Mourners bid farewell to 'compassionate and open' Fr Con Cronin at funeral mass
Fr Tomás O'Connor of St Patrick's Missionary Society said Fr Con Cronin, who died in the tragic accident in Monkstown last Tuesday, will always be remembered as a man of the people whose life of service and quiet ministry touched many lives. Picture: Andy Gibson.
The last act of the priest who was killed in the Cork Harbour bus tragedy was to push his friend to safety - symbolic of how he lived a life for others, mourners at his funeral mass were told today.
Fr Tomás O'Connor of St Patrick's Missionary Society said Fr Con Cronin, who died in the tragic accident in Monkstown last Tuesday, will always be remembered as a man of the people whose life of service and quiet ministry touched many lives.
“This was brought home very powerfully when his last act was to push his friend out of the path of the bus, thus saving her life,” Fr Tomás said.
“His was a life lived for others. He would give you the shirt off his back. He knew how to make friends, and more importantly how to hold on to friends.
“Creed, race, gender or colour were not important to him. He treated everyone as an individual and helped everyone to be their true selves.”Â
A member of Fr Con Cronin’s family urged those who attended and who watched a live stream of the funeral mass from West Cork not to be sad.
“He packed more into 72 years than some did in a lifetime and whatever people got from him, he got back a thousand times. Now, on Con’s final journey, we truly believe he’s going home,” he said.
Fr Cronin, 72, from Coomhola in Bantry, a member of the St Patrick's Missionary Society for almost 49 years and who served as curate in Passage West since 2012, died on Tuesday after he was struck by a bus as he crossed the road in Monkstown.
GardaĂ believe the bus driver, Mark Wills, may have suffered a medical trauma, such as a heart attack, seconds before losing control of the vehicle on the Strand Road at around 1.35pm.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Wills was buried on Saturday morning. He was remembered as a loving and devoted father, friend and colleague by those who spoke at his funeral.
Due to current government guidelines, Fr Cronin’s funeral was held privately at St Joseph's Church in, Coomhola, Bantry, where he was baptised, received his First Holy Communion and celebrated his first Mass after his ordination in 1979.
The mourners were led by Fr Cronin's brother, Teddy and sisters-in-law, Margaret and Mary, and extended family.
Chief celebrant, Bishop of Cork and Ross, Fintan Gavin, was joined at the ceremony by Fr O'Connor of St Patrick's Missionary Society, Fr Cronin's former classmate Fr Kieran Murphy, Bishop of Meath, Tom Deenihan, a friend of the Cronin family, by Cork Harbour Parish Priest Fr Sean O'Sullivan, Canon Martin O'Driscoll and Fr John Heinhold.
The people of the parish of Passage West were represented by chair of the parish assembly, Eamonn Downey.
Fr Cronin’s friend, Fr John Galvin, was among the almost 17,000 people who watched a live stream of the ceremony.
Mourners were told that early in the pandemic, the Kiltegan Fathers updated their funeral wishes and Fr Cronin chose Coomhola church in his native Bantry for his funeral mass.
"Little did Fr Con think a year ago when that was done that in fact, we would be here today," Bishop Gavin said.
He said the diocese has received messages of sympathy from all over the world, including from the Papal Nuncio, Reverend Jude Thaddeus Okolo, and the bishop of the Minna diocese in Nigeria which Fr Cronin helped establish during his near 25-years in West Africa.
He said Fr Cronin was devoted in his ministry and had helped so many people over his life.
“So many have been touched by his life and his ministry,” he said.
“His deep compassion, his humanity, his openness, he was so non-judgemental - it was at the heart of his missionary duty, he was always reaching out.
"Shortly after I arrived in Cork two years ago Fr Con wrote to me a very encouraging note. But in it he also gave me a little pep talk about what I should be focusing on in this new role.
"He told me we needed as a Church and a diocese to find a way to open up, to meet those who were no longer 'connecting' with the Church. He spoke of a new vision or model of the Church.
“He especially spoke of the need to reach out to what he called 'the young flock'."
Bishop Gavin said the shock over the tragedy struck deep.”Â
He also spoke of the sense of shock in Monkstown, Passage West and in Bantry since news of Tuesday’s tragic accident emerged.
“In some ways it feels like a bad dream, unfortunately it is not a dream we can wake up from,” he said.
In his homily, Fr O’Connor spoke of Fr Cronin’s determination to become a priest, and how following the death of his mother, he completed his secondary education with St Patrick’s Missionary Society in St Patrick’s College, Buchlyvie, Scotland, so that he could follow his dream, before spending some 25-years in West Africa.
And he said hospitality was one of his many great qualities.
“All were welcome in his circle of friends and no questions were asked. He showed extraordinary kindness and generosity all through his life,” he said.
Gifts brought to the altar to reflect Fr Cronin’s love of communication included a radio, which served as his connection to the outside world during his time in West Africa, a pen and paper, to symbolise his love of letter writing, and his mobile phone.
Prayers were also said at the mass for Mr Wills and his family and friends, and for members of the various emergency services which arrived at the scene on Tuesday.
Among those who gathered outside the church were Fr Yusuf Bamai, from Roscommon and Fr Douglas John Zaggi, Cavan, who both with Fr Cronin in Nigeria.
Fr Cronin’s remains were buried afterwards in Kilmacomogue Cemetery.
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