Brother Kevin Crowley, a Capuchin friar who has died at the age of 90 years old, was seen by many in Ireland as a living saint for his work with the homeless, a view reflected in many of the tributes made following his death on 2 July.
In 1969, Brother Kevin founded the <a href="https://capuchindaycentre.ie/profile-history/brother-kevin-crowley/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Capuchin Day Centre</mark></a> in Dublin’s Bow Street, which provided hot meals, food packages, clothing and day care facilities for the city's homeless and others in need.
Such needs grew over time as homelessness and its associated problems became more widespread and visible, reflecting the impact of growing drug problems and family breakdown. In more recent years, the centre also catered for homelessness among immigrant communities in Dublin.
Like all major cities across Ireland, Dublin has seen a major rise in housing costs, reflecting growing speculation in the property market and cuts in social housing over many decades. The Capuchin Day Centre works not just with single homeless people but with families affected by poverty.
Brother Kevin's saintly status was such that it managed to endure in the vastly more secular Ireland of today. His work became so well-known that Pope Francis visited the centre and met the friar when the pontiff visited Dublin in 2018. The friar <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/pope-francis-in-ireland/2018/0825/987499-pope-homeless-tribute/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">informed</mark></a> the Pope that the 50 meals which the centre provided, when it first started, each day, had risen to 800 a day by 2018. The Holy Father also met those who benefited from the centre's services, and who lauded the help of Brother Kevin.
On August 19, 2022, the Capuchin friar retired from his work in Dublin and returned to his native Cork, where he died at Mount Desert nursing home.
Paying tribute to Brother Kevin, Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell said: “Firstly, my sincere sympathy to Brother Kevin’s family and his Capuchin confrères on his death. Brother Kevin devoted his life to the service of the poor. His work with the Capuchin Day Centre staff and volunteers transformed the lives of the poor and marginalised in our city who availed of its services, from misery and despair to hope and love.
"He was always able to see Christ in the people he met. His was a love that reached out with no questions asked of those who sought assistance. Brother Kevin was an authentic follower of St Francis of Assisi.
"As we mourn Brother Kevin’s death, he would want us to remember the poor we still have with us in ever greater numbers because of homelessness, wars, famine and the multiplicity of addictions that affect our county today.
"Today we ask the Lord to grant us compassion for those who are experiencing Calvary and sorrow for our own self-indulgence. We cannot put words on that love of God, and yet when we have witnessed it in a good man’s life and death, we too are able to recognise it, and to say a deeper and more grateful ‘yes’ to God.
"May Brother Kevin Crowley rest in the eternal embrace of God.”
President Michael D Higgins also paid tribute, saying: “Through his support and respect for those most in need, Brother Kevin made an invaluable contribution to the people of Dublin city.
"The Capuchin Day Centre on Church Street, founded by Brother Kevin in 1969, has gone on to provide essential services to the homeless population of the city for nearly 60 years. <br><br>"The hot meals, food parcels, clothing, showers, family services, and medical and dental services have not just extended care of the most vulnerable, but has been exemplary in showing a fundamental respect for the dignity of each person and allowed so many of those who have availed of the services to rebuild their lives."
The president said that it "was extremely appropriate" that Pope Francis visited Brother Kevin and the Capuchin Day Centre during his 2018 visit to Ireland.
He added: "I was deeply honoured to meet with Brother Kevin on many occasions throughout the years and to share in his company. Brother Kevin was a warm, caring, yet fearless man, who dedicated his life to living his Christian faith in dedication to those most in need.
"Brother Kevin leaves a wonderful legacy to all those whose lives to which he made such a difference."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin described Brother Kevin, a fellow-Corkman, as "a good friend" while several other political leaders also joined in tributes.
Tributes also came from across the religious divide, with the Irish section of the Salvation Army saying: “The Salvation Army extends our deepest condolences to all at the Capuchin Day Centre and the wider community on the passing of Brother Kevin Crowley.
"He was a man of faith, compassion, and action who devoted his life to those most in need. His unwavering commitment to dignity, kindness, and inclusion changed countless lives.
"We in the Salvation Army share in his values and mission of supporting our most vulnerable people particularly those experiencing homelessness.
"We hope our work in continuing to serve others with love, respect and without judgment will be of consolation to all who mourn Brother Crowley’s passing.”
In 2018, Brother Kevin received the fourth Human Dignity Award from the Oireachtas, Ireland’s parliament, three years after he was given the freedom of Dublin.
According to the centre’s website, Brother Kevin originally worked in a clothing guild for unemployed people and their families. Tough times in the 1970s and 1980s led to an increased demand for help and assistance.
A new building was constructed in 1996. The centre’s director today is Father Kevin Kiernan and in 2023 over 1,000 meals a day were being provided.
Brother Kevin’s Requiem Mass takes place on Saturday, 5 July, at the Church of St Mary of the Angels in Dublin’s Church Street, followed by interment in Dardistown Cemetery.<br><br>"<em>Síocháin síoraí do a anam lách uasal</em>," President Higgins concluded, speaking in Irish ("The peace of Heaven to his noble and affable soul").
<em>Photo: Br. Kevin Crowley OFM Cap, Capuchin Day Centre, October 1977 (image from capuchindaycentre.ie).</em>
