Archbishop Francis Carroll, who served as Bishop of Wagga Wagga and Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn during almost 70 years of priestly service, died yesterday in Wagga Wagga, aged 93.
Born on September 9, 1930, in Ganmain, New South Wales, he was the second of seven children of Patrick and Rose Carroll.
He attended the local Ganmain School before transferring to Sydney and completed his secondary education with the De La Salle Brothers in Marrickville. His seminary studies were conducted at St Columba’s Seminary, Springwood, and St Patrick’s Seminary, Manly. He was ordained a priest at Ganmain by Bishop Francis Augustine Henschke, whom he succeeded as Bishop of Wagga Wagga, in 1968.
In 1983, he was appointed Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn until 2006. He was President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference from 2000 to 2006, when he retired and returned to Wagga Wagga.
In recent times, Archbishop Carroll suffered from ill health and was a resident at Loreto Home of Compassion in Wagga Wagga.
“Archbishop Francis always retained the personal charm of his rural family background. So many loved him as a Catholic leader of immense stature,” Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse said.
“Simply called Father Francis by friends and parishioners over the years, he was always approachable. His humble and prayerful manner will be remembered by so many.”
Funeral liturgies will be held next week at:
- St Brendan’s Church, Ganmain (7pm, March 19)
- St Michael’s Cathedral, Wagga Wagga (Mass, 11am, March 20)
- St Christopher’s Cathedral, Canberra (Vigil, 7.30pm, March 20)
A Pontifical Requiem Mass for Archbishop Carroll will be celebrated at St Christopher’s Cathedral, Canberra at 11am on Thursday, March 21. Internment in the crypt of St Christopher’s Cathedral will occur at the conclusion of Mass.
FULL STORY
Vale Archbishop Francis Carroll (Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese)
Death notice and funeral details of Archbishop Francis Carroll (Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese)
RELATED COVERAGE
Archbishop Francis ‘Frank’ Carroll – A Life Remembered (Wagga Wagga Diocese)
Vale Archbishop Francis Carroll (ACBC)
‘Man of the people’: Archbishop Francis Carroll dies aged 93 (Canberra Times)
