National

Mourners gather to honour larrikin priest Father Bob

By AAP Newswire

May 5, 2023

Mourners are gathering in Melbourne to honour the life of larrikin priest and charity campaigner Father Bob Maguire.

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The state funeral at St Patrick's Cathedral will start at 11am on Friday, with Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto and underworld figure Mick Gatto among those already in attendance.

Father Bob's family, broadcaster John Safran, The Bob Maguire Foundation and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will provide tributes during the service, while Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli will lead the mass.

The service is being broadcast at The Edge at Federation Square, while hundreds had already joined the online livestream before the service started.

The catholic priest and charity campaigner first became known for his work with disadvantaged people in his South Melbourne parish from the 1970s before appearing in national media alongside Safran from 2004.

He balanced media commitments with his parish duties until he was forced to retire from the Catholic Church in 2012.

Father Bob was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for services to youth homelessness and Victorian of the Year in 2011.

He died at Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne on April 19, aged 88.

Mourners have been asked to donate to his foundation in lieu of flowers.