IN MEMORIAM
Fr. Joseph
Phelan
Father JOSEPH PHELAN 1919-2000. A Memorial Address by Fr.
Michael Cole at Fr. Joe's Requiem Mass
Joe Phelan died on St. Valentine's day at the Joseph Weld Hospice just south
of Dorchester. I saw him that morning on my way through to Weymouth. I wanted to
whisper in his ear 'a happy Valentine's day' but I thought a few prayers would
be more appropriate.
As I left the hospice I looked for the last time on those aquiline features
of my old friend and I recalled those long gone days of the late 1940's when Joe
took Plymouth by storm, when I first met him and perhaps then the course of my
life was changed.
I am sure that Joe is very pleased that today is one of the feasts of St.
Peter, the Apostle, because no one was more Roman than he was in his outlook and
unquestioned loyalty to the successors of St. Peter, though, I am sure that by
now he has put St. Peter straight on a few small points of theology.
But let us begin at the beginning. Joe came from a large and talented
family. He was the fourth of five boys and there were two sisters, Kitty, who is
with us today with some of the family and Mary, who is not well enough to
travel.
Waterford, in southern Ireland, near which the Phelan's lived, was the city
where Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice founded the Irish Christian Brothers, a
religious order which encouraged a love of learning and sporting excellence.
To the Christian brothers school the Phelans went. The eldest brother
Theobald became an Olympic athlete and later a medical officer with the 8th army
in the western desert in WWII right through to Berlin. The youngest, Billy, was
part of a team of surgeons in a Dublin hospital. Tim and Dominic became
successful business men. Those who saw Joe's rugby caps and athletic trophies
know he was a considerable athlete himself. But all that was given up when he
offered himself to the Plymouth Diocese and set sail for the English College in
Lisbon, Portugal, in 1937. During the war he came home once to Waterford, the
'plane he should have been on was shot down by the Luftwaffe. His first mass was
at Ferrybank, Waterford, and he was appointed to the parish of St. Edward
Peverell, in Plymouth.
As an assistant priest in the Cathedral, Plymouth, Joe became very
interested in the Catholic Social Guild getting speakers of renown and Trade
Union Leaders to speak at their meetings. He became chaplain to the 14th
Plymouth, Bishop's own scout troop and went with them to Rome and Switzerland in
1950 and later would often turn up at summer camps with legs of lamb and other
good things. His enthusiasm and energy were boundless.
Soon the Cathedral parish proved not quite big enough for Joe and its
administrator and he was asked to go to the Carmelite Monastery, Lanherne, to
look after the Carmelite sisters and the tiny parish of Lanherne, North
Cornwall, but the Lord works in mysterious ways. What could have been a remote
sequestered appointment proved to be the exact opposite. Just down the road were
two Coastal Command air stations, St. Mawgan and St. Eval, whose Lancasters and
Shackletons guarded the Western Approaches. Joe was in his element. He became
the R.C. Padre and soon the boys in blue were ferrying Joe to give talks and
retreats all over Europe and wherever there were air stations; and of course,
the occasional game of golf in Scotland. The good sisters of Lanherne must have
wondered at the sky pilot in their midst: Joe, I am sure, put it down to giving
his experience to the aircraft crews.
His next appointment was to Portland. Again Joe was very happy. This time he
had the Navy; also the Borstal (as it was known in those days); the H.M. Prison
and the beautiful rugged isle of Portland and its splendid people. Again he
became involved in education matters.
As in Cornwall, he became a member of the Alliance - this time the
Bournemouth Alliance.
Then on to Broadstone as its first parish priest where he continued with his
work with Catholic Education.
Joe couldn't resist a challenge and next he was off to Penzance with St Just
and the Scilly Isles. I know he loved Cornwall; his Cornish accent could be
better than mine; but I will leave that story to his assistants there Fr. Pat
Chrystal, Fr. McGauran and Monsignor Toffolo to tell the tale.
His last parish was here at St. Joseph's, Weymouth - with Wyke Regis. Once
again he took great interest in the local school, St. Augustine's, Hardy Avenue
and he was a great visitor around the parish. The life movement and its shop
were close to his heart. He supported the Catholic Womens' league and the
Knights of St. Columba. His last assistant was Terry Dolan.
Many are the stories about Joe. One evening, getting dark, he was summoned
to the front door of the presbytery to be confronted by two local villains, one
with a knife. Your money or your life sort of thing. Although well in his 70's,
Joe moved fast, a right jab which Mike Tyson would have been proud of put the
knife wielding villain down - all the puff knocked out of him, the other fled.
Later he was summoned to meet the Chief Constable who presented him with a
scroll of merit and also a small statue of a laughing policeman. Later, this
time Joe was away, some villains returned, pinched his TV and Video and to Joe's
annoyance knocked the block off the the statue of the laughing policeman.
Always a sportsman he joined the Weymouth Golf club. He so enjoyed meeting
the members and some of his fellow clergy on mondays. Members of the club
present, flag flying.
He was one of the first members of the inter diocesan Clergy Golf Society
and with encouragement of our own sport supremo, Fr. Seamus Flynn, and for as
long as he could manage, he attended the annual competitions. I have a lovely
memory of Joe at Foxhills, Surrey, chatting amiably with Cormac Murphy O'Connor,
the new Archbishop of Westminster.
He organised the annual holiday for Canon Walsh, John Belland and myself and
showed us his old haunts in Portugal visiting the former English College in
Lisbon and the great Marian shrine just up the road at Fatima. He spoke
Portuguese quite fluently. His great friends Vince and Jennie Clemas were kind
to him and us with our annual break over the years.
As his health began to fail the time was approaching for Joe to hang up his
cassock. His leaving of Weymouth (to go or not to go) could be described as the
long goodbye. Our Bishop Christopher kindly invited Joe to use to use part of
the home at Lyme Regis where he was very happy. As his health deteriorated, Fr.
Pat Mulvaney and Guy de Gainesford who looked after him in Dorchester Hospital
invited him to live in their presbytery. The Rev. Mother and sisters of Mercy,
Wyke Road, Weymouth, over the years were always very kind to Joe - indeed to all
the priests in so many ways and were consistent visitors towards the end. So
also was our acting Dean Fr. Chrystal, Canon Walsh, Fr. John Webb, John Rice,
the Deacons and so many of his old friends and fellow clergy.
Great tribute must also be paid to his former housekeeper Anne Ducie and her
husband Martin who were great friends and an enormous support to him.
In life, Joe usually had the last word: he should have it also in death. He
was famed for his witty (and wise) asides. After the burial of a clergy friend I
heard his words,"The dead to their grave and the living to their
lunch".
We are now going to bury Joe here in Melcombe Regis cemetery close to the
people he loved and served so well.
And after that - we will go to our lunch.
Fr. Michael Cole
last revised
3rd March, 2010 v1.01 - ê¿ê
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