THE family of a popular north Belfast priest who died from Covid-19 last night said they will remember the cleric as a "hero".
Fr Fernando Carberry, who was a Passionist, passed away at Our Lady's Care Home on the Falls Road on Monday.
The 85-year-old, who had been a Passionist for almost six decades, was born and raised in the Ardoyne area, where he was regarded a " legendary figure", known for his "gentleness" and "kindness".
Ordained in 1963, he was initially posted to Bechuanaland, now known as Botswana, in Africa, where he served for 15 years.
His return to Northern Ireland was at the height of the Troubles and Fr Fernando found himself on the frontline, comforting families whose lives had been devastated by violence.
In August 1971, after loyalists burned almost 200 houses in the Protestant-held Velsheda Park, Farringdon Gardens and Cranbrook Gardens areas of Ardoyne, Fr Fernando, because of his previous trade as a bricklayer, was among those who volunteered to help with the rebuild.
The cleric also spent time at the Passionist Mother House in Mount Argus in Dublin at one point.
Having retired in 2007, Fr Fernando moved into Our Lady's Care Home on the Falls Road where his room was festooned with images of his beloved Ardoyne.
His family last saw their brother around five weeks ago before the home went into lock-down amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to The Irish News, Jackie Carberry said he would remember his brother as a "hero".
The 76-year-old said his sibling was "on the front line" during Troubles and "never stopped".
"He was a total priest...totally dedicated to the church," he said. "Nothing else mattered."
Mr Carberry added: "He was very popular. He was totally dedicated to the church and to the people and had time had for everybody. I am so proud. He was a hero."
Fellow Passionist, Fr Gary Donegan said Fr Fernando, who was affectionately known as "wee Ferdy," had "personified what it was to be a Passionist".
"He put the love of the passion into his daily work," he said.
"He loved Ardoyne. He loved people. He loved being a Passionist. He wore it on his sleeve. He always had a smile on his face. He just was a man who loved and was loveable."
Fr Donegan said Fr Fernando had been an "unassuming" man whose "ordinary-ness made him extraordinary".
"He was a gentle soul," he said.
"He only knew one thing and that was how to love."
Fr Donegan revealed that Fr Fernando was one of 16 people who died around Northern Ireland on Monday from Covid-19, and called for a national day of mourning when the pandemic has passed.
"He wasn't a statistic. He was Ferdy and he was someone who was loved," he said.
"The numbers here are so much lower because people have, in the main, been doing all the social distancing. For those who are not doing it, they need to think of people like Ferdy and the other people who died that same day."
