FATHER JOHN CARNIE– A REDEMPTORIST FATHER

Last Tuesday over 3000 Marcellin College present students in uniform and past students in suits celebrated Fr John’s funeral Mass in the largest funeral for years at our Cathedral . the College choir filled the Cathedral with its music. Later, a guard of honour of hundreds of students lined the entire block beside the Cathedral. The moving celebration was a tribute to Fr John who has been chaplain at Marcellin for 25 years until he had an operation for cancer and died of complications. Aged 80, he was a quiet man, with a quick wit and a memory for names. He has been a model of pastoral care– he would be at school everyday before class; he was present to students, tuckshop mums and staff. He continued his involvement after the
students left school. He celebrated over 200 marriages of past students. As a current student blogged: “For you Fr John heaven will be having everyday an 18th or 21st birthday party  to gate-crash!”