Flannan joined the Dominicans in 1948, made profession the following year and was ordained a priest in 1955.
His brother Paul too was a Dominican, who joined the Order three years after Flannan and was four years younger than he. Both men attended Newbridge College as boarders.
Flannan worked in Argentina and it was while there he was elected provincial of the Irish Province.
Irish man Damian Byrne, who was elected master of the Dominican Order in 1983, appointed Flannan as a socius/assistant, which meant he moved to Santa Sabina in Rome.
As assistant to the master he visited every province in Latin America, inlcuding the Amazon Basin in Peru much to the surprise of the Spanish Dominicans living there in isolation. That area is the subject of an upcoming Synod in Rome.
As well as serving as provinical of the Irish province Flannan was appointed provinical of the Province of Argentina by the master of the Order.
He continued to work as an assistant with Damian's successor, Englishman Timothy Radcliffe.
He was an honest person, who had no time for humbug, indeed, he shared many of his brother Paul's characteristics. He was a man of prayer.
Flannan had a vision for the Irish Province. He was always thinking of what we should be doing and where to next.
Flannan and Damian were a team. Before they went to Argentina they were destined for a quiet apostolate in Ireland, taking what came their way and doing it dutifully.
All that changed in Mexico where they had to rethink their presence there. They had to move away from the thinking of the then provincial Louis Coffey and the provincial council.
In Recreo in Argentina they became desert fathers. They lived near a railway junction that was busy 24/7 and certainly not conducive to sleep.
Damian argued strongly for a new approach to parish and mission and to move away from the tried and tested model planted in a foreign land.
Both Flannan and Damian quickly learned the intrigue of clerical politics.
The Latin American church had woken up to its social responsibility but not so in Argentina.
The option for the poor was the cry and the Irish Dominican Sisters led the way and as they still do today.
On completion of his term in Rome he returned to South America and has been for the last number of years living in Uruguay where in recent years he has been bursar of the vice-province. Uruguay, unlike most South American countries, is a secular state.
He was a tall slim man, an ascetic sort of person, you could say a private man. He was serious in his outlook but enjoyed company. He made some lifelong friends in Parana, people with a new vision for church.
He was in his late 30s when he was first elected in 1969 provincial the Irish Dominican Province.
The effects/thoughts/theology of the Vatican Council were raging, changes were happening, the church was alight with new ideas, excitement was the menu of the day. And on walks Flannan Hynes.
Above all he was a kind person, who deeply loved the Order and the Church. He had a great interest in people and walked many a mile with those in pain and difficulty.
He was a tall slim man, an ascetic sort of person, you could say a private man. He was serious in his outlook but enjoyed company. He made some lifelong friends in Parana, people with a new vision for church.
He was in his late 30s when he was first elected in 1969 provincial the Irish Dominican Province.
The effects/thoughts/theology of the Vatican Council were raging, changes were happening, the church was alight with new ideas, excitement was the menu of the day. And on walks Flannan Hynes.
Above all he was a kind person, who deeply loved the Order and the Church. He had a great interest in people and walked many a mile with those in pain and difficulty.
He was an honest person, who had no time for humbug, indeed, he shared many of his brother Paul's characteristics. He was a man of prayer.
Flannan had a vision for the Irish Province. He was always thinking of what we should be doing and where to next.
It was always his opinion that the Irish Dominicans should identify with the poor and marginalised.
He was a good friend to the Irish Dominican Sisters in Argentina and was a powerful and helpful support to the many Dominicans who left the Order during the years of haemorrhaging. And so many fine men left in those years, men who would have played a prophetic role in the Province.
Only on Friday I was talking with Flannan on WhatsApp. He had no intentions of dying when I was speaking with him. When I told him that I had heard he was not coming home this summer he got annoyed and told me that it was his plan to come to Ireland shortly. He never made it.
On that same call he expressed great enthusiasm about the new master of the Order: "It's wonderful that they have moved away from Europe and gone to a new place," he said.
He was a forward thinking person but he never allowed me to indulge in criticism of the current road that the Irish Province is taking. He would simply say: "...shush Michael". He was a most respectful sort of person, a dignified and noble human being.
He was a gentleman.
I never knew him to sneer at a person, he was not a man to gossip.
It so happens that Flannan's late mother and my father's brother did a short 'line' fado fado when they were both living in Co. Tipperary.
I have lost a great support and good friend. And the Irish Province is a poorer place without Flannan Hynes.
He was a good friend to the Irish Dominican Sisters in Argentina and was a powerful and helpful support to the many Dominicans who left the Order during the years of haemorrhaging. And so many fine men left in those years, men who would have played a prophetic role in the Province.
Only on Friday I was talking with Flannan on WhatsApp. He had no intentions of dying when I was speaking with him. When I told him that I had heard he was not coming home this summer he got annoyed and told me that it was his plan to come to Ireland shortly. He never made it.
On that same call he expressed great enthusiasm about the new master of the Order: "It's wonderful that they have moved away from Europe and gone to a new place," he said.
He was a forward thinking person but he never allowed me to indulge in criticism of the current road that the Irish Province is taking. He would simply say: "...shush Michael". He was a most respectful sort of person, a dignified and noble human being.
He was a gentleman.
I never knew him to sneer at a person, he was not a man to gossip.
It so happens that Flannan's late mother and my father's brother did a short 'line' fado fado when they were both living in Co. Tipperary.
I have lost a great support and good friend. And the Irish Province is a poorer place without Flannan Hynes.
Flannan has written an account of the province's first five years in Argentina,which in many ways is a debate between the home province and those working on the mission.
But maybe it should be Aidan Flannan Hynes. Aidan was his baptismal/ the name his parents gave him. Flannan was the name he received when he joined the Dominicans. Most of his generation returned to their baptismal names in the 1970s as did his brother, who reverted from Anselm to Paul. But Flannan retained the name he was given when he received the habit.
May he rest in peace.
May he rest in peace.
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