Mentor to ANZ missionaries

02.06.2010

Dan McAloon tells us about a priest with vision who read the ‘signs of the times’.

Few who met Fr Cyril Hally in the decades that he was active in the Australian Church were not impressed by his sharp intellect, abiding spirituality and lifelong ‘youthful’ enthusiasm for the cause of bringing the Kingdom of God into existence on Earth. He lectured in missiology, missionary anthropology, mission history, and later, peace and ecology. He helped missionaries who now work in many parts of the world “to read the signs of the times” as Pope John XXIII said.

In the words of Columban Fr Gary Walker, Fr Cyril was “indefatigable”. Over years he built up an extraordinary network in many areas of life. “He touched the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people with his vision and understanding of what was happening to the Church and the world.”

Fr Cyril was born at Temuka, South Island, New Zealand on February 9, 1920. At age 19, Cyril entered the St Columban Missionary Society seminary in Essendon, Melbourne. The Columban foundation was to take the Gospel into China and it was there that Cyril expected to spend his ministry. But it was not to be. Within a few years of his ordination, Mao’s communist revolution saw the suppression of foreign missionaries and imprisonment of Catholic bishops, priests and religious under charges of anti-revolutionary activities.

Fr Cyril instead became a chaplain to Asian students in New Zealand. He later studied in Rome and graduated with a licentiate in Canon Law. In 1951, he was sent to Japan but he was only there for just over a year before he was recalled to the staff of the Columban seminary in Sydney.

After studying linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, he joined the staff at St Columban’s seminary at Dalgan Park, Co Meath, Ireland. The Irish Columban ecological activist and author, Fr Sean McDonagh, a seminarian then, vividly recalled Cyril’s weekly class in Gregorian Chants for the discourses into anthropology, linguistics, or current affairs like the Vietnam War.

“The phrase I remember most from Cyril’s lips was ‘in my opinion’. Cyril expected missionaries to have opinions about a range of broad issues based on solid reflection and research.” said Fr McDonagh.

When describing the Church’s mission in the contemporary world “enculturation” was a word often used by Fr Cyril to explain the openness and respect which missionaries should take to the indigenous cultures of  people they will live with. Fr Cyril’s long held belief was that New Testament’s strength lay in its ability to adapt to its host society without any diminishment of its gospel truths.

In the post-Vatican II Church, Cyril was appointed to a church ‘think tank’ in Brussels, ‘Pro Mundi Vitae’ which specialised in in-depth studies on topics and issues  of the Church that needed researching. In 1972 was made First Secretary to the National Catholic Missionary Council, Sydney, set up by the Australian Bishops Conference.

For many years Fr Cyril was Director of the Columban’s Pacific Mission Institute and lectured missionaries who were heading for cross-cultural mission in Australia or other parts of the world. He was awarded the inaugural Philia Prize for vision and initiative in religious work in Australia. He was a leading light in the ecumenical peace and justice group “Pax Christi”. In 2002 Catholic Earthcare Australia inaugurated the annual Cyril Hally Lecture on the ecology.

Dan McAloon works in Catholic Media as a freelance journalist.

A Tribute to Fr Cyri Hally

Fr Cyril Thomas Hally passed away on May 18, 2010 at Mercy Place, Parkville.  Fr Cyril wanted to be a missionary in China but never fulfilled his dream because the Communist takeover in 1949 closed China to foreign missionaries. Ironically he helped prepare missionaries of another generation to go to China.

Over many years in his capacity as Director of the Pacific Mission Institute at St Columban’s, North Turramurra, he helped to prepare religious, priests, and lay people for cross-cultural mission, not only in their own countries like Australia and New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, but also in other far flung parts of the world.

Fr Cyril had a unique ability to inspire people with whom he came in contact. Upon news of his death these comments were sent to the Columban headquarters at Essendon by those who had enrolled in courses at the Pacific Mission Institute and the Columban Mission Institute as it came to be called.

"I first met Cyril 35 years ago. He had a fresh and challenging approach to what the Church is and what it is called to be for the world. For a newly ordained priest he was an uplifting encounter".

"I was a student at PMI/CMI. I was enthused, encouraged and inspired by Cyril’s lectures and his breadth of knowledge and experience. He inspired me to read, research and study well".

A former student myself I pay tribute to him. Somehow through his insights I opened my mind and saw things in a new way because he developed connections that made sense of what was happening to the Church in the world and what’s more, exciting. I am grateful. Thank you, Cyril, very much.

May he rest in peace.   

Fr Gary Walker

Read more from The Far East, June 2010