‘HE didn’t spare himself but saw Christ in everybody,’ Bishop Fintan Gavin said in remembrance of Brother Kevin Crowley, the Enniskeane-born founder of the Capuchin Day Centre.
Tributes continue to be paid to the West Cork Friar following sad news of his death on Wednesday at the age of 90.
Bishop Fintan said he came to know Brother Kevin since he retired and returned home to West Cork in 2022, more than half a century after founding the Capuchin Day Centre, which has lovingly cared for the homeless since 1969.
‘He wasn’t afraid to speak out when he saw any kind of injustice,’ said Bishop Gavin. ‘I know he was very proud of his West Cork roots and was a man of deep prayer.’
Others likened Brother Kevin to a living saint, with traits similar to those of St Francis of Assisi. President Michael D Higgins expressed his deepest condolences to his family.
‘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,’ said the president.
‘It was extremely appropriate,’ he noted, ‘that Pope Francis visited Brother Kevin and the Capuchin Day Centre during his visit to Ireland in 2018.’
President Higgins said Brother Kevin established an organisation that provided hot meals, food parcels, clothing, showers, family services, medical and dental services to the poor, and was ‘exemplary in showing a fundamental respect for the dignity of each person.’
The Irish Capuchin Franciscans said Brother Kevin died early on Wednesday ‘in the wonderful care of Mount Desert Nursing Home in Cork’.
In a statement the order added: ‘He was known throughout the country and beyond as a Brother to the poor, particularly through his work in the Capuchin Day Centre for homeless people which he founded on Bow Street, Dublin.
‘Through his ministry and life as a Capuchin Friar, Brother Kevin opened his heart and hands to serve those most in need.’
The Capuchin Centre provides food and shelter to an average of 800 people each day. Brother Kevin’s last day at the centre which he founded was on August 19th, 2022.
