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REMEMBERED as a ‘giant of a man’ and a ‘friend to all’, Fr Frank Quinn, a Rosminian Missionary Priest from Ardboe who spent more than 30 years serving in Tanzania, has been laid to rest.
Fr Quinn passed away on Thursday, October 30, and was remembered at a Requiem Mass in Holy Trinity Church, Cookstown, on Monday.
During the service, Fr Jimmy Browne reflected on Fr Quinn’s life of service and the deep bond he formed with the people of Africa.
“I’m sure when he went to Africa, he left his heart in Ireland,” Fr Browne said. “But his heart wasn’t long catching up with him when he met the African people. He fell in love with them, and them with him. One word to sum him up is ‘empathy’ – he felt for them in their poverty, their lack of faith, and every need they had.”
Fr Browne said that from the moment he arrived in Tanzania, Fr Quinn devoted himself to bringing people closer to God.
“He couldn’t have done that without the support of his family and friends at home,” he added. “Even though he was the missionary, his friends and family were often called to be missionaries too, supporting his work from afar.”
Describing him as a ‘big, strong man’, Fr Browne said Fr Quinn was also ‘a gentle, lovely priest” who brought “spiritual healing and encouragement’ to everyone he met.
After more than three decades abroad, Fr Quinn returned to Ireland in recent years due to ill health. Yet, even then, he continued to serve.
“Returning to Ireland, there was no question of him giving up,” Fr Browne said. “He took on different ministries around the country for as long as his health would allow, and he never stopped caring for Africa.”
Fr Browne also paid tribute to the exceptional care Fr Quinn received in Ashbrook Care Home and the devotion of his family.
“No matter when you visited, there was always someone who had just been in before you,” he said. “This time last year, you wouldn’t have given him until Christmas, but he wasn’t ready to let go – he held on for another ten months.”
Following the funeral service, Fr Quinn was laid to rest in Mullinahoe Cemetery, Ardboe.
