BISHOP CHRISTOPHER BUDD
JOHN ROBERT AFFLECK
John Affleck married Hilary in 1968 and together they were the proud parents of four daughters. John took early retirement and this allowed him and Hilary to go travelling. They started coming on pilgrimage with the Society of Our Lady of Lourdes and each was awarded a silver medal after five years’ service. John also joined the Hospitalité of Our Lady of Lourdes and returned to Lourdes in September for a week to work in the Sanctuary.
John’s health deteriorated and by 2018 their golden wedding anniversary was showing signs of weakness. In February John suffered a significant stroke from which he never really recovered. He was unable to walk or, indeed, stand again.
He died peacefully on 11th October, 2022 after having been anointed.
The Requiem Mass of John Robert Affleck takes place at 15.00 hours on Monday 31st October 2022 at the Catholic Church of St Gregory the Great, Swarcliffe Drive, Southwood Gate, Leeds LS14 5LB.
The committal will take place at the church so there will be no procession to the crematorium.
Provisionally a reception is being organised at the Leeds Irish Centre, York Rd, Leeds LS9 9NT with a hot meal being provided at 17.00 hours.
JULIANNA MUNNELLY
1941 - 2022
With great sadness, we announce the passing of Julianna Munnelly on 18th July 2022, aged 81. A loving Mother, Nanny, Sister and Aunty. She passed away peacefully with all her family around her, after battling a long illness with Alzheimer's. We will miss her forever and she will remain in our thoughts, our hearts and our memories.
ELIZABETH ANN O'HALLORAN
27/6/22
Elizabeth Ann O’Halloran (Known as Lily) from Wigan, Lancashire passed away peacefully on 27th June 2022 and will be sadly missed by her family and friends both here and in Ireland. In her memory the family are raising funds to support our society, as their father and Lily’s late husband Thomas made the pilgrimage to Lourdes as an assisted pilgrim with the help from the Liverpool Diocese.
May you, O Lord, grant her everlasting rest.
JOHN PERKINS
21/3/22
RAY HARRISON
1935 - 2021
I have been asked more than once in the past 2 weeks, “Who is going to replace Ray?” The answer of course is ……… No one can.
Ray joined us from another age, becoming a part of what was for most of its existence known as the English National Pilgrimage for the Sick. First in 1968 as a Brancardier, and for the past third of a century as our Office Manager proposed originally by Lady Helen Asquith, granddaughter of a Prime Minister who in reality lead the Society.
I have sometimes felt that Ray felt obligated to the memory of Lady Helen – and certain things would always be done the way she did them; this included his affection and care for the banner.
I brought the banner here today ……. rolled up. Ray would be appalled!
Ray had great love for Our Lady which he expressed in his devotion to the Society of Our Lady of Lourdes. He notably visited not just Lourdes but Walsingham and a shrine in Belgium. It seems that only in the last fifteen years did he stop cycling the 300 miles to Belgium because he didn’t think his bike was up to the trip.
Ray’s was the voice of the Society who explained and reassured the many who sought to join us. Tacitly we knew that Ray ran his own Social Services operation, stories of some of those he was kind to are now emerging such as the lady who occasionally popped by for her bus fare, a friendship and support for someone living long term in an airport hotel, and the home he provided for a man estranged from his family.
Ray helped so many we will never learn of. Sadly, he never helped himself and simply refused ever to go near a doctor.
Sometimes as the immovable date for the departure of the pilgrimage approached with much still to be done it was hard to encourage him to focus on what was becoming critical.
I once proposed that he only answered the phone between 11 and 2pm leaving messages otherwise to go to voicemail.
He assured me he would do so – but knew he wouldn’t …….. and deep down, so did I!
Ray’s words: “I’ll just start a new list” …… were always ominous! Yet for all that Ray overlooked, there was so much more that he saw ~ and we didn’t. He booked venues, sent out reminders of the Christian year and sought prayers for those of our number who needed them.
It was as he said, his life.
Archbishop Kevin McDonald who leads our pilgrimage, and who is saying a Mass for Ray commented that,
“I found him gentlemanly and kindly. I am also sure that he was a deeply spiritual man and that that fuelled his commitment to SOLL. There was certainly a single mindedness about him. May he rest in peace”
MARTIN SMEATON
1952 - 2009
The one and only Smeats
Smeats died this summer and left a gap that will never be filled. I was with him and his sister the day he was first told the words he had dreaded, but which he knew in his heart would be said.
It is hard to capture the essence of this man in a few paragraphs and I hope to do him justice. I met Smeats in 1979 in
Smeats was someone you couldn’t dislike. He was approachable, warm, very generous and delighted in playing about and having a laugh. In the early days we would go to
The
When Smeats discovered how ill he was he wanted to be quick off the blocks, saw recovery as inevitable and was hopeful. This hope was to be dashed over the few weeks ahead and, as we know, his time with us was limited. We talked lots over those weeks, got angry about his fate, laughed and reflected on a life well spent and moments which are to painful to put in words. Smeats’ funeral Mass was on 3 September and the
Smeats, old boy, you will remain always in our hearts; to know you was to love you, and I knew you very well.
"Grub"
Danny Murphy