Fr Tony Flannery : Esker Community

Fr. Peter Flannery

Peter Flannery was born in the early days of February 1942 and baptized in Craughwell Church. While still in the pram he was brought to live in Attymon. He spent his childhood there and went to Attymon national school. He served Mass in Latin in Killimordaly church. His dominant memories of childhood are that people worked very hard, they worked together and they had a sense of humor.

He was not aware of being poor and was not aware of being rich either. His schooling and his favorite pastime, hurling, hardened him up for life. His mother was a teacher before she got married and Fr. Peter still meets people who claim that she taught them. She left her mark on them. She is also remembered for being a well-known dressmaker, or as they say nowadays, a seamstress. There are still people who owe her money and if they are worried about their eternal salvation, he will accept the money on her behalf. His father farmed a 37-acre farm and worked for Bórd Na Móna. It was with some relief that Peter discovered that he had a vocation to the priesthood.

He was reared near a Redemptorist monastery and was very impressed by the Redemptorists who lived there, in the fifties. He felt honoured when one of them encouraged him to become a Redemptorist.

He went to the Redemptorist College in Limerick in 1955. There he was taught elocution and a correct walking posture. His father was very impressed by the results. In 1960 he went to a very strict spiritual year or Novitiate in Esker monastery. He did his studies in Cluain Mhuire, Galway, and was ordained in 1967. He then began the most humble Redemptorist apostolate of all, the giving of parish Missions, Retreats and Novenas.

He apprenticed with the old missioners who spoke with great clarity and conviction. He admired their theatrical style of preaching but not always the content of their sermons.

He then embarked with others in finding a new Redemptorist voice in the post Vatican 2 Church. Instead of learning sermons off by heart they set out to create new sermons.

He spent many hours of his life in confessionals up and down the length and breadth of Ireland with some brief forays into foreign lands.

Fr. Peter is a political animal and with a General Election coming soon he will have much to think about and much to say as well.

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Fr Johnny Doherty

Fr. Michael Cusack, Vicar

Fr. Fonsie Doran, Consultor

Fr. Jimmy Buckley,

Fr. Mike Heagney,

Fr. Tony Flannery,

Br. James Casey

Fr. Pat Egan - working in Knock

Br. Tom Farrell