“The life and ministry of Father Hally stand as a chronicle of the quest for peace in the 20th Century, of the Mission of the Church in the world, and of the common unity of humanity,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Sheehan AO.

As well as his extensive teaching in Australia, Cyril conducted seminars in missiology in the Philippines, PNG, Korea, Chile, Peru, Japan, Fiji and Pakistan.  He founded the Pacific Mission Institute, offering orientation for religious personnel embarking on cross-cultural activities and developed a national Mission and Justice Education Program.  He also founded the South Pacific Association for Mission Studies and was Chair of the Editorial Committee of its journal.  He also contributed to the Columban Mission Institute.

Cyril played a significant role in both the Paulian Association and PALMS, offering theological underpinning and cross cultural education to these major efforts to support lay people take up their roles in the church and in cross cultural engagement following the Cardijn method he followed throughout his professional life.

As a key player in the Australian chapter of Pax Christi he supported and guided the Sydney and Melbourne chapters with his critical theological reflection that was always based in the best academic research in matters ranging from peacemaking to international politics, economics and relationships.

Cyril also played a key role in Action for World Development, the ecumenical attempt to bring social justice to Australian Christians from the 1970s to the 1990s.  Even though this group did not survive the withdrawal of church funding, one committee, the Aboriginal Justice Support Group does continue to meet and Cyril was an active member till his death.  Cyril was deeply committed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice and solidarity.

Cyril was actively involved in some key moments in Australian Catholic history. He was at the priests meeting in May 1972 at St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill when the assembled priests adopted guidelines for a new association to be the National Council of Priests of Australia.

Val Noone recalled:

In the middle of a heated forum on applying the gospel to today’s world, some of the young rebels among the priests were calling for rapid and drastic change on the part of the hierarchy, reversal of the Papal ban on contraception, more liturgical renewal, increased lay participation in church life, less cosy relations with the Liberal Party and even support for Vietnam War draft resisters. Some experienced voices were raised, warning about dangerous revolutionary tendencies.From the middle of the hall, a senior-sounding voice with a New Zealand accent sought leave to intervene. He startled the gathering by opening with the comment, “Well, one third of the world has already had a revolution”, followed by a few words on the significance for world history of the Chinese revolution of 1949; and he went on to argue for reading the signs of the times in such a way as to support the young reformers and radicals. (Online Catholics. 30 3 2005)

Cyril’s training and experience in Europe particularly at Pro Mundi Vita Institute in Louvain and with the Asia/Pacific region made him a rare resource in Australia in theology, anthropology, sociology and missiology.  He brought his reflection on experience to the Australian church in a dramatic way.  Cyril understood adaptation and enculturation and set about asking the critical questions of how these apply to the Australian church so that the church might make a significant contribution to society in a dialogical way.

He had learnt this from Paulo Freire’s problem posing model of education.  He never resiled from the unique contribution of the gospel or the church’s tradition but he saw the dialogical method as the way to enter into a way of contributing to civil society.

Dan McAloon noted in his tribute:

When describing the Church’s mission in the contemporary world “enculturation” was a word often used by Fr Cyril to explain the openness and respect which missionaries should take to the indigenous cultures people they will live with. Fr Cyril’s long held belief was that New Testament’s strength lay in its ability to adapt to its host society without any diminishment of its gospel truths. (Mission E News Vol 3 No 7)

Cyril was involved in the Labor Party split of 1955. He raised questions with the hierarchy about the way that the Santamaria organisation was recruiting Asian students into their movement.  He opposed the use international students in local politics and was sacked from a chaplaincy post with Asian students because of this.

Cyril will be deeply missed by many around the world who valued his love for justice, his friendship in the struggle and his keen mind.  But more than these he will be missed because he was a faithful priest valuing the wisdom of the gospel and church teaching although not afraid to speak its truth newly for each age.  He was not daunted by political or church disapproval as he fearlessly forged a new imagination for the gospel in the 20th and 21st centuries.

He died a man of integrity loved by all who had the privilege to know him and hear his voice and encouragement.  He was, quite clearly, a prophet.