Fr Robert (Bob) Crawford passed away on Sunday, at the age of 87, following more than 55 years of service to the people of God in both Adelaide and Broken Bay.
Initially ordained for the Archdiocese of Adelaide, Fr Bob came to Broken Bay in 1989 and was incardinated in 1992, serving until his retirement in 2002. Last year, he had celebrated the 55th anniversary of his ordination.
Fr Bob will be remembered particularly fondly in Narraweena, where he was parish priest from 1992 to 1997.
Archbishop Anthony Randazzo commended the soul of Fr Bob to Almighty God and asked the priests of the Diocese to offer Holy Mass for the repose of his soul.
Funeral arrangements for Fr Bob will be announced in the coming days although given various circumstances this may not occur until the week of 25 May 2026.
Fr Bob was born on 12 January 1939 in Hay, South Australia. He was ordained on 6 September 1969 for the Archdiocese of Adelaide and served in a number of parishes there, including a five-year appointment as an Army Chaplain from 1972-1977.
He commenced ministry in the Diocese of Broken Bay in 1989 and his incardination in the Diocese of Broken Bay was effected in 1992. In our own diocese, Fr Bob served in a number of appointments including Asquith, Mona Vale, Berowra, Narraweena, Woy Woy, Waitara, and Chatswood from where he retired in 2002.
Fr Bob lived at Bramblewood Retirement Village in Normanhurst for the last 23 years until he moved into assisted living a McQuoin Park Nursing Home in Waitara in 2025.
Eternal rest grant unto Fr Bob, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him, and may his soul and the souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace. Amen.
Requiesce in pace
