Cemetery Service 2007

John Burke has provided this account of the special commemoration service which followed the AGM and launch of Mike Kilduff & Peter Roebuck's Book "The Salesian Cemetery at Shrigley"

More photos can be found HERE

Nearly 100 people assembled in the Shrigley cemetery at 3 pm for the traditional  annual memorial service which took on an additional significance this year following the launch just a few hours earlier of the book “The Salesian Cemetery at Shrigley.”

A special welcome was extended to the relatives of the deceased, to those who had travelled far to be here and for whom this was a first visit to Shrigley.

Past pupil John Clark from Glasgow read the lesson. When asked the previous evening if he would read and would he like to rehearse, he informed the MC that as he has his own undertaker’s business and probably knows the chosen passage by heart, it would not be necessary!

Fr. Michael Winstanley, the Provincial, led the prayers.The names of those buried in the cemetery were read out and beautiful wreaths anonymously made and donated were laid by relatives and members of the Shrigley Association who were contemporaries.


A wreath was laid on the grave of ANDREW GALLAGHER the first boy to be buried at Shrigley in 1933 by his nephew Tom Gallagher who had come from Ireland with other members of the family
.

Francesca McCurdy, laid our tribute to her brother DANIEL McAFEE who also died in 1933. She was accompanied by her son and his wife from Northern Ireland.


Fr. Albert Carette put flowers at the headstone of  PATRICK WOSSER who died in 1934. Fr. Albert designed the headstones specially cleaned for today’s service.


Old boy Maurice Sheehan, who was accompanied by his family, laid the wreath at the grave of his brother DESMOND SHEEHAN who died in 1937.


DAMIEN COCKSEY who died in 1958 was represented by John and Bernadette, his cousins.


Wreaths for deceased Salesians FR. THOMAS SLYTH (1959 ), BRO. EMILE HEVIA (1961), BRO.JAMES BROCKBANK ( 1962 ), and FR. PETER McCUSKER (1963 ) were put in place by Fr. Michael Lindsay, Sean Simpson, John Crowshaw and Kevin Dean respectively.


Fr. James Walsh, ordained 61 years ago laid our tribute on the grave of FR. FRANCIS WILSON (died 1963) who was in the first cohort of Shrigley boys.


The parents of BRO. CHRIS HIGGINS (died 1976 ) laid the wreath accompanied by several members of their family.


Eric Baggaley laid our tribute to BRO. LORENZO BIELLO who died in 1977).


We were happy to greet FR. EDWIN SLACK’s brother and sister, Bob and Betty. Fr. Edwin died in France in 1982.


Also present were the wives of Tony Booth and Tony Coop  They laid wreaths where the ashes of their husbands were scattered.


We prayed also for Hugh Walton who was a loyal member of our association and came from USA regularly to our reunions. His ashes were scattered recently at Shrigley.


Finally in tribute to others who are remembered with affection, to the Salesians who brought us to Shrigley, Fr. Albert laid our final tribute under the large cross at the entry to the cemetery.

Two individual contributions were made to the Service. Fr. James Walsh gave an account of the early days when he studied with some of the boys whom we were remembering. Fr. Dermot Gallagher, nephew of Andrew Gallagher, spoke of the great impression that that the tangible Shrigley spirit had made on him during his visit and the” interconnectedness of things.” As he finished his homily, a Scottish piper greeting a wedding party to the Tilden suite, formerly our college chapel, struck up “ When the Saints go marching in.” Interconnected indeed!
Finally “Requiem Aeternam” was sung from a unique songsheet, the reverse side of a laminated souvenir cover of the book about the cemetery at Shrigley.

We thank Eric Baggaley for providing this memento of a lovely occasion which closed with a final blessing and thanks from Fr. Michael to the management of Shrigley Park Hotel for the upkeep of the Salesian Cemetery particularly the work after the devastation caused by the recent storms. Thanks also to Martin Rose from Savio House for the cleaning of the headstones.