In Pace Christi

Father Robert (“Bob”) was born on 30^th June 1938, in a working-class area of West Belfast, the first of six children. He attended secondary school at St. Malachy’s College in Belfast, run by the Christian Brothers. He would always say how proud he was of this ‘imprint’ received from the Christian Brothers and always speak highly of them.

In his boyhood, Bob was a fervent altar boy at the nearby Clonard Monastery. He soon discovered his vocation and applied to enter the House of Studies – of the Comboni Missionaries in Sunningdale, where he took his first vows on 9^th September 1957, the feast of Saint Peter Claver.

Bob remained in Sunningdale until 1959, when he moved to Italy, first to the Verona scholasticate, then to that of Venegono Superiore, to study theology, where he distinguished himself, eventually obtaining a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Theological Faculty of Milan.

After completing his studies, he was ordained a priest in the Votive Temple of Verona, on 28^th June 1964, by the hands of Card. Gregorio Pietro Agagianian, Prefect of Propaganda Fide. That day was a historic one in Comboni annals: Father Bob, in fact, was one of 54 new Comboni priests, the largest group of ordained in the history of our Institute! And he never tired of repeating it: “It was a wonderful day, made so also by the presence of my parents, brothers and relatives.”

In the first two years of ministry, Father Bob was in the London community, in Dawson Place, as vocations promoter and director of the Comboni missionary magazine in English, Missions. During this time, he visited primary and secondary schools across the country, recruiting several candidates, including the late Father Paul Felix. Above all, he proved instrumental in giving new impetus to the magazine, creating a tradition that continues to this day. For two years (1968-1969), he was vice-rector at the minor seminary of Mirfield, West Yorkshire.

From October 1969 to 1972, Father Bob worked among the Lango people of northern Uganda, in the diocese of Lira. He took care of the parish ministry and, in his free time, the editing of a monthly diocesan newspaper that he founded at the behest of the local bishop, Caesar Asili.

Upon returning to his homeland, he was appointed rector of the minor seminary of Mirfield, where he remained for four years. From 1975 to 1981, Father Bob was provincial superior of the London Province: a task which he carried out with wisdom and great dedication.

At the end of this period, he was sent to the missions of Brazil, where he remained until 1990. After a short period of studying the language in São Paulo, he moved to the parish of Ouro Preto do Oeste, a city in the state of Rondônia. Father Clark still remembers: “The parish of Our Lady Aparecida, in Ouro Preto do Oeste, was his first parish. People loved his homilies, his conferences and his retreats. Everything he said was simple and profound at the same time.” Later, Father Bob became pastoral coordinator and even vicar general of the diocese of São Mateus, in the state of Espírito Santo.

After his return in 1990, he worked in the field of missionary animation and was again elected Provincial Superior from 1992 to 1998. He was always convinced that the Comboni Province of London should make its contribution to the Institute, financially supporting our missions and our missionaries abroad.

With the exception of a few years spent in communities in central London, Leeds and Dublin, Father Bob happily spent much of his time in Sunningdale, where he had begun his missionary life in 1955. From 1992 onwards, in addition to being the superior or the provincial bursar, he loved to spend the afternoons taking care of the gardens. He particularly loved this community where he spent the last twenty-six years of his life, admired and loved by the faithful who attended the Church of the Sacred Heart. It was ‘fitting’, therefore, that he died peacefully in his room, in the early morning of 24^th July 2023.

Although he was not, in life, what one might call ‘overly pious’, in his last years, Father Bob was exemplary in his dedication to the divine office, in his assiduous reading of the Holy Scriptures and in his faithful daily celebration of Mass. Although he had retired from public ministry due to memory loss, he was always available to hear the confession of anyone who knocked on his door.

To his family in Belfast, he was always a loving son, brother, and uncle. For the Comboni Family, he has always been the wise and loved brother. For the faithful he was an exemplary priest and missionary. To many others, he was simply a friend, admired and loved for his kind and polite ways, and appreciated for his wit and that special charm typical of the people of Belfast.

Father Bob left a legacy of great faith and dedication to the Gospel, and we all thank him for this richness that he passed on to us and that we would like to live in our daily lives. We will miss him. We pray that he may rest in peace, joy and light, and be resurrected in the glory of God. “Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis” (“May his faithful soul be at God’s right hand”). (Father John Downey, mccj).