He had reached the noble age of 101. He was born in Newry in January 1917, made his first profession as a Dominican in 1934 and was ordained a priest in 1940.
To many in the Dominicans he was known as Larry, which was his baptismal name.
He was a larger than life character. He taught canon law and theology in the Dominican studium in Tallaght but spent many years living in Rome, where for a number of years he edited the English edition of L'Osservatore Romano.
When Mother Angelica set up EWTN Lambert was called on to offer canonical advice. The story goes that even Lambert was not sufficiently right-wing for the good mother and they subsequently parted company.
There are enough stories to fill a book on the life and times of Lambert Greenan.
I lived with him in the Irish Dominican priory at San Clemente Rome in the mid 1970s. I was a newly ordained 'young fella' out from Ireland, studying at the Angelicum.
We lived in different theological, philosophical, social, ecclesial worlds.
While I was out on the streets celebrating the victory of the Vietnamese over their American aggressors, Lambert was a staunch supporter of US imperialism.
We managed to disagree on almost everything.
He loved his Cuban cigars and despised Castro while I despised Cuban cigars and supported Castro. And so it went.
His brother Clement was also a priest in the Irish Dominican province. He died in 2016 at the age 98.
May Lambert rest in peace.
4 comments:
Dear Michael, my name is David Anders. I was also a friend of Father Lambert’s. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, only a few miles from casa maria convent and retreat house where he died. i used to spend Thursday afternoons with him, discussing theology, life, politics, and just about everything else.He died like he lived, surrounded by friends, beloved, a Thomist and a Dominican through and through and to the Very end. He will be deeply missed.
David,
Thank you for your comment and greatly appreciated. A question, how did you find this blog?
Dear Michael, I loved Father Lambert very much. I was with him when he died on Thursday at 3:11 PM. He died during the recitation of the rosary. I have been grieving since then and trying to console myself by talking to others who also loved him. The sister servants with whom he lived posted an obituary to various local websites. I was simply searching the Internet for recent posts about father Lambert. That is how I found yours.
I wish I had known Father in the 1970s as you did. When I met him, he was already 90 years old but the most active 90 year-old you ever met. Believe it or not, he exercised a very fruitful ministry for the last 10 years of his life. He continued to say mass, hear confessions, give spiritual direction and friendship to very many. He advised on canonical issues and even engaged with the ICEL on the question of the new translation of the missal.
Thank you for acknowledging him.
Fr. Lambert‘s funeral was today. Father Gregory Carroll, the provincial for the Irish Dominicans, was the homilist. Bishop Baker the celebrant.
Members of the family came from London. Many who loved him came from far away. Very beautiful.
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