a continue. example to them of the virtuos mont needed tn tomrupity 2ife. Perhaps the moet noticeable of there virties was the cherity whieh nade, abeink frou geying, or even hearings, a word to the tetriment of othera, and always showed uw readi+ hessto praine even when praine was least merle. As to himself, he avoided Aayine anything er eeaking anything, and ta hia homility and ppoverty were in gteiat dine with hig fraternal obori ty. ¢h, Paul of the Oroaa has aeid that "tha dovpmon life is the foundation atone of Peligioug perfection; where that flourishes the observance of the Holy Riie and.Wowas. wila.fiouriah, ” That simple principle of our Holy Founder was. well iliustrated.in the life of Father Hilarion. Wis relictons life wos mostly pagased in the Retrenta of... Sty. Mary! 8, Hepne Bay, and et. Mory'a, Garmerthen, It Was in this , latter Retreat that his nowt returned te dod, fortified by the elites _ of Holy Ohuroh and tha prayers and saslatance of hits brethren, on January 16th, 1949, May HR REST PHAGE.
Source: Obituary Notices, Provincial Archive, St Joseph's Province. Passionist Congregation.