HUNDREDS of people tuned in to watch the livestreamed COVID-restricted family funeral of long-time Darra-Jindalee parish priest Fr Dan Carroll from Twelve Apostles Church yesterday.
Fr Carroll died on August 5 after a sudden illness and his death has rocked the parish community, which he had led for more than 50 years.
His funeral Mass was celebrated by his friend Fr Pat Richards with Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge present in the Sanctuary.
Long-time parishioner and friend, Pat O’Dwyer, recounted the life of Fr Carroll from his early hopes of becoming a missionary priest to the 50 years of leadership at Darra-Jindalee parish.
Mr O’Dwyer recalled a time at the dedication of Twelve Apostles church some years ago when he told Fr Carroll, when his time had come, to make sure he told St Peter about the three churches plus the great parish he had built.
“I hope he remembered to tell him,” he said.
He said parishioners, Church groups, community members would always thank Fr Carroll for “our values, his efforts, patience, persistence, faith in the future; we will always enjoy this great parish community”.
A condolence message from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was read at the start of the Mass.
Ms Palaszczuk said Fr Carroll was “a friend to all, a great man and a great Queenslander”, who had been there for her family’s sacramental care.
Condolences and comments also flowed from members of his parish and the wider community who logged on to the parish Facebook page to pay their respects.
Fr Richards, in reflecting on Fr Carroll’s life, said he had an “extraordinary” priesthood considering “the bond, the link, the attachment he had with other people and with priests”.
He said he was amazed by the outpouring of grief after Fr Carroll’s death, especially at the vigils and requiem Masses leading up to the funeral.
Fr Richards said it was extraordinary that a priest of his age could “get such grieving from such youth”.
He said Fr Carroll had a strong attachment to the priestly brotherhood.
“All of us priests were important to him and he kept cheerful with the lot,” he said.
“He did great work looking after accommodation for retired priests to a very high standard, for years he did that, and he was very proud of it, especially the units he helped to design at West End.”
Fr Richards said Fr Carroll was a priest of the past “with all our past’s values”.
“And when the world was getting us down, the priest was a rock; we might never have needed to turn to him for anything, but we just knew he was there and that was his value,” he said.
Fr Richards said he had the “strongest connection with his parish family of any priest I’ve known”.
The parish is preparing to host a memorial Mass for Fr Carroll when COVID-19 restrictions are eased.
The full Mass can be viewed on the Darra-Jindalee Facebook page: https://fb.watch/7r5Z5MRFfd/
