He came from the Bay State and embedded himself in the Granite State. And like granite, his dedication to God, to the Church, to the community, and to Capuchin life proved durable.

For 33 years, from 1987 to 2020, Br. Paul Crawford, who died on Feb. 23, faithfully served the people of God in Manchester, N.H. He was a pastoral associate, youth minister, and religious education director at Blessed Sacrament Parish (1987-2002) and an outreach coordinator for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Manchester (2002-11). He held other offices in the diocese as well. From 2002 he resided at St. Anne-St. Augustin Friary and served for six years as guardian of the Capuchin fraternity. 

Brother Paul was a longtime advocate for social justice, serving as president of the board of directors of the Franciscan Action Network in Washington, D.C., and past president of the Granite State Organizing Project in Manchester.

This resumé only begins to reveal the character of this affable, generous, good-humored friar who wove himself into the fabric of the communities he served.

“It was just in his nature to get involved,” said Fr. Samuel Fuller, who lived with Brother Paul for five years in Manchester and delivered the homily at his funeral on Feb. 27. He commended Brother Paul for living into the Beatitudes of Jesus Christ and opening himself effectively to God’s grace and love in every time and season of his life.

Brother Paul was born to Paul and Mary Manning Crawford in Boston, Mass., on Feb. 9, 1952. He and his siblings grew up in Dorchester, Mass., where he attended St. Margaret’s School, then Gate of Heaven High School in South Boston. Years later, he received his B.S. in human services from Springfield College, Springfield, Mass., and an M.S.W. degree in social work from Boston College.

Brother Paul entered the Capuchin Order on Aug. 31, 1969, and pronounced perpetual vows on Sept. 4, 1976. Much of his initial formation was spent at St. Anthony Friary in Hudson, N.H., where he was entrusted with the traditional duties of a lay brother, including laundry and tailoring. After nearly three years of domestic work at Sacred Heart Friary, Yonkers, N.Y. (1975-78), he became porter at St. John the Baptist Friary in New York City. For the next nine years he ministered to midtown Manhattan’s transient residents, establishing the St. John Bread of Life Food Pantry. He was also involved in the charismatic renewal movement.

Everywhere he lived, Brother Paul brought his relational skills to the local fraternity. Father Sam noted that he had an uncanny way of knowing what his fellow friars were doing, often surprising them with his knowledge of their whereabouts! Around the Province, any friar whose birthday was approaching could be sure of this— that the first birthday card to arrive in the mail would be from Brother Paul.

He resided at St. Clare Friary, Yonkers, N.Y., from July 2020 until his death. To the end he continued to work for social justice, chairing the provincial justice, peace, and integrity of creation commission and supporting refugee resettlement in Westchester County. He remained fiercely loyal to his beloved New England sports teams and to the people he served in Manchester, who were just as fiercely loyal to him.