Father Robert Kirwan Finnegan, O. Praem., age 95, a Norbertine priest and member of St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere, WI, passed into God's eternal kingdom on March 17, 2023. Fr. Finnegan, the only child of the late William and Marie (Tennis) Finnegan, was born on May 22, 1927 in Green Bay, WI. His home parish was St. Willebrord. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1945. He entered the Norbertine Order on August 28, 1945 and made his First Profession of Vows on August 28, 1947. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree in Philosophy in 1949, he served as a faculty member and later appointed Vice Principal at what was then St. Norbert High School, De Pere.

On August 28, 1950, he professed Solemn Vows and he was ordained to the priesthood two years later on June 7, 1952. Fr. Finnegan received his Masters in Finance from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in August of 1959. He then joined the business administration faculty of St. Norbert College, De Pere, where he earned regional and statewide recognition and awards for his work with the Society for the Advancement of Management.

In 1960, he advanced his professional background with additional coursework in business and economics at Indiana University in Bloomington on a Ford Fellowship Scholarship. He held several positions over the years at St. Norbert Abbey. He served as Novice Master, Prior, House Superior, Assistant Provisor, and fifteen years as Provisor. He also was appointed Treasurer, Vice President and member of the original Board of Directors for the Green Bay Area Catholic High School Foundation, Inc.; member of the Board of Trustees at St. Norbert College; member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Treasurers of Religious Institutes (NATRI); Chair member of the Planning and Goals Committee; member of the Green Bay Diocesan Finance Council and Diocesan Investment Committee; member of the Finance Committee, Board of Directors, Vice President and President of the Anawim Fund of the Midwest.

In 1986, Fr. Finnegan was named the Assistant General Treasurer of the Norbertine Order. As the Order's Chief Financial Officer, he traveled to Norbertine abbeys throughout the world - Europe, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Africa and South America. When the communist regime ended in 1987, he played a key role in helping regroup and reopen the houses of the Norbertine communities, including the convents of Norbertine Sisters. Fr. Finnegan served as an expert on financial matters for the General Chapter of the Norbertine Order in Steinfeld, Germany, being appointed President of the Finance Commission to assist Norbertines in Eastern Europe. With great humility, he was inducted as a Knight Commander in the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. St. Norbert College presented him with the Alma Mater Award in October of 1997 and an honoris causa (LLD) on May 17, 1998. Soon after he retired, Fr. Finnegan decided volunteering was something he desired to do. He was a food distribution volunteer at Paul's Pantry in Green Bay and described the experience as "fulfilling his religious beliefs in feeding the poor and the needy." He would occasionally invite international visitors to Paul's Pantry to serve alongside him. He lived a full life thankful and faithful to God.

Fr. Finnegan is survived by the Norbertine Community and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Source: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/robert-kirwan-finnegan-o-praem-obituary?id=50922822