Hundreds of mourners, including federal Minister Bill Shorten, Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto and underworld figure Mick Gatto filed into St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne for a state funeral on Friday.
Prior to the mass starting, Aunty Di Kerr performed a Welcome to Country and told the crowd Fr Bob respected everybody, regardless of where they came from.
"He always had that cheeky smile, he always said something to make you laugh. He was true. He spoke the truth," she said.
Fr Bob's family, broadcaster John Safran, The Bob Maguire Foundation and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will provide tributes, with Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli leading the service.
The funeral is being broadcast at The Edge at Federation Square, while hundreds of others are watching online.
The Catholic priest and charity campaigner first became known for his work with disadvantaged people in his South Melbourne parish from the 1970s before appearing in national media alongside Safran from 2004.
He balanced media commitments with his parish duties until he was forced to retire from the Catholic Church in 2012.
Fr Bob was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for services to youth homelessness and was named Victorian of the Year in 2011.
He died at Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne on April 19, aged 88.
Mourners were asked to donate to his foundation in lieu of flowers.
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