Rev. Cornelius Thomas Kane, O.P.

Father Cornelius Thomas Kane, O.P., died Sunday, March 1, 2009 at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, from complications following a stroke he suffered a few days earlier. Born Cornelius Francis Kane on April 7, 1926, he was one of nine children of Patrick and Katherine (nAC.e Murphy) Kane, in Dorchester, MA. His three brothers, the late Dennis C. Kane, Patrick D. Kane and John V. Kane also became Dominican priests, and two of his four sisters, the late Sr Catherine Patrice and Sr Dennis Marie were Sisters of Charity. His other two sisters, Noreen (Kane) McCarthy and the late Marge (Kane) Davenport married and raised families. He is survived by his sister, Noreen, and his 8 beloved nieces and nephews and his 23 grand nieces and nephews, who knew him as "Uncle Connie." Fr Kane was also the brother of the late Thomas J. Kane. Fr Kane attended St Margaret's Grammar School, Dorchester, MA and Boston College High School, graduating from St John's High School in North Cambridge, MA in 1943. He enrolled in Providence College and was there until 1945, when he entered the Novitiate of the Dominican Province of St Joseph in Somerset, OH. As a Dominican, he was given the religious name Thomas. He made his Profession of vows on August 5, 1946 and was ordained a priest at St Dominic Church, Washington, DC on June 12, 1952.He was a priest for almost 57 years. For most of his priesthood, Fr Kane was a professor of Moral Theology, having received his Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC in 1953. He taught in the Houses of Formation of his Dominican Province from 1953-1956 and again from 1958-1962. For two years, 1956-1958, he taught at Trinity College, Washington, DC, and then in 1962 he joined the Theology Faculty at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, where he served as a tenured professor until his retirement in 2001. During his time at CUA, Fr Kane served as Chair of the Department of Theology for a number of years. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Fr Kane served as the Director of the Dominican Rosary Shrine of St Jude, located at St Dominic Church, Washington, DC, for many years. He also served as chaplain of the Washington Redskins' "Touchdown Club" in Washington, DC. Fr Kane's body will be received by the Dominican community, St Thomas Aquinas Priory Chapel, on the campus of Providence College, Providence, RI at 4 PM on Thursday, March 5, 2009. Office of the Dead will be prayed at 7 PM in the Priory Chapel. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, March 6, 2009 at 10 AM in the Priory Chapel, Providence College, followed by his burial in the Dominican cemetery on the campus, where his brother, Fr Dennis C Kane, O.P., is also buried.