Obituary of Fr. Robert D. Crouse

Fr. Robert Darwin Crouse 80, Crousetown, Lunenburg County, died peacefully at home on Saturday, January 15th, 2011. Robert was the son of Merle and Sarah (Crooks) Crouse. Born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, his family returned to Crousetown when he was a few months old. His schooling began in the one room school in Crousetown, which still stands next to St. Mary’s Church. He continued his education at King’s College School in Windsor, NS. From there he moved to the University of King’s College in Halifax, graduating with a B.A. (Distinction) in 1951. After further studies at Dalhousie he went to the Harvard Divinity School, graduating in 1954 with a S.T.B. (cum laude). Robert was ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Church of Canada by Bishop Waterman in 1954 and has been active in parish service in Nova Scotia and abroad throughout his life. After studies in Germany (at Tubingen), he completed his Master of Theology, (with 1st class honours), in 1957 at Trinity College in Toronto. He returned to Harvard, this time to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, from which he graduated with a Ph.D. (on Honorius Augustudodensis), in 1970. Robert began his teaching career in 1960 at Bishop’s University, Lennoxville, Quebec. He returned to Dalhousie and King’s in 1963 where he taught in the Classics Department and Foundation Year Programme without interruption, until his retirement in 1995. From 1990 to 2004 he frequently served as Visiting Professor of Patrology at the Augustinianum of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. He was the first non-Catholic to be invited to this position. Robert is the author of over 70 academic papers and became one of the leading authorities on St. Augustine and Dante. His work has sparked a new school of thought concerning the theological tradition of both the ancient and medieval worlds which now has an international following. While he was still at Bishop’s, Nellie Snyder, a parishioner in Crousetown, alerted Robert to the fact that the last tracker organ in the province was likely to be destroyed if it could not be sold. Robert had it brought to St. Mary’s Church where he saw to its restoration and, in the same year, (1963), he began a Baroque Concert Series which, since then, has provided hundreds of performers with a venue for their talents and many thousands with a perfect summer evening. These informal concerts have taken place for the past 47 years. An organist and a harpsichordist, Robert established the choir at the University of King’s College and a children’s choir at St. James Cathedral in Halifax. Robert was famous for his hospitality. An excellent cook, his table and his gardens were a gathering place for people from the South Shore and from far beyond. His wide knowledge of roses was embodied in a lovely garden with over 129 varieties that was a delight to all his guests. Through his renowned sermons, great learning and gentle humility, Robert educated and inspired a whole generation of priests and bishops, who are now serving in parishes and dioceses throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. His great learning and gentle humility have provided a loadstar by which many in the Church have been able to hold a steady course in what has been a turbulent period. Robert is survived by his brother, Boyd, and by his three nephews, Peter, Christopher, and Timothy - all of whom live in North Carolina. On Wednesday, January 19, 2011 a wake will be held at the Chapel of the University of King’s College from 9am to midday. Requiem Mass will be held in the Chapel at 2pm, followed by a reception. The funeral service for the parishioners of Lunenburg County will be held the following day, Thursday, January 20th at St. Mary’s Church, Crousetown. Wake 9am – 11:30am, Funeral Mass at 1pm followed by interment following which a reception will be held at Robert’s house. A Memorial Eucharist and Celebration of Father Crouse's life, to which all are invited, will take place at St. George's (Round) Church in Halifax, 2222 Brunswick Street on Sunday, June 26th at 7 pm, just before the Atlantic Theological Conference. This service will provide an opportunity for all of Father Crouse's friends, musical, academic and church colleagues and others to come together, remember him, and give thanks for his life. *Requiescat in pace * No flowers by request. Memorial donations may be made to St. Mary’s Anglican Church, care of Sweeny’s Funeral Home, Bridgewater at www.sweenysfuneralhome.com or email sweenys@ns.sympatico.ca .