It was a funeral fit for a leader, complete with an honor guard, dignitaries, swelling musical refrains and a grateful congregation. The funeral of Fr. Robert Quinn, pastor of St. Columbkill’s Church in Colebrookdale Township, on Friday, Sept. 26, capped three-days of memorial rites.
Quinn, who died on September 20, served as pastor of the Boyertown Church from 1986 to his retirement in 2009. During his tenure as pastor, he is credited with expanding the congregation, building a new church, and always representing Jesus.
Upon his retirement, Quinn was in residence at St. Benedict’s parish in Mohnton where a viewing and mass was said for him Wednesday evening. He laid in state at St. Columbkill on Thursday with the funeral on Friday. Hundreds of grieving parishioners, friends and fellow priests attended the rites.
Rev. John Barres, Bishop of the Allentown Diocese, the main celebrant of Quinn’s funeral mass, said: ‘And Derek Jeter thought he had a good send-off.’ Barres noted Quinn was the ideal pastor and his impact on the congregation could be seen in the stories and faces of those gathered to mourn his passing. He encouraged the assembled to pray for Quinn’s soul and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and sisters.
Quinn as a model pastor was echoed by Fr. Keith Laskowski, who in his first assignment as a priest, served as pastoral assistant at Boyertown. ‘Love the people,’ Laskowski recalled Quinn telling him when he first arrived in the parish, ‘He was expressing an important point that theologians call ‘pastoral charity’ – the virtue by which we imitate Christ in his self-giving and service.’
Laskowski listed Quinn’s attributes as a listening ear, compassionate heart, gift of encouraging and allowing people to use their gifts and talents to serve the parish and community. ‘He had the heart of the Good Shepherd. What we experienced in him was the love of Christ working through him.’
Laskowski added: ‘We pray to live out what Fr. Quinn always tried to teach us and model for us. Fr. Quinn taught us to love Jesus Christ and reflect that in the way we treat other people.’
Fr. Quinn’s complete obituary can be found on page C6.
