Brother Kevin Crowley OFM Cap, RIP

All in St Francis Hospice are saddened to hear of the death of Brother Kevin Crowley OFM Cap, RIP. His dedicated work to ease suffering and deprivation through the Capuchin Day Centre that he founded in 1969 is an inspiration to all. Br Kevin was also instrumental in the establishment of St Francis Hospice and served as founding Director when the Board of Directors was established in January 1990.

Br Kevin was resident in the Capuchin Friary in Raheny in the late 1980s, at a time when a site was being sought for a hospice to serve north Dublin. He and his fellow friars welcomed members of the Daughters of Charity and Irish Hospice Foundation when they made contact regarding their search.

Subsequently, the hospice service began operating out of a Porta-Cabin on the friary grounds. This fledgling community-based home care service provided the first specialist palliative care for the community of north Dublin. The friary’s orchard and gardens were then donated as land for the hospice to be built upon. This new hospice service was named St Francis Hospice in recognition of the generosity of the Capuchin order.

Prior to the completion of the hospice building, much of the vital fundraising activity and awareness-raising activities centred around the Capuchin friary. Volunteers from the community utilised the facilities offered by the friars to host coffee mornings, information sharing and other events. This helped to galvanise community support for the hospice.

Br Kevin was a staunch supporter of the hospice and helped establish a supportive relationship between the Capuchin Friary and St Francis Hospice which continues to this day. Capuchin friars serve as chaplains in both St Francis Hospice Raheny and Blanchardstown, and the Guardian of the Capuchin Friary in Raheny serves on the St Francis Hospice Board of Directors.

Pictured l-r: Sr Annette McKenna, Dr Mary Redmond, Sr Dorothy Kearon, Br Angelus O’Neill, Br Kevin Crowley, Sr Bernadette MacMahon at St Francis Hospice Raheny, official opening of the in-patient unit, 1996.