Deceased
Parish Of Birth
Bandon
Colleges Attended
St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth Co Kildare, Ireland
Details Of Ordination
St. Patrick’s College Chapel, Maynooth, Co. Kildare
19/6/1938
Appointments
Retired ex Ballinhassig : 3/9/1989
Ballinhassig PP : 14/9/1981 – 3/9/1989
Drimoleague PP : 28/4/1973 – 14/9/1981
Cathedral CC : 2/2/1963 – 28/4/1973
Chaplain, 32nd. Battalion, Congo : 8/1960
Chaplain, Collins Barracks : 26/61954 – 2/2/1963
Chaplain, Naval Base : 1/10/1949 – 26/6/1954
Chaplain, Murphy Barrack’s Ballincollig : 17/8/1942 – 1/10/1949
Ministry Abroad/Southwark : 1938 – 1942
Date Of Death
30/5/1994
Place Of Death
Scart, Ballyheeda, Co. Cork
Place Of Burial
Church of Sacred Heart Grounds, Ballyheada, Ballinhassig, Co. Cork
Obituary
When Fr. John Crowley died unexpectedly at his home in Ballyheada, it marked the end of a life of devoted service to God, through his priesthood and in his church. Devotion to his priestly task, in his particular appointment, was the hallmark of his way of life.
His life as a priest brought him to Southwark in England, to a long term as Chaplain to our own Defence Forces – first the navy, then the army – to a Curacy in the Cathedral Parish and to being Priest Priest in Drimoleague and in Ballinhassig.
It was not without its times of stress. As Army Chaplain with the Irish peace-keeping force in the Congo he saw the tragic deaths of a group of our young soldiers. Later he was embroiled in a sad school dispute which brought unwelcome conflict with it.
Retirement from active priestly work was, at first, a heavy cross for him but he quickly found peace among his caring neighbours at Scart.
Fr. John Crowley’s life was marked by a prayerful and loving care for the sick, by many deep and long-term friendships, and by a warm and caring hospitality to his guests.
To many people his death came as a shock. But, despite its suddenness, it would not have been a shock to himself. His life, especially in his last years, was lived in the awareness that we have no lasting city here, and that he, like all of us, was waiting for God’s call. The gift of birth and baptism still awaited fulfilment.
In faith and calmness, he awaited the time of God’s choosing. In fact, at one of his last meetings with some priest friends, he asked for and received the Sacrament of the Sick.
For he was a faith-filled priest, and a faithful one.
May he now enjoy the reward.
— Canon Sean Burke, P.P.
[First published in the Cork and Ross Diocesan Directory 1995.
The Concelebrated Requiem Mass was celebrated at Church of the Most Holy Heart of Mary, (“Mountain Church”), Goggin’s Hill, Ballinhassig, Co. Cork.