Brother Gerald Gannon (1911-2008) Sept 2008

A Life of Loving Service to God as Educator, Friend, Counsellor and Spiritual Diirector

Brother Gerald Gannon died in his sleep as the dawn was breaking in India on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008. He was the oldest Patrician Brother alive in the world. It was in the character of the man, and no doubt an answer to his prayer, that in his final hour he would move gently out of time into eternity. And that he would go without fuss or flurry to the God he served so faithfully as a Patrician Brother for over 79 years.

Patrick Gannon was born on January 31st 1911 to Nora Feeney and Michael Gannon, in Shudane. He went to Newcastle School and was taught by Mr. John Whelan. He was of a family of 14 children – Rita in Shudane, Phil in Kildare, and Jimmy in the U.S are the three surviving members of an extraordinary family. His sisters, May, Norah, Sadie, and Kitty, Peter, Michael, Mattie, John, Joseph were gone home to the Lord before him and there to meet him.

He entered the Patrician Brothers on April 22nd 1927 and received his first profession on January 12th 1929 and final profession on Dec. 10th 1932. He made his journey to India with the Provincial Brother, Adrian Keogh, and five colleagues.

It took six long weeks by boat to Bombay where be began his teaching career and then he moved to Delhi and later to Pakistan. In the hills of Mussorie in Delhi he spent over forty years.

Brother Gerald spent his whole life with young people. In the class-room, he taught Mathematics and Religion. At various times he was Principal of various Patrician Schools — St. George’s College, St. Joseph’s Academy and St. Anthony’s. He was elected the Fourth Assistant General of the Order and was based in Ireland from July 1946 until he returned to India in November 1950. During his life until he retired, he held various positions of responsibility in the Patrician Order.

He was a man of many parts. He was a keen observer of nature — the flora and fauna and an expert knowledge of shrubs and plants. He loved to sow flowers and often wrote in the school Annals about nature and respecting the environment. As one of his colleagues wrote, “he lived his life with the motto-“Service before Self’ and he inspired so many thousands of students to be committed to serve people through their work and to bring it all to the God who loved them.

A Memorial Mass was celebrated in Newcastle on August 29th. It was a gathering with Rita and Phil and all the family members, relatives and friends of the Gannon family. Over a hundred first cousins of the extended Gannon and Molloy families were present! Brother Gerald, on his visits home, all he needed was a bed and a bike. No trouble for him — as he did — to cycle from Shudane to Cavan and then face down to Tullow, and on one occasion after the War, he had to walk with the bike from Tullamore for over 23 miles because there were so many potholes on the road.

The great hope in 2000 when he came home was that he would retire and settle in the Brothers Rest Home in Kildare.

After a trip to the States in his 90th year, he expressed his strong desire to return to India. It seems that he was getting a deaf ear. However, he decided that he would not eat food and in the spirit of Ghandi he went on hunger-strike for four days! The Superior got the message and he was allowed to return to India and the people that he had loved and served all his life.

As Brother Jerome said in an inspiring address in Tullow, “when we honour the past, we energise our future, and the present becomes a celebration”. As a parish community, it is important to remember and celebrate one of our heroic parishioners who dedicated his life in service to God and his people. To thank God for the family and the faith — that inspired him and sent him forth with his missionary spirit.

Also to thank God for his work and the lives he inspired as educator, friend, counsellor and spiritual director. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

Canon Tony King PP