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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
IN MEMORIAM
Mr. and Mrs. James Hynes.
The first issue of The Catholic Laymen’s Associa
tion Quarterly is called upon to chronicle the death
of two of its most devoted members, Mr. and Mrs.
James Hynes, of Washington, Ga.
Hand in hand they had plighted t$\eir troth before
the altar of God; together, kneeling at the same altar,
they had received their Lord, and after a blessed wed
ded life of thirty-nine years, wih an interval of but a
few weeks between their deaths, they departed this
life, Mr. Hynes on the twenty-eighth of April, and
Mrs. Hynes on the twenty-sixth of June, 1919. May
we not hope that, united nevermore to part, they
adore before the Great White Throne above.
Mr. Hynes was born of Irish parents in May, 1853,
at Locust Grove, near Sharon, the “Cradle of the
Faith,” in Georgia. He took pride in relating that
he had been baptized by Father Whalen, of revered
memory, and had often served his Mass.
In early life he moved to Washington, nearby,
where for some time he engaged in the mercantile
business.
His uprightness of character was universally recog
nized, yet, although actively interested in the upbuild
ing of the city of his adoption, he was indifferent to
political preferment.
One other phase was characteristic of the man.
Respected and admired by the colored people, they
consulted him, with every mark of trust, in their busi
ness affairs, with the assurance of sterling advice; and
brought to him their numerous tales of woe, confident
of a sympathetic hearing.
In him, as a Catholic, the congregation lost a
staunchly edifying example. Ever one of the first to
step forward, when there was a call in the interest of
the Church, never hesitating when the good Sisters
needed a friend, and always devoting his best efforts
to the welfare of the Orphanage of St. Joseph’s, of
which he was trustee.
It has been remarked that, for years, Mr. Hynes
had superintended the interments in the Catholic
Cemetery at Washington, involving no little time and
patience. Thus he observed, even the last of the
works of mercy “To bury the dead.”
He was also an enthusiastic supporter of the
Knights of Columbus, a fourth degree member, and
at the time of his death, at the head of the local
council.
In July, 1880, in the Savannah Cathedral, Mr.
Hynes was married to Miss Mary Alice Flannery. Of
the five children born of this union, the three sons
died quite early. Two daughters survive, Mrs. Fred
erick Doyle, of Savannah, and Mary Helen, of Wash
ington, the latter an active promoter of the Catholic
Laymen’s Association. Two sisters likewise remain
to mourn his death, Mother M. Gabriel, of the Sisters
of St. Joseph, and Miss Margaret Hynes.
Than his Faith, no more precious gift did Mr. Hynes
possess. It involved his whole life. Those who were
present during his last illness, and witnessed the heroic
fortitude with which he bore his intense sufferings,
and the joy with which he received the Last Sacra
ments, could then readily recognize the Power that
had guided and sustained him through a life of more
than three-score years.
Mrs. Hynes was born in Tipperary, May 15, 1852,
of John and Hannah Hogan Flannery. She came to
Savannah in 1873, where her brother, Captain John
Flannery, had already successfully established himself.
Marrying, meantime, she, with her husband, settled in
Washington. Her genial Celtic disposition soon en
deared her to her new friends, and she found a ready
welcome in all the circles engaged in the welfare
work. When this country was preparing to enter the
World War, she identified herself, heart and soul,
with the Red Cross and Knights of Columbus activities.
As a member of the Ladies’ Memorial Confederate As
sociation, she had for years striven to keep alive the
traditions, and cheer the hearts of the few surviving
veterans of the Civil War, in which her brother,
Captain John Flannery, had so gallantly led the Jasper
Greens.
But, it is more particularly to her life as a child of
Holy Mother Church, to which our attention is
directed. Loving and revering her Faith, it perme
ated her whole being. Never an act of charity that
came to her notice, to which she failed to respond,
and especially did the plea of the Orphan find an
echo in her heart. Her interest in Church-work be
gan on the day that she arrived a bride at Wash
ington and never ceased until she was laid in its con
secrated soil. She was on a visit to relatives in
Corona, L. I., when she realized that the end was
near. “Building better than she knew,” before tak
ing the train homeward, she was fortified with the
Sacraments. She was indeed “homeward bound,” for
she died on the way.
Together Mr. and Mrs. Hynes had shared life’s
joys and sorrows. To their children they left the
precious heritage of the Faith, and to all the example
of a life well spent in the service of God and man.