News

Funeral Homily Fr. Tom Seymour

23 August 2019

Fr. Tom Seymour, RIP, Wednesday, 21st of August 2019, St. Mary’s Church, Nenagh

It was ironic, but perhaps providential that the very day Fr. Tom returned to God, on Sunday last, his beloved Tipperary senior hurlers were warming up for their great All-Ireland victory. I believe Tom, a life long, ‘number-one’ fan was really looking forward to the match! Many people have made the comment since that he was most likely interceding on their behalf by the time they took to the pitch in Croke Park. Being a man who had the reputation of “getting things” – no doubt St. Peter more than likely (as we now know)gave him a favourable hearing!!!

Hebrews – Running Steadily the race…

Another interesting coincidence or perhaps God-incidence is that the scripture reading on that same day at Mass was a text most familiar and lived out by Tom in his latter years. It was the text from Hebrews encouraging us to keep on running steadily in the race we started. That reading continues “Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection; for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross … and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne”. As we well know considering the challenges Tom had in the past few years, he certainly lived the spirit of this text right to the end. He was a man that offeredupthe Sacrifice of the Cross in the Eucharist on the altar here so often. The same cross he inhabited in his acceptance of his own crosses. The cross that is so central to the magnificent stain glass here in the sanctuary of this outstanding liturgical space.

A fond farewell

We gather this afternoon on the 140th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady in Knock in this beautiful Church of St. Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary to say a fond farewell to a man who put his faith in her many a time. May Our Lady, who knew what it was like to endure sadness and suffering hasten his journey to the right side of that throne of her Son mentioned in that Hebrews text.

Focus of our Prayer during this Mass

We gather in thanksgiving for the long and wonderful service to priesthood of Fr. Tom, 58 years in the vineyard of the Lord. We pray for the salvation of his soul, that the Lord might forgive whatever failings he may have had. We pray also for the consolation of his family, colleagues and a very wide circle of friends and former parishioners from the many parishes in which he served.

First Reading – Banquet of the Lord

In the readings, specially chosen by Fr. Tom, himself for today’s Mass – it comes as no surprise to me that the first reading from Isaiah would be that of the banquet table of the Lord, a text that prefigures the banquet of the Eucharist. For Tom himself epitomised that sharing, hospitality and welcome synomous with a banquet. His house was a house of welcome, a house of solicitude, a house where one felt at home, a house of table fellowship. Last night after evening prayer, I happened during a cup of tea in the presbytery to be sitting in the corner seat, that was usually occupied by Tom. I always enjoyed his presence there. He was like a wise owl at so many gatherings. Not saying much, but whatever contibutions he made were worth waiting for and so worth hearing.

An Example of Table Fellowship

One little experience I had of his kindness and generosity was this time last year. It was the first day of the parish walk from Nenagh to the Phoenix park for World Meeting of Families. After the opening Mass Tom asked us over for a cup of tea to set us on the way. To our delight it was much more than a cup of tea! It was a full Irish breakfast he had prepared and cooked himself and he delighted in sharing it with at least a half dozen hungry walkers, ready to hit the roads, full of the spirit of adventure.

Second Reading – the Love the Lord lavishes on us

It is no surprise either that for the second reading he chose the text explaining the lavish love the Lord has for us. Tom’s life as a priest of Jesus Christ was a life of love, and kindness, a life that reflected and radiated the heart of what that scriptural text offers us.

For Tom, the living out of this in his love of his Family, his Friends and his Fellow priests meant so much!

Love of Family

Being a proud Portroe man – he kept exceptionally close to his family all his life. I recall last year, during a visit on the day of the Leaving Cert Results – one of the family called to show him her results and Tom was like a child who had just received a visit from Santa Claus. Nothing else mattered for the rest of that day, because of the good news he had just received.

Baptism of Twins!

I’m convinced that apart from the hope of hurling victory, the one thing that kept Tom alive in Milford was the joy of looking forward to a family Christening of twins about a week ago, an event assisted by Fr. Michael Geraghty from the care centre in Milford. Such family occasions gave him such life and joy!

Care for Fellow Priests

He also had a great grá and patient understanding of his fellow priests and loved the camraderie associated with that. He loved the various outings with his card school friends and I believe he was always very kind to fellow priests, especially those he had authority over and I understand also he was always so welcoming of visiting priests and never in the least resented clergy coming in from outside to officiate at various ceremonies. He was always happy to embrace whatever assignment he was asked to take on, even if this came at great personal expense.

Gospel – Many Rooms in my Fathers House

The gospel from St. John, again sums up Tom to a tee. It speaks of rooms and a house and the space and welcome there for everyone there.

All his life Tom was dealing with houses and buildings. He was I believe a man of action and with that he was a mighty builder. Buildings of the physical kindand building community of the human of spiritual kind.

Builder of Houses.

In practically all the pastoral appointments he had – this trait of being a man of action and a builder shone through.

In Borrisokane he was very involved in the fundraising for the new Church there.

He then did work on the Churches in Lorrha Parish.

He did work also on buildings and the fabric in Broadford Parish.

As you know well here in Nenagh his contribution to the Parish Centre was huge and the two houses behind the presbytery one of which he enjoyed a number of years of happy retirment.

Builder of Community.

More inportantly, perhaps than that Tom was also a builder of Community. He spent his ministry encouraging people to be active in being Pobal Dé, People of God, the Body of Christ on Earth. His big vision was in trying to seek ways to empower communities to empower each other to be real and true and genuine communities of faith and love.

Phrases like

Genuine
Generous
Most obliging
Hard working
Committed to Priesthood
Pleasant
Niceness personified
Strength of character
Bringing things forward
Man of Action
A person to get things done
Practical, down to earth
A Great thinker
A man Full of ideas and new suggestions

These were the phrases that kept coming up when I asked his contemporaries what Tom was about.

He was ahead of his time in many ways and such was his intensity (to use Pat Spillane’s phrase) and interest in moving things forward – that one of the few if any faults he had was that he rushed into things with such energy and enthusiasm that he sometimes had to be encouraged to slow down for his own sake.

Sense of Humour – At home with his limitations

Tom had a good sense of humour and had a profound sense of being at home with his own limitations and the limitations of those around him. Because of his recent difficulty in trying to speak – I once asked him if the strain on his voice caused him much discomfort. His instant reply was – the only discomfort was for those who had to endure the pain of listening to him! It seemed to me that he was not the type of man who would overly focus on himself, despite his difficulties and entitlement to do so.

Person of wisdom and understanding

He was always the sort of man that having met him you went away a bit wiser and certainly feeling that one had a genuine human dialogue and communication. From the several hundreds of comments I have seen on social media – this has been the experience of so many over a life time of amazing service and genuine love of the Lord and people.

Faithful to the Core

The other thing people tell me was not surprisingly Fr. Tom was a man of mighty faith.

He was a man of regular and faithful prayer.

He had a broad based, practical prayer life that was Scripture based and a spirituality that was a ‘reaching out’ spirituality.

Final Encounter with Tom

I am sure it was this mighty faith that helped him cope with the difficult challenge of ill health in recent years.

However, even the day before his most recent big operation in Dublin he was so calm, placid, serene, accepting… a sanguinity that no doubt stemmed from his great faith.

My final encounter with Tom a number of days ago in Milford care centre was a poignant time of saying good bye. We both knew we wouldn’t meet again, this side of eternity, so to speak. He said two things to me as I departed and have thought about them much since and found them very edifying. The two simple comments were:

I had a good innings…
I was always very happy as a priest…

The words of a man who was ready to embark on the journey to the next life,

a man who felt he was going to a banquet of welcome as a result,
a man who through his ongoing life of prayer knew that God is a God of lavish love,
a man who knew that in God’s house there was plenty of rooms and all were welcome there.

Those rooms had better be in good shape, because if they are not – the Fr. Tom that we knew will be gathering funds and planning to get them in shape – for all to enjoy and be happy for quite some time.

Ar dheis lámh Dé go raibh a anam uasal séimh …

having completed the race of life and persisted right until the end…

Go raibh leaba aige i measc na naomh! Áiméan!

Funeral Notification and biography

Deeply regretted by his loving family brothers Denis and John (Jack) (Kilkenny), sisters-in-law Norah and Anna, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews,

priests and religious in Killaloe Diocese, relatives, friends and parishoners of the various parishes that he administered.

Formerly of Lansdowne, Portroe, (peacefully), at Milford Care Centre, predeceased by his parents James and Johanna, brothers Liam, Michael, Paddy and Jimmy.

Fr. Tom Seymour, PE, RIP

Born 20th of February 1935 (84 Years Old)

Native of Lansdown, Portroe, Nenagh

Education

Portroe NS, Nenagh CBS

St. Flannan’s College, Ennis

St. Patrick’s College, Carlow

Ordination

10th of June, 1961 in Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow

First Mass

11th of June, 1961, St. Mary’s Church, Portroe

Parishes in which he served

1961-1965 Annaclone, Banbridge, Co. Down

1965-1969 Banbridge, Co. Down

1969-1981 Borrisokane Parish and Community College

1981-1987 Lorrha – Rathcabbin

1987-1994 Roscrea

1994-1998 PP Broadford

1998-2002 PP Terryglass

2002-2008 PP Nenagh

2008-2012 AP Nenagh

2012 Retired

Died on 18th of August in Milford Care Centre, Limerick, RIP.

Isaiah 25:6

On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine– the best of meats and the finest of wines.

1 John 3

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

John 14:2-3

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.