Hundreds of mourners from Ireland’s multicultural community joined the Vincentian order and family members at the funeral service for Fr Brian Moore at St Peter’s Church in Phibsborough on St Stephen’s Day.
The service was led by Fr Michael McCullagh, who paid special tribute to the achievements of Fr Moore, the provincial of the Vincentian Community in Ireland and Great Britain before his sudden death on 19 December last.
Fr McCullagh said: “All of us here can picture Brian’s strong hands, hands honed in his boyhood farming days, strong hands skilled at the plane and the lathe, hands which were swift to welcome and embrace, to reassure, to bless and consecrate, to forgive, to anoint and occasionally, if we may dare say it, to acclaim his favourite football team – the jury could be out on that one but, in recent years, white seemed a preferred colour.”
He urged the congregation to pray along with him “that Fr. Brian, who spent a life-time in giving and receiving, may now receive in exchange for his humanity, the fullness of the life of Christ himself.”
Mourners included his brothers John and Tom, former President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, Bishops Eamonn Walsh and Jim Moriarty, Church of Ireland Archdeacon David Pierpoint, as well Vincentian superior general Very Rev Gregory Gay and representatives of the Nigerian Vincentian Community, with whom Fr Moore worked for several years.
Fr Cornelius Nwaogwugwu, on behalf of the head of the Nigeria Vincentian province Fr Michael Ngoka read out a condolence message.
“Brian was a great Irish missionary in Nigeria, ” he said, adding that to his Nigerian colleagues he was also “a friend, a motivator, a big brother and someone you could run to any time.”
He noted that Fr Moore, despite living and working in Ireland, remained part of Nigerian society.
“He had followed up on the affairs of Nigeria, especially as they affected the lives of poor people in Nigeria and Africa. His understanding of African issues and situation was impeccable.
“His passion to provide succour to the poor and homeless was second to none. His ability and patience to listen to people’s problems and always be on the vanguard of solving them was unbelievable.”
Fr Laz Iwueke, chaplain of the African Chaplaincy in the Archdiocese of Dublin, which Fr Moore established during his time as the parish priest of St Peter’s Church, said he was “a great loss to the African community”.
Sr Breege Keenan, who worked with Fr Moore as director of Vincentian Refugee Centre, said: “Brian... was very easy to work with, a loyal friend and a man who believed that we are all equal in God's eyes.”
In addition to his service to the immigrant community, Fr Moore was instrumental to the establishment of the Vincentian Refugee Centre at St Peter’s in Philbsborough.
Fr Brian Moore was laid to rest at the Community Cemetery in St Vincent's at Castleknock College.
