Lucian Armstrong

Allan John Frederick Armstrong (Fr Lucian Armstrong OFM) (1929 – 2013 was a prominent New Zealand Franciscan priest.

Early life
He was born in the Bay of Plenty to a farmer, J B Armstrong and his wife. He was the eldest of two boys and a girl. He received his primary education at Good Shepherd School, Balmoral (Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart) and St Joseph's School Otahuhu (Sisters of Mercy) and his secondary education at St Peter's College, Auckland (the Christian Brothers). In 1947 he went by ship to Sydney to the novitiate of the Franciscan Friars, St Anthony's Missionary College, Robertson, New South Wales. He also studied at St Paschal's College, Box Hill, Victoria. He made his solemn profession on 1 March 1952. He was ordained priest by Archbishop Simonds of Melbourne on Sunday 24 July 1955 and celebrated his first Mass at St Paschal's on 25 July 1955. He then returned to Auckland.

Ministry
Armstrong held various appointments in Auckland and Australia including being guardian superior for New Zealand 1987-1988 and important roles in Australia with the secular Franciscans. For the last 20 years of his life he was stationed at St Francis Friary, Auckland where he was the president of the foundation 1999-2007. He was the archivist of the order in Auckland and was a leader in Franciscan charitable enterprises there. He was a proprietor's representative on the St Peter's College Board of Trustees in the late 1990s.

Death
Armstrong died on Sunday 28 April 2013 at the age of 83. A requiem mass was celebrated by 50 priests at St Anthony's Church, Mangere Bridge and he was interred at the Mangere Lawn Cemetery.