District shocked by sudden passing of Br. Daniel Carlin

The Lasallian Family in the District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta, and beyond, was shocked and saddened by the passing of Br. Daniel Carlin recently.

Br Danny, the principal of St Joseph’s School, Addis Ababa died suddenly in Ethiopia on August 31st. at the age of 68.

A large crowd attended his Funeral Mass on Wednesday September 6th in the De La Salle Pastoral Centre, Castletown, and burial afterwards in the Monastery Cemetery

Br. Daniel Patrick Carlin, De La Salle Brothers, Saint Joseph School, Addis Ababa, (suddenly).  Predeceased by his parents Freddie and Mary.  Deeply regretted by his brother Laurence, niece Siobhan, and cousins in Derry, London and Longford, parents, teachers and pupils St. Joseph School and especially by his confreres in Ethiopia, District of Lwanga Africa and the District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta.

The many tributes to Br. Danny were led by Br. Francis Manning during his funeral service, with the full eulogy below.

Good afternoon to Everyone here present and to those who are with us on line.

It is my privilege and honour to deliver to you some of the many tributes paid to Br Daniel Carlin over the past number of days since his sudden departure from us.

I begin with a brief account of his early life. He was born in Longford his mother’s homeland and in his tender years of eight or nine the family left there and went to England. His second and third level education took place there.

One of his teachers at that time says the following:

“I taught Brother Daniel O Level History in the early nineteen seventies.  Daniel was a very good Student. It was a pleasure and an honour to have him in my class.

He was quiet and unassuming.  It was a big class, full of boys but you would never know he was there!!

All our lives we kept in touch.  Initially once or twice a year but as the years passed, we kept in close contact via email.  It was a strong spiritual bond for which I will always be grateful.  Only God knows the wonders of what, with

 Christ, he accomplished.  May he rest in peace.”

At the end of his third level education, he met Br Bernard Doyle in a hotel in London by appointment. He often talked about this encounter. The outcome of that meeting resulted in his journey to the Novitiate in Dublin while his parents returned to Ireland, this time to Derry City, his father’s homeland.

His colleagues in the Novitiate at that time write as follows:

“Br Daniel was born on Xmas eve 1955. He joined the DLS Brothers in September 1978, aged 22 as a novice with three other younger novices. Sadly only one is still alive.

The Novitiate was located on the Upper Kilmacud Road Dublin 14. The novice Master was Br. Joe Ryan

Br Daniel studied in Strawberry Hill, England and had his degree before joining the DLS Brothers. He was well able to discuss Samuel Beckett if you were interested!

It was unusual in those days, as most novices came from the Juniorate and Scholasticate system, with just the Leaving Certificate. However, he surely settled into religious life. If, as Thomas Merton says, if you have a vocation you can live the life, Br Daniel had that from the get-go.

He attended Mater Dei in Dublin in 1979-80 for a year, to do the formation course. Br Stephen Deignan took over as his new Novice master and they became great friends. This was a testing time as his first novice master left the Brothers altogether but Br Daniel seemed to have a sure-footed sense of his own direction, about his own chosen path with inner certainty. His whole being was involved in the sense of the spiritual without ever becoming sanctimonious. He was an authentic seeker, modest, unshowy with a rooted normality.

He grew and nourished a sense of soul; he was soon bound and bonded in the De La Salle way of life, comfortable and at home in it.

As a lovely young man he was friendly and made friends easily. He was quiet by nature, not particularly gregarious with a gentle sense of humour.

He was intelligent and didn't suffer fools gladly. He had a sharp wit, thoughtful and kind.

He wanted to be a Christian educator in the spirit of De La Salle. For Br Daniel joining the De La Salle family was a blessing as big as redemption, as big as salvation.”

Following his spiritual formation in the Novitiate and in Mater Dei he was sent to Belfast to join the staff of La Salle Boys School.

A Brother who worked there with him from 1987 until 1999 in La Salle School and in the Glanaulin community in Belfast makes the following comments:

“We travelled together in the car to school each day, very frequently in silence as we contemplated the challenges of the day ahead. We travelled home together too. There was plenty to talk about on the way, sometimes about our successes and positives of the day. Quite frequently too, we moaned and we groaned over our woes of the day especially, in relation the needs and demands of humanity.

Br Daniel was a brilliant teacher of any class in the school, senior or junior classes, from the higher intelligent to those struggling to read, write, understand and communicate, from the poor to the more well off. He led the Religious Education Department for a number of years before switching to a Year Master for the Pastoral Care of one whole year group and their individual Form Teachers. He gave counselling sessions to many individual students and also to a group of students when one of their class friends had been killed in an accident. Members of staff often approached him for advice”

From our Superior General Br Armin in Rome as follows:

“Dear Brothers Ben and Betre:

I share the grief of the Brothers and Lasallian Family on the unexpected demise of Br. Daniel Carlin.  We remember him in prayer and at mass that his passage to eternal life will grant him his heart’s innermost desire.”

From Br Chris Patino a General Councillor in Rome as follows:

“Dear Brothers Betre and Ben,

I just wanted to pass along my condolences on the passing of Br Daniel Carlin. I am sure the suddenness of his death will impact the St. Joseph community and all those who knew him greatly. Be assured of my prayers for the repose of his soul and for the Sector of Ethiopia in particular.”

From a Brother who lived with him here in Ireland

“A true Lasallian Ambassador wherever he ministered. A true professional to the core, an avid reader of English literature going back centuries.

He carried his learning and knowledge in a very humble way in community, school and social occasions.”

From Br Kasu his Director in St. John Baptist De La Salle Catholic School Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“Br Daniel was a community person. He was a man of prayer who took part in all of the activities that go to make up a spirit of community life. He talked with and he listened to his confréres. He had a pleasant sense of humour. He had a rich vocabulary in his use of the English language when asking a question or giving an answer.  Conversation with him was always enlightening on the topic in question and delivered with clarity and precision. He was very well read on the history of religious life and the writings of St John Baptist de La Salle.

He brought that same love of reading into his approach to teaching and learning especially of the English language. This desire for language development led him to reorganise that the school library was in need of change. He organised the books for the different age groups and for the different subjects studied by the students. It can be said that he himself was a walking library. He was committed to whatever assignment he was asked to undertake or that he himself initiated.

In his leadership and management role he had an indepth knowledge of what was needed for his students and teachers. He made a substantial contribution to the structure of a new building, chose all the pieces necessary for the education of the students and the needs of their teachers. He always chose the right person for the right job.

He was a motivator, a researcher of problems and Director of an administrative team of assistants. He was highly respected and loved by Brothers, students, and lay teachers alike.

In summary, he was a man of great faith and zeal in the true Lasallian tradition, was never boastful and never undermined his students.”

 Br Ben our own Irish Provincial

“Although Danny was a quiet and reserved, man he was also a person who possessed great strength of character.

In 2021 during a serious escalation of fighting between Tigre and Ethiopia, all Irish citizens in Ethiopia were ordered by the Irish Government to leave the country. I contacted Br Daniel and suggested to him that it would be wise to follow the Government instruction and come back to Ireland. He told me he had no intention of leaving, that he was very happy in Addis. He did not feel under any threat and even more his mission was to stay and be of service to his school. I was struck by just how strong he was and I knew I was wasting my time just to convince to look after his own safety. But I was also very impressed by his powerful sense of service to the mission.”

The following are tributes from some of his former pupils:

 "My form teacher from 80-85. He always had time for a chat. He was a good fella. Terrible news. Brother Daniel played such a significant role in my life as a teenager.”

“Form teacher for seven years and gave the highest level of pastoral care. I loved La Salle and he was such a big part of it. RIP."

 "RIP Brother Daniel. He was vice-principal when I was in school and stopped me getting expelled and put me on the right track."

 "Brilliant and five years my form teacher. Always had time to listen and understand no matter what I was up to. RIP Brother D. Hope you get a great form class in heaven."