Many tributes paid to the late Br. George Whyte
The District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta, along with the global Lasallian Family is mourning the loss of Br. George Whyte, of the Miguel House Community in Castletown, who passed away on Sunday January 21st, just a week short of his 90th birthday.
At his funeral Mass in Miguel House on Wednesday, Br. Kevin McEvoy delivered the following eulogy:
In his daily meditation yesterday, the Franciscan priest, Fr Richard Rohr wrote:
“Saints are people from various spiritual and religious traditions who have deeply embodied love and compassion and whose embodiment has inspired countless others to aspire to that same practice.”
Today we gather to celebrate the life of Brother Gabriel or George Whyte. On behalf of the De La Salle Brothers, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to George’s brother Paddy, his nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnephews, many relations and friends, his confreres and the staff here in Miguel House which has been home to him for the past year. George lived a full and varied life and because of the limitations of time, I will just touch on some aspects of his life gleaned from the conversations I’ve had with and the notes I’ve received from Brothers, family members, relatives, friends and past pupils. Perhaps one of his eight nephews or nieces will collate the significant body of writings that bear his name as a fitting tribute to a much-loved uncle.
George was born at 6 Castletown Road, Dundalk, to John Whyte and Alice Coburn on 29 January 1934 - so he would have turned 90 next Monday. He was the fourth born of five, the others being Bredge, Kitty, Maeve, and Paddy, the youngest, who is currently in Carlingford Nursing Home. Both of his parents were very sociable people and they ran an open house with many callers especially on market days and during church ceremonies in St Nicholas Catholic Church which was literally just around the corner.
He lived a simple childhood, played skittles with his friends, spent a lot of time playing football with the local Clan na Gael GAA, he loved cycling up to his relatives on both sides of the border in Dungooly, Tullydonnell and Ballsmill and was often on the road between Ballynaclosha and Silverbridge, helped out pulling flax and tramping on it in the pit, helped occasionally with the smuggling of pigs and cattle across the border - no shortage of excitement for young fellows then!
He went to the local De La Salle primary school, went on to do his inter cert examination and then left school to earn some money. He got to know some of the Brothers through sport and the weekly Legion of Mary meetings and felt honoured when Brother Kieran Burke suggested he consider the vocation of the De La Salle Brother. His next point of contact was with Brother Bernard Doyle who was the recruiter then for the Brothers, and in June 1951 he left home for Castletown. Chris Commins, a fellow county man continues:
“I first encountered George here in Castletown in 1951 when we began our Novitiate year. As most of us had gone through a Junior Novitiate programme, we were surprised to see a new candidate join us who was two years older than us. He was ‘straight from the world’ as the saying goes and he fitted into the regime like a duck in water. He was a model novice and a handy footballer and we were not surprised to learn he had played for the Louth county minor team.”
George received the Brother’s habit or robe in September 1951 was given the name Brother Gabriel and made his first vows a year later on 8 September, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brother Finbarr Murphy picks up the story:
I was blessed to share the Novitiate year and much of the following decade with him in Faithlegg, in the training College in Waterford, and in Beneavin, Finglas where we taught together in our newly-opened primary school. Soon we were being urged to sign up for a BA night degree in UCD, in Earlsfort Terrace near St Stephen’s Green. For Br George (Then called Gabriel) the school day was a challenging one: get across the city for evening lectures at Earlsfort Terrace, usually by bike after a full day's teaching. And that was followed by another year studying for the Higher Dip.
In 1962, at the age of 28, George was appointed principal in our Preparatory School in Churchtown. It was quite a challenge for him but he was unfazed by the challenge. In a fine commemorative book on that school published just a few months ago, the author writes:
“Brother Gabriel brought an air of fun into the Prep. He was the youngest headmaster in the short life of the school and his youthfulness and enthusiasm seemed to have an effect on both the teaching staff and the boys themselves. His constant smile was a joy for all to see and he was generous with his praise and support for everyone. The boys looked forward to his class visits and when he announced one day that he had acquired table tennis tables there was a wave of excitement among the students. Every boy hoped they would get their turn and show what they could do and the excitement grew further when Brother Gabriel told them there was going to be a championship…"
Following some time in Waterford he spent a few more years here in the juniorate in Castletown. One of his students, Liam McGailey (also from the Wee County!) wrote:
“I was very lucky to have been taught by George in Castletown in the early seventies. In fact, he shared the stage with us in the Christmas production of the musical Oliver in 1973. When we had our reunion here in Castletown last July, George came over from Miguel House to join us and did what he did best: he sang a song for all of us to join in. He was in terrific form and I’m delighted that that moment will be my abiding memory of him.
During his years in St Fachtna’s school in Skibbereen, George, continued with his love of music by organising stage productions - as he did during his ten-year stint in Wicklow town - he was a natural showman! Brother Albert remembers how he cycled around the countryside and often visited the O’Driscoll home in Oldcourt on the Baltimore Road where he would be treated by his mother to tea and home-made apple tart - he was known for his sweet tooth!
One subject he loved in school was Irish and he would take groups of students out to the Gaeltacht on Oileán Cléire a place he loved dearly. In 1978 he was asked to go to our Irish-speaking school in Baile Bhúirne, Coláiste Íosagáin, where again he prepared both students and teachers to take part in “Tops of the Town” a very popular stage competition in Skibbereen at that time. (By the way, he has written a piece for the Coláiste Iosagáin commemorative book which will be published later this year.)
George spent five years in Nigeria and ten in South Africa. Brother Moses Abunya remembers George going around the local villages with a catechism in one hand and a song book in the other. Even when he gave retreats to the young seminarians, singing was always a big part of George’s content. “It’s very important to get the students excited and motivated about something before leading them to the heart of your main presentation,” he told Brother Moses. George insisted that Moses himself learn to sing “Molly Malone” so that he could teach other students the song. Brother Gabriel Griffin tells the story that when he arrived in Ondo, Nigeria, exhausted from his travels, he decided to rest for a few hours only to awakened by yet another rendition of Molly Malone sung outside his window by the postulants! Brother Michael Loran also lived with George in South Africa and said there was scarcely a kid around Dwars River who couldn't sing Molly Malone!
While in South Africa (Brother Gabriel continued)
“George spent a lot of time speaking in schools and churches encouraging young people to think of and respond to the call from God to become a Brother Sister or Priest. He visited classes and often spoke at the school assembly. He prayed, sang and interacted with students through displays of posters, photos and videos. He did not confine himself to our own schools but also spoke and interacted with students in Soweto schools. He visited the Limpopo prison with students. He organized a number of “Come and See” weekends at La Salle Discovery and St Brendan’s in Limpopo and student pilgrimages to the Ngome Marian Shrine. He accompanied our students from South Africa to World Youth Days in Canada, Germany and Australia. He was often invited to speak on Radio Veritas the Catholic Radio Station. He established a young Legion of Mary group in St Brendan’s School when he was based there. He compiled and sent out a Quarterly Newsletter ‘Ubuntu’ highlighting Lasallian events, and matters related to teaching for teachers. For George the 25th of every month was Vocation Day. (By the way, Ubunto means that a person is a person through other people. The other pamphlet he printed for a few years in Ireland was called “Contact” - you can see the importance of human connection in his life even from those two publications.)
George returned to Ireland at the end of 2011 because he wanted to be close to his family especially as some health issues began to surface.
For the next twelve years or so St John’s community in Ballyfermot - and for a brief period, Kilmacud - was to be George’s home. I’m indebted to the current Kilmacud community for their lengthy sharing on George which even in bullet form speaks volumes about how active he was:
“George was a very warm and welcoming person, a proud Louth man, a visionary, a lover of everything Irish and Gaelic, had great devotion to his native St Brigid of Faughart and the Capuchin priest Blessed Solanus Casey who was beatified on November 18, 2017 in Detroit, attended by George and other family members; by nature, George was a helper, a leader, an organiser, worked with people with special needs on numerous trips to Lourdes, regularly served meals in the Capuchin Centre in Church Street Dublin and was at the heart of Brother Kevin's Choir from The Capuchin Centre which performed in many places in Ireland, a fund-raiser for many charities, a devoted carer of Brother Philip Hegarty whom he accompanied on many holidays, a frequent visitor to and speaker in schools, an ardent fan of Percy French, Brendan O’Dowda and Dermot O’Brien, a prolific writer of letters to Brothers and family members and articles for different publications.”
The list goes on - but I can’t or Brother Kilian will never forgive me! On 21 January 2023, George came here to Miguel House for a “Come and See” visit; he fell in love with the place, especially the staff and his confreres and decided to stay. Brother Martin said:
“George loved company and was most happy when in contact with others, whether this was playing cards, chatting or singing. This was George. He was a deeply religious person and was most faithful to his religious life. He gave committed service to our District in many centres and was creative in his approach to life. He was a happy person and liked to scatter seeds of happiness wherever he was.” And, Ann Dollard continued in a similar vein: “Always so dapper, so involved with his family, so grateful for the life he led, always thankful to the staff.”
And I’d like to pay tribute to Teresa Cleere the manager of Miguel House and her staff and Dr Peter for the wonderful love and care on offer here - and to Fr Joe & Fr Watt here and Brother Martin for the tremendous work they do as part of the caring and loving environment that are the hallmarks of this place.
Earlier today, I received a brief note from Brother Ben our current Visitor or Provincial which really summarises George’s life and everything I’ve said up to this point:
Br George Whyte was a wonderful Brother - full of positivity and generosity. You always felt better after meeting George. He had that ability to lift people - to put a pep in their step. He was a creative person who was forever thinking about the next plan. But he was also a superb community person who possessed the knack of drawing people in, involving them in so many ways - in a game of cards, in a sing song or singing at mass. Thanks George for your unique contribution to our District. We will certainly miss you but we know you will remember us in your heavenly abode.”
I began with a quotation about saints and I’ll conclude with the same words:
“Saints are people who have deeply embodied love and compassion and whose embodiment has inspired countless others to aspire to that same practice.”
George, your life was an embodiment of that quotation, and for that, we’re truly grateful. Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar do d’anam, uasal, flaithiúil. May your soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Brother Kevin McEvoy 24 January 2024