THE founder of the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin and Enniskeane native, Brother Kevin Crowley, is returning to his native county next month following his retirement from the centre, which he founded 53 years ago.
The 87-year-old founded the Capuchin Day Centre, located on Bow Street in Dublin back in 1969 and he has become synonymous with helping the poor of Dublin city down through the decades.
In fact he credits The Southern Star with starting his vocation after he answered an ad which he saw in the paper which was looking for Capuchin Monks in 1958.
Back in 2018, Pope Francis even paid a visit to the centre, which provides food and shelter to an average of 800 people every day. He met Brother Kevin as well as people who use their essential services there.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Brother Kevin said he will miss the homeless people who came to his centre every day for food or to avail of day care facilities there when he retires on September 22nd.
‘They were the people who were important in my life and I’m going to miss the generosity of the people who were so kind for being responsible for the day centre or otherwise it wouldn’t have survived,’ he said.
When Brother Kevin started off the Capuchin Day Centre in 1969 they would have had about 50 people outside their premises in the morning.
‘Now you could have about 200 people in the morning, while there can nearly be 600 to 700 people outside for dinner in the afternoon.
‘And each Wednesday you could have over 1,000 people looking for food parcels.’
In 2018, he was presented with the fourth Oireachtas Human Dignity Award by the then ceann comhairle of Leinster House Seán Ó Feargháil TD for his tireless work with the homeless and those in need.
Originally from Kilcolman, near Enniskeane, his brother Jerry still lives locally and Brother Kevin is a regular visitor to the area.
Brother Kevin will now move to the Holy Trinity on Fr Matthew Quay in Cork city to enjoy his retirement.
