An address given by Fr Adrian MacNamara at the funeral of Dr Francis Celoria, a much-loved member of the North Staffordshire Circle.
Newman member Dr Francis Celoria, from the North Staffordshire Circle, was discovered dead by a neighbour in April and had no family, but members of the Circle organised a funeral for an isolated but loved 90-year-old member. The following text is based on an address given by Fr Adrian MacNamara at the funeral in Stoke-on-Trent on May 2nd.
Some here may be from Keele and know him as a respected lecturer and archaeologist. Some may know him from his time as Director of the Gladstone Pottery Museum. Some will know him from his home life in Weston Coyney and some from his parish life and as a member of the Newman Association.
He was a private person who remained very independent to the end. A Londoner by birth, he served in the Royal Engineers and was in Palestine at the fraught time when the King David Hotel was bombed. From the internet we learn that he gained his PhD from the University of London on the History of Science, and also that he was a field officer for the London Museum.
From the Gladstone Pottery website we learn: "Francis Celoria has worked in North Staffordshire since 1965. Well-known as a ceramic historian and archaeologist Dr Celoria has previously worked in the London Museum, in publishing and as a lecturer in archaeology at Keele University. His special field of study is the history of ceramic technology, a field in which he is considered to be the leading authority".
Whilst Francis undoubtedly liked the solitary life he did enjoy the company of others to share his infectious enthusiasm for learning. He loved to tell stories about folklore and to share Greek legends. His excavations took him to many different archaeological digs, including the Outer Hebrides where he led an expedition to St Kilda in 1966.
Alongside the life of academia was his life of faith. He would regularly attend the Holy Trinity Church in Newcastle-under-Lyme and he had a great devotion to Cardinal Newman. For the Newman Association he gave a number of talks, showing himself as a true polymath. One he gave recently was on comparing the King James Bible and the Jerusalem Bible. He should have delivered one last September on C S Lewis, but it didn't happen.
A prayer by the Blessed John Henry Newman is appropriate: In His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest and peace at the last.