Death of Oblate academic and teacher
Fr Frank Dromey OMI
Well-known Oblate academic and teacher, Fr Frank Dromey died on August 1st following a long and debilitating illness. His Funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday 3rd August at Mary Immaculate Church, Inchicore. Afterwards, he was laid to rest in the adjoining community cemetery.
Fr Dromey lectured in theology at Milltown Institute, Dublin, from 1981 until 2000, when he suffered a stroke. He was Dean of the Faculty of Theology from 1985 to 1991. The large attendance at his Funeral Mass included faculty members and many of his former students.
Frank was intellectually gifted. When he entered the Oblate Novitiate in 1952, he had just taken first place in Ireland in mathematics in his Leaving Certificate. After novitiate, he was sent for studies to Rome?s Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest in Rome in July, 1959.
Returning to Ireland, he taught dogmatic theology, first at the Oblate Scholasticate in Kilkenny and, years later, at Belmont House, Dublin. He did further studies at the University of Munster in Germany before returning to Dublin in 1981 to teach Theology at the Milltown Institute.
Fr Dromey was a recognized authority on the great Canadian theologian, Bernard Lonergan. Lonergan has been described as ?a philosopher and theologian deeply concerned about fundamental issues, about the nature of understanding, about the challenge of doing theology in a world of exploding scientific and historical knowledge; about the human good and economic functioning and about the impact of theology on a culture?.
He was inspired by Lonergan?s thought, and he also took to heart his advice, ?Be attentive, be intelligent, be responsible, be loving?.
Frank was also an excellent linguist, who spoke Italian, French and German, a talent he regularly put at the service of the Congregation, both as translator and interpreter.
Tragically, in late summer 2000, he suffered a stroke, which left him paralyzed on his left side and confined to a wheelchair for the last seven years of his life.
In the course of his homily at the Funeral Mass, Fr Paul Byrne quoted Paul Tillich, a thinker who influenced Frank, ?being religious means asking passionately the question of the meaning of our existence and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt?.
He continued, ?sickness brought the questioning Frank close to God, but it can?t have been easy. His fellow Oblate theologian and friend, David Power has been exploring the meaning of suffering and weakness, the self-emptying of God.
?The manner of the display of the figure of Christ on the Cross is always a reminder of weakness, the suffering and abandonment of the Son?Yet we hail the one who hung upon the cross as a Holy Strong One, who chose the power of weakness to reveal that he and his Father are nothing but love, altogether love?.?
Fr Paul concluded: ?That image of the Holy Strong One struck me forcibly when I went to see Frank laid out in the coffin. Now in death the face I saw was strong and peaceful and the body straight again ? the Frank I knew before that awful stroke. It was like a small glimpse of Frank as he is now, with the Christ he wrestled with and sought all his life?.