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Justice
and peace appeal to dedicate a
tree Fr. Anthony Joseph
Francis Storey, MA, STL, BD, was born at Warter Priory,
near Pocklington, where his father was estate agent to
Lord Nunburnholme - later he became estate agent to the
Duke of Norfolk at Everingham. Tony was one of a family
of five boys and two girls. His older brother Peter also
became a priest. He was educated at Stonyhurst, the Roman
Catholic college near Blackburn from where he went to
Rome in 1936 to study at the English College of the
Gregorian University. In 1940, as the clouds of war were
gathering over Italy, he was evacuated from Rome back to
England and travelled on the last train to run from the
Italian capital to Paris - and then on to London - before
Mussolini's Italy declared its alliance with Nazi
Germany. But during the hectic political activity in
Rome, Tony recalled seeing several of the leading players
- including Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and two
leading British politicians, Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain and Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax. After
being ordained at Stoneyhurst on Valentine's Day 1943,
Tony went up to Christ's College, Cambridge. After
graduating with an MA Honours degree in History, he was
given his first appointment. It was the curacy at
Middlesbrough's Grove Hill Estate. He was there until
1951 when he was put in charge of the Adoption and Child
Welfare Society in the diocese. In 1954, and after a
short spell as curate in Saltburn, he moved to Hull
where, until 1962, his job as curate at St. Charles
combined with a part-time post teaching history and
religion at St. Mary's College. In 1962, and while still
at St. Charles, he was appointed Roman Catholic Chaplain
to Hull University, a position he held for 10 years - an
Honorary Degree was bestowed on him for his service -
before being transferred to Stokesley, where he took up
his first appointment as a parish priest. After seven
years at Stokesley, he was appointed parish priest at
Brough Park, Richmond, from where he also held the
chaplaincy to the RAF Regiment at Catterick. A further move in
1981 took him to the Bedale parish, but he had only a
short spell there before moving to Cottingham in
November 1981, when he succeeded Mgr. Philip Purcell,
who had retired after 25 years as priest at Holy
Cross. Here at Holy Cross Tony was chaplain to St.
Mary's College, Castle Hill Hospital and De La Pole
Hospital. Outside Tony's church activities, he had a
multitude of interests. In his younger days he was an
outstanding rugby union player. As a stand-off, he
captained Christ's College at Cambridge, and was
offered a trial with Yorkshire when he was playing for
Middlesbrough during his time as curate in
Middlesbrough. He enjoyed mountain climbing and was
proud of his achievements in reaching 15,000ft on the
17,000ft. Mount Kenya and his conquest of the 12,000ft
Mormolada in the Dolomites, while his interest in
ancient history drew him to places like Southern Italy
and Crete. He was also a well-known bee-keeper in his
time at Holy Cross, and also kept a small nursery at
the rear of the presbytery growing oaks, beech and
hazel (he fashioned thumb-sticks from hazel branches).
we could go on and on …... From Holy Cross Parish
newsletter, Hull Something Fr.
Tony might appreciate! Chief Seattle's Address
- Washington 1894 "How can you buy or sell
the sky? The warmth of the land?
Every part of the Earth is
sacred. Every shining pine needle.
Every sandy shore.
Every mist in the dark
woods. Every clearing and every
humming insect is holy. We are part of the Earth
and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are
our sisters. The deer, the horse, the
great eagle. These are our brothers.
The rocky crests…
The juices in the
meadow… The body heat on the
pony… And man. All belong to the same
family. The rivers are our
brothers. They quench our thirst.
Remember - and teach your
children - that the rivers are our
brothers and give the rivers the
kindness you would give to any
brother. What is there to life if a
man cannot hear the lonely cry of the
whip-poor-will, or the arguments of the
frogs around the pool at night?
Or the soft sound of the
wind at night darting over the face of a pond?
The air is precious
for all things share the
same breath. The beast, the tree, the
man. They share the same
breath. Remember that the air is
precious. That it shares its spirit
with all the life it supports. Without the beasts man
would die from a great loneliness of spirit.
Whatever happens to the
beasts must soon happen to man. All things are connected.
The Earth does not belong
to man. Man belongs to the Earth.
This we know. All things are connected,
like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the Earth
befalls the sons of Earth. Man did not weave the web
of life. He is merely a strand in
it. Whatever he does to the
Earth he does to himself. To harm the Earth is to
heap contempt on its Creator. We are part of the Earth.
It is part of us.
Tell your
children."
click
appalachian spring
With
thanks to Marion Hall, Fr. Pat Day and John McNicholas for
photographs and to Thomas McAlindon and Fr. Peter Keeling
for pemission to reprint their tributes to
Tony.
