Fr Anthony Gallagher

Born 5 August 1945 Died 8 September 2010
St Bedes College –
Saint Sulpice (Paris)- 
Ushaw College
Ordained 8 March 1969 

God is Love,
He who lives in Love,
Lives in God ,
and God in Him

Do not stand at my grave and weep.


Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn's rain.

Do not stand at my grave and mourn.
I am the dew-flecked grass at dawn.
Where tranquil oceans meet the land

I am the footprints in the sand
To guide you through the weary day.
I am still here; I'll always stay.

When you wake up to morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die.

This heavenly blue butterfly


"This heavenly blue butterfly
will fly high in the sky,higher and higher.
The sunlight will touch the blue
on its wings until it seems to disappear.
We think it is gone,because the blue of the butterflyis the exact same blue of the sky.
We think it is gone,because our eyes are too weak to see—and it is difficult to believe what we cannot see.
But the blue butterfly is not gone.
It is still flying, higher and higher,
nearer the sun. Blue against blue
For now and forever."

- Marjolein Bastin

When I am Gone, cry for me a little.

"When I am Gone, cry for me a little. I did not want to leave you.
Think of me sometimes, as I think of you, when we both felt our LOVE, but not too much. 
It is not good for you to dwell too long, on what we do not have now;
it has been lovingly changed for both of us.
Think of me now and again as I was in life with you,
at some moment which is pleasant to recall, but not for long. 
I am still with you whenever you think of me. Use it to help you go forward.
Leave me in peace as I shall leave you, too, in peace." . 
Then walk away, Treasure the memories. 
You are not alone. 
Accept that I always Loved you, and Love you still.
But, we need to go on our journey, to meet our different destinies,
united in our memories that do not hold us back. 
They become the cornerstone of our new life, and new reality, enabling us to become who we really are. Then we will both be Lovingly at peace.
Accept this today and Let us let go with Love, and prepare for tomorrow, and our future.

Diocesan Tribute to Fr Anthony Francis Gallagher RIP

It is with deep sadness
that we announce the death of Fr Tony Gallagher.

May he rest in peace.

born 25th August 1945
ordained priest 8th March 1969
died 8th September 2010



Please remember Fr Tony in your prayers that he may now enjoy
the fullness of everlasting life in heaven.

Please remember also his dear mother,his sisters and brother and their families,
and his parish community of St Joseph's, Todmorden, at this time.
Father Anthony Francis Gallagher died on Wednesday night, 8th September 2010, at 8.30 in Calderdale Hospital, Halifax. Father Gallagher was in his sixty sixth year, the forty second year of his Sacred Priesthood. May he rest in peace.

Anthony Gallagher was born on 25th August, 1945 and was baptised on 2nd September of that same year in the Church of St Francis, Glasgow. He was confirmed on 18th November, 1956 at the Church of English Martyrs, Whalley Range and was educated at St Francis’, Glasgow, St John’s, Chorlton and at St Bede’s College.
He was an Altar boy at St John's in Chorlton, and was Ordained in the same Church, and conducted the Funeral Mass for his father Anthony Gallagher at the same Church.
St John's was the family Church until the family moved to Firswood, where they joined St Theresa's Church, until it was closed and its Parish subsumed back into St John's Parish.


Anthony was accepted as an Ecclesiastical student for the Diocese of Salford in July, 1960 and continued his studies at St Bede’s as a boarder. In September, 1963, he was transferred to S. Sulpice and continued his studies for the Priesthood there.Having spent 5 years udergoing seminary training, he was considered to be too young for Ordination at the age of 23, as only ordinands over the age of 24 were eligible for Ordination, as a result in 1968, he spent his final year before ordination at St Cuthbert’s College, Ushaw. He was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 8th March, 1969 by the Rt. Rev. Geoffrey Burke, Auxiliary Bishop of Salford, in the Church of St John, Chorlton.

Father Gallagher served the Diocese in the following appointments:

As Assistant Priest: 1969 April Ss Aidan & Oswald, Royton
As Professor: 1970 Sept St Michael’s College, Underley
As Assistant Priest: 1973 August Our Lady of Grace Prestwich
As Assistant Prie : 1980 Sept Ss Peter & Paul, Pendleton
As Chaplain: 1980 Sept De La Salle Sixth Form College
As Assistant Priest 1984 June St Mary’s, Eccles
As Parish Priest: 1986 Ss Peter and Paul, Bolton
As Dean: 1992 St Peter’s Deanery
As Parish Priest 1995 Christ the King, Walkden
As Dean: 1995 St Paul’s Deanery

After a period of sickness and surgery, in 2003, Fr Gallagher spent some time in convalescence, firstly with the Little Sisters of the Poor in Plymouth Grove where he was treated for cirrhosis of the liver, and evidenced the symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
He lived with his parents for a short time and then went to live with his sister Rose, who received a substantial grant from the Diocese to adapt her house. With the grant she upgraded her house, and then threw her brother out and sold the house.
Fr Gallagher was subsequerntly transferred to St James's Hospital where he received a new liver from a recipient who had died in Oldham, and then lived in the Diocesan house in Firswood, until his transfer to St Joseph’s, Todmorden.
Fr Gallagher, despite the cirrhosis and liver transplant continued to drink with the support of his family and clergy friends and colleagues damaging the gifted liver he had been given.
Maybe some regular drug and alcohol tests on the Clergy as part of the Diocesan duty of Care and Welfare for its Clergy could save some lives and enable the Diocese to support its clergy more proactively rather than reactively

In 2005 he returned to active ministry, and continued to receive liver transplant medication that caused Skin Cancer as a side effect, which was treated by The Christie Hospital with drugs and chemotherapy.

As Parish Priest: 2005 - 2010 St Joseph’s, Todmorden

Funeral arrangements

The mortal remains of Father Gallagher will be received into the Church of Our Lady and St John, Chorlton-cum-Hardy on Wednesday 15th September for concelebrated Mass at 7.30pm.

Bishop Brain will celebrate the Requiem Mass on Thursday 16th September at 11.30am at the Church of Our Lady and St John, Chorlton-cum-Hardy. After the Requiem Mass Father Gallagher’s mortal remains will be taken to Stretford Cemetery for burial next to his father.

Death is Nothing At All

Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used
Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It it the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.
All is well.

By Henry Scott Holland (1847-1918)
Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral