Death of Columban Fr William G. Moran

 

Fr William Gerard Moran

14 May 1936 - 8 July 2022

William Gerard Moran was born 14 May 1936, at Flemington, Victoria, Australia, not far from the Flemington racecourse, home of the Melbourne Cup. This led to a lifelong interest in horse-racing. After primary and secondary schooling, Bill worked for two years with the Commonwealth Public Service while doing part-time studies in Latin and Economics.

In 1955 he came to Essendon [a suburb of Melbourne where the Columban headquarters in Australia are located] for Spiritual Year and then moved to our seminary in Sydney for Philosophy and Theology studies. Following his ordination at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, in 1961, he was appointed to Rome where he studied and graduated with an STL from the Angelicum. He then began studies in Scripture but had to abandon them because of health problems.

Appointed to the ANZ [Australia and New Zealand] Region, he worked for three years in the Far East Office before an appointment to the seminary in Turramurra [near Sydney] where he taught Dogma and served as Vice-Rector and Rector. In 1979 Bill was appointed to South America where he worked mostly in Chile in various capacities until an appointment back to ANZ in 1988. He served as ANZ Regional Director from 1990 to 1994. 

He returned to Chile but again health problems forced an early return to ANZ where he served as Regional Bursar for a number of years until his retirement. In recent years the success of his grandnephew as an Australian Rules footballer with the Footscray Bulldogs gave him new life and much pride. Bill died 8 July in St Vincent’s Hospital after a period of respite at Mercy Place Aged Care, Melbourne. The word I would choose to best sum up Bill is 'conscientious'.

Fr Ray Scanlon

May Father Bill rest in peace.

 

Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton North

[Wikipedia; photo]

There is a Columban plot in Carlton Cemetery.