Iconic Catholic priest ‘didn’t judge, he just tried to help’
Australia is mourning the passing of Father Bob Maguire, who devoted his life to social justice.
Jewish figures joined a groundswell of praise, as Australia mourned the passing of Father Bob Maguire, 88, an iconic Catholic priest, known simply as “Father Bob”, who devoted his life to social justice.
Through the Father Bob Foundation, the fiercely independent priest, who died on April 19, extended a hand to those whose hope had dwindled – and worked with Melbourne shules on food programs for homeless people in parks and shelters.
His high-profile Jewish sidekick, media personality John Safran, appeared with the outspoken priest on an SBS show John Safran Versus God in 2004, which led to their unlikely pairing on Triple J radio for 10 years, and the TV series Speaking In Tongues, which they co-hosted. Safran witnessed a shofar blowing – and an Aboriginal smoking ceremony – organised by Father Bob at Parish of Sts Peter and Paul, his South Melbourne church.
The priest, who joined Safran for a speaking engagement at B’nai B’rith, once asked his radio partner, tongue in cheek, if there was “a special dispensation for me to become a rabbi”.
Macnamara MP Josh Burns tweeted, “I volunteered for Bob when he started his community pantry in South Melbourne. Every single person who walked through Bob’s warehouse, whether they wanted to chat or not, was greeted with a ‘g’day cobber’ … Bob didn’t judge. He just tried to help.”
Caulfield MP David Southwick described him as “a larrikin, a man of deep faith and source of endless kindness”.
Father Bob had worked extensively with Jewish outreach worker, the late Henry Ser, feeding inner Melbourne’s poorest residents.
Kehilat Nitzan’s Rabbi Yonatan Sadoff, whose shule has partnered with Father Bob and his foundation on a food program, stated, “Rare individuals make this kind of difference in the world … t’he nishmato tzrurah b’tzror hachayim, may his soul be bound up in the bond of the living.”
Ellen Frajman, chair and director of Mazon Australia and programs assistant at Kehilat Nitzan, recalled Father Bob assisting her team at Temple Beth Israel with a food van and other help when they founded its Nourish program in 2016. “Father Bob came a few times to Alma Park, which was great for our volunteers and for the clientele. They all knew him. They loved him.”
Kathy Kaplan, founder of Impact, which supports women and children who face violence, posted, “Gone to meet his ‘CEO’. Father Bob was a man who cared.”
Progressive Judaism Victoria president Philip Bliss told The AJN Father Bob “was a wonderful man who spoke his mind which was often in contradiction to his various bosses. But he was a man of the people and often spoke for them”.
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