Tributes are pouring in for Australia’s much-loved “people’s priest”, Father Bob Maguire, who died this morning at Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne, aged 88.
In a statement, Father Bob’s family said recent months had been difficult as the 88-year-old’s health had declined.
“His physical and mental health had been deteriorating for some time but his preference was always to help others rather than consider his own situation,” the family statement said.
“Father Bob was not just a much loved family member but was loved by all Australians for what he stood for.”
The family said Father Bob’s lifelong passion had always been to help those in the community who were often overlooked by bureaucracy.
“Despite his high profile in the media, he was always on the job, especially for the disadvantaged families and individuals for whom he had great love and compassion,” the statement said.
“He wanted nobody to be left behind and always saw and believed in the good in people, but he knew that there were many whom he referred to as the unloved and unlovely. These were his real passion.”
Along with his endeavours to help and inspire all those he came into contact with, Father Bob was also well known for his cheeky sense of humour. He was the priest with the devilish grin and quick wit.
His forced retirement at 75, however, wiped the smile from his face after close to 40 years as parish priest of Sts Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church in South Melbourne.
“I am of a mind not to resign and I’ll write a letter saying that,” he told the ABC back in 2009.
“Then you end up dishonourably discharged and going into a retirement village. Now that’s not what I signed up for,” he said at the time.
He did manage to remain a priest until the age of 77, retiring in 2012 after a half century of service.
Father Bob was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for his service to homeless youth and was named Victorian of the Year in 2011.
