In Memoriam: Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B.

 

Crowley Dom Francis at Altar

“I am Brother Francis, Benedictine monk, teacher, environ­mentalist, scientist; this is my resumé. It explains who I am and what my background has been. I don’t know why, but some people think it is strange that someone with a science background could be a monk; I find both have fit very well together in my personal journey.”    -- Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B., excerpted from the Portsmouth Abbey School Alumni Bulletin, Summer of 2012

Dom Francis Crowley, OSB, a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, passed away on August 14, 2019, in the 79th year of his age and the 25th year of his monastic life, at Rhode Island Hospital, after a brief illness.

Born James E. Crowley in Providence, Rhode Island, to Daniel Crowley and Eleanor (Sauter) Crowley in 1940, he grew up in Providence and began his education at LaSalle Academy. He graduated in 1958 and attended Providence College, where he completed his undergraduate studies in chemistry. After earning his master’s degree at Brown University, James returned to Providence College for his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. During his advanced studies he found joy as a teacher, holding positions at Cranston West and Moses Brown School and later at Roger Williams College and Rhode Island College. In 1970, he entered the private sector, and began a 20-year career with CIBA-GEIGY Corporation, from which he retired in 1991 as a corporate director.

As Brother Francis was fond of saying, he entered the monastery a mere forty minutes after he retired on his last day of work. He made his solemn profession as Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B., a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, in 1994. At Portsmouth, Brother Francis taught in the science and Christian doctrine departments, putting the young Third-Form students through the paces in conceptual physics. He reveled in teaching and said “the best part about being a teacher at Portsmouth Abbey is that I finally realized my job here is to simply love the students and let them share their joy of discovery of science with me.” He knew that this joy could only be experienced through the often painstaking adherence to the steps. Though this was frustrating for many, the students knew that he loved them. This was even more conceptual or foundational than the science. He would say audaciously, over and over again: I love you.

Crowley Dom Francis Library

For 15 years, Brother Francis also served as the community’s master of ceremonies, overseeing the liturgies and celebrants and altar servers with exacting precision and a keen eye for detail. He demanded much from his servers, but he was always quick with his sincere and joyous laud -- “terr-rific” for a job well done. He said “I love the students like a grandparent; I love to see them come, and I love to see them go…and when they are away, I miss them.”

James is survived by two daughters Lisa Crowley of New London, CT, and Michaela Duhamel and her husband, Todd, of Wake Forest, NC, and a sister, Barbara Crowley, of Bristol, RI. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Daniel Crowley, of Warren, RI. Other family include: Jeff Burton, Tyler and Debbie Marchetti, of East Greenwich RI, and Ashley, Brian and Race James Roderick of Smithville, TX.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, August 23, 2019, at Portsmouth Abbey’s Church of St. Gregory the Great.

Crowley Dom Francis in Class

“I have always been curious. Like many people, I wondered: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? How shall I get there? The answer to these complex queries began to be resolved for me in the first grade by Sr. Mary Victoire, R.S.M. She explained that “God made me in His image and likeness, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this life, and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven.”   - Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B., Monk of Portsmouth Abbey

Read more about Dom Francis Crowley on the Portsmouth Abbey Monastery website.