Memorial Mass pays 

tribute to Father Flanagan

See more photos below

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Bishop Michael Mulvey presided over a Memorial Mass in honor of Father James H. Flanagan, founder of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, on May 3 at Our Lady of Corpus Christi Adoration Chapel. Father James Flanagan died on March 24 in Bosque, New Mexico. He was 91.
 
Concelebrants included Bishop Emeritus Edmond Carmody; Father Peter Marsalek, General Priest Servant of SOLT; Father Patrick Donohoe, Chancellor for the Diocese of Corpus Christi; and SOLT priests living in the diocese. Deacons Wayne Lickteig, SOLT and Deacon Paul Moore assisted in the Mass.
 
Brothers, sisters and laypersons from the Corpus Christi SOLT family as well as members from other congregations filled the chapel.
 
"It is very well known that Father Jim had a hard time saying 'no' to people. In fact, we still suffer some of the consequences of the fact that Father Jim couldn’t say 'no,'" Father Marsalek said in his homily.
 
"But if he couldn’t say no to others, it was perhaps in part, because he himself spent a life of saying 'yes' to God and our Blessed Mother; 'yes' to loving God with his whole heart; 'yes' to loving and being devoted to our Blessed Mother; 'yes' to being a son of the Church; 'yes' to the sacred priesthood; 'yes' to serving the people of God; and 'yes' to founding a community of priests, religious sisters and brothers and laity devoted to Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, serving on ecclesial family teams in areas of deepest apostolic need. For his labor of love, we are confident that the Lord and his mother could only have one answer to his knocking at the door of heaven–'yes, come and find rest from your labor.'"
 
Prior to the Memorial Mass, Father Marsalek reported to the SOLT community that Father Flanagan had passed into eternal life on Holy Thursday morning, the day of the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist, at exactly 1 a.m. He was surrounded by priests, sisters and lay members of SOLT at the time of his passing.
 
"We just finished praying all four mysteries of the rosary and he was listening to his favorite song, " O Beata Trinitas" as he breathed his last," Father Marsalek said. "His death was incredibly peaceful."


Photos by Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic and Beth Nguyen, for South Texas Catholic



A reception was held after the Memorial Mass for Father Flanagan.      
Photos by Beth Nguyen for South Texas Catholic