Monsignor Patrick Francis Cremin (10 October 1910 - 1 November 2001) STD, JUD was an Irish theologian, who was a professor of Moral and Dogmatic Theology and of Canon Law at

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...

between 1939 and 1980.

Biography

Monsignior Cremin was born in

Kenmare Kenmare () is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of ''Ceann Mara'', meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. It is also a townland and civil parish. Location Ken ...

, County Kerry in 1910. He was educated at

St. Brendan's College, Killarney St Brendan's College, known locally as The Sem, is a secondary school in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland History St Brendan's is a Catholic Diocesan College, founded in 1860 by bishop David Moriarty as a boarding and day-school for boys under ...

and

. Following ordination to the priesthood for the Kerry Diocese, he undertook postgraduate work in theology and law at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

in Rome. He returned from Rome to hold professorships in theology and canon law in Maynooth. In the course of his career, Cremin gave

Noel Browne Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city * Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * Noel Park, a suburb in Greater London, Eng ...

theological advice regarding the

Mother and Child Scheme The Mother and Child Scheme was a healthcare programme in Ireland that would later become remembered as a major political crisis involving primarily the Irish Government and Roman Catholic Church in the early 1950s. The scheme was referred to a ...

while Browne was Minister for Health in the First Inter-party government

Government of the 13th Dáil The 5th government of Ireland (18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951), commonly known as the First inter-party government, was formed after the 1948 general election held to the 13th Dáil on 4 February. It was an Irish government of Fine Gael, t ...

. A decade later, he accompanied Archbishop

John Charles McQuaid John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. (28 July 1895 – 7 April 1973), was the Catholic Primate of Ireland and Archbishop of Dublin between December 1940 and January 1972. He was known for the unusual amount of influence he had over successive gover ...

CSSp to Rome as his peritus at the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, contributing personally to

Christus Dominus (''Christ the Lord''; abbreviation "CD") is the Second Vatican Council's "Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops". The document was approved by a majority vote of 2,319 to 2 of the assembled bishops and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 28 ...

, the Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops. In 1968 he strongly supported the Vatican statement,

Humanae vitae (Latin, meaning 'Of Human Life') is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and dated 25 July 1968. The text was issued at a Vatican press conference on 29 July. Subtitled ''On the Regulation of Birth'', it re-affirmed the teaching of the Catho ...

on artificial birth control. Cremin was thought to be a candidate for episcopal office, particularly for his home diocese of Kerry, but this did not materialise. He became increasingly critical of developments in Maynooth through the 1970s. The Irish Independent published a series of articles he wrote on the topic. He retired in 1980, but contributed towards the framing of the

1983 Code of Canon Law The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of Ecclesiastical Law, ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the sec ...

promulgated by Pope John Paul II. He remained active in retirement for many years later. On 1 November 2001 he died in a nursing home in Tralee. One tribute to him summarised his long life and the many changes he has seen "he witnessed the demise of his victors, the decline of his alma mater and the collapse of Catholic Ireland." He was not the only gifted member of his family: one of his siblings,

Con Cremin Cornelius Christopher Cremin (6 December 1908 – 20 April 1987) was an Irish diplomat who was born in Kenmare, County Kerry. One of four children, Cremin was born to a family that operated a drapery business. His brother, Francis Cremin, be ...

, would become a career diplomat and ultimately Secretary-General of the Irish Department of Foreign affairs.

References

1910 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Participants in the Second Vatican Council Christian clergy from County Kerry People from Kenmare {{Ireland-RC-clergy-stub

Biography

See also

References