St Joseph's Society
(Extracts taken from the eulogy given at his funeral by Mgr John Devine OBE)
‘Francis Burke was ordained in 1954, and later, as a small boy, I often served his Mass at Christ the King in Childwall, when he was home from Cambridge. The way he celebrated the liturgy was an inspiration, as it was clear to me, that he was praying the Mass.
Francis taught me French at Upholland. For him, the French language wasn’t just a paper exercise. He insisted on the correct pronunciation and managed to convey to us something of the music and rhythms of the spoken language he loved.
Francis was also a Housemaster of More’s, named after St Thomas More. He was also a gifted musician, both in church music, where his beautiful singing voice came to the fore, but also an accomplished clarinet player. I played the violin, and I remember going with him and the College orchestra to the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool to hear the Belgian clarinettist Gervase de Peyer play Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.
When I was older, Francis used to take us to Lourdes, and every year he drove us through the night in the College minibus to Gatwick airport, and once in Lourdes, staying at the Abris Saint Michel, for brancardiers, we shared simple accommodation but excellent food, and amid unlimited quantities of vin ordinaire, it was Francis who introduced me to French cigarettes, such as Gauloises and Gitanes. They were wonderful memories.
When he left Upholland, he spent time as Diocesan Vocations Director, and then as curate to Monsignor Pat Mahony in the Isle of Man, and I now find myself in the Isle of Man, and in that very same parish. The high altar at St Mary’s was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, and there are Latin inscriptions on the altar and the walls. Copies of a translation are available, and at the bottom of the page it reads: ‘translation by Father Francis Burke MA’.
From the Isle of Man, Francis went to Skelmersdale as a member of the Team Ministry. I had already been appointed there in 1973. Francis joined Kevin Finn, Michael McKenna and Frank Tillotson. In time, we were joined by Bernard Higham, Denis Harvey, Chris Kelly and then his uncle, Kevin Kelly – many of them former staff members at Upholland. Those were wonderful days. We lived cheek by jowl in a new town where most of the people were young parents or at school, and our lives revolved around the school, with an impressive group of young teachers, and it was in Skelmersdale that Francis celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his ordination.
I left Skelmersdale in 1981 and it was in 1982 that Francis left the active priesthood, to marry Jeannie.
In the second part of his life, Francis brought the same qualities to bear as he did in the first, and they shared a blessed life of 34 years together. He and Jeannie made their home in Ilkley, where he was a loving husband and father, and he was also involved in Ilkley parish life as a reader and Eucharistic minister.
He joined Yorkshire Television, and worked for many years on religious programmes and also on their schools programme, and while there, he underwent brain surgery, from which he made a remarkable recovery, and went back to work.’
Michael McKenna, a loyal friend to the end, had the last word on his final illness: “Francis accepted his illness with courage and without complaint, living contentedly in the Home where he was. His personal charm wooed all the staff. Family visited, along with Fr Pearson, Mgr Heskin, Mgr Doyle and Kevin Kelly etc.…and he was always so gracious and grateful for the visits, “you are too kind” he would say. He might have lost memory function, but his intelligence remained. He always knew who you were and could remember the past clearly.”
Michael concluded “Peaceful at the end, full of gratitude to Jeannie, the family, everyone, the last time I saw him I was convinced he was praying away silently, with just his lips moving…” May he rest in peace. Amen.