IN MEMORIA M
“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.
Dom Francis Crowley, OSB, a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, passed away August 14, 2019, after a brief illness, at Rhode Island Hospital, in the 79th year of his age and the 25th year of his monastic life. Born James E. Crowley in Providence, RI, 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, earning his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1970. 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 his position of Corporate Director of Environmental Technology in 1991. As a lay person, his life was divided into family and work. He was married for twenty five years and had two daughters: Lisa and Michaela. As Brother Francis was fond of saying, he entered the monastery a
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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. 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 -- “terrrific” 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.” A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, August 23, 2019, at Portsmouth Abbey’s Church of St. Gregory the Great, with interment in the Portsmouth Abbey cemetery.
P ORTSM O U T H A BB E Y S C HO OL
