Tariq Aziz, a Chaldean Catholic who represented Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein’s government on the world stage as foreign minister and deputy prime minister, died June 5 after suffering a heart attack. Aziz, 79, died in a hospital in the southern Iraq city of Nasiriya after being transferred from a prison where he had been held under […]
Obituaries
Fr. Brennan, M.M., served in Hong Kong
Father Anthony V. Brennan, M.M., a native of Brooklyn, died in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 19. He was 80 years old and a Maryknoll priest for 53 years. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was raised in Manhattan. After ordination on June 10, 1961, he was assigned to Hong Kong to study Cantonese. In […]
Eugene Kennedy: sociologist, author and former Maryknoll priest
In the 1960s, Kennedy was commissioned by the U.S. bishops to provide the psychological component of a study on the nation’s priests. In 1969, he was the first commencement speaker on the Douglaston campus of Cathedral College.
Father John James Purvey
Father John James Purvey, 81, a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Md., and former Brooklyn Franciscan Brother for 29 years, died Feb. 28. A funeral Mass was celebrated by Baltimore Archbishop William Lori.
Sister Mary John O’Rourke, O.S.U.
Sister Mary John O’Rourke, O.S.U., died May 22 at St. Ursula Center, Blue Point, L.I. She was 78. A native of Ozone Park, she entered the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk in 1954 and professed her final vows six years later. She graduated from St. John’s University, Jamaica, and earned a master’s in history […]
Fr. Gural Remembered for Promoting Polish Culture
A Mass of Christian burial for Father Marion A. Gural, a retired priest of the diocese, was celebrated June 9 at Our Lady of Poland Church, Southampton, L.I. He died June 5 at his home in Southampton. He was 86. Born in Brooklyn, Father Gural was baptized in Our Lady of Consolation Church, Williamsburg. He […]
Sister Mary Theresa McGarrity, C.S.J.
Sister Mary Theresa McGarrity, C.S.J., a member of the Sister of St. Joseph, Brentwood, L.I., for nearly 75 years, died in Maria Regina Residence, Brentwood, May 18. She entered the community in 1940 from Transfiguration, Williamsburg, and went on to attend Manhattan College, and earn a masters from St. John’s University. Formerly Sister Theresa Immaculate, her […]
Joan Sexton, Known for Her Activism
Joan Sexton, known for her activism in the Catholic peace and justice movement, died May 27 at Lenox Hill Hospital, Manhattan. She was 89. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated May 30 at St. Boniface Oratory Church, Downtown Brooklyn. A native of New Jersey, she attended Red Bank Catholic H.S., and Manhattanville College. Mrs. […]
Former Rockaway Point Pastor Welcomed People
A Mass of Christian Burial for Father John Cullinane, the retired pastor of St. Genevieve, Rockaway Point, was celebrated June 4 at St. Thomas More Church, Breezy Point. He died June 1, one day before his 59th anniversary of ordination. He was 85. Born in Brooklyn, he was baptized at Our Lady of Angels Church, […]
Father Aufiero Recalled as a Very Spiritual Man
A Mass of Christian Burial for Father Louis Aufiero, 78, who lived at Queen of Peace Residence, Queens Village, was celebrated there June 1. He died May 24 at Queen of Peace, five days before his 50th anniversary of ordination. Born in Williamsburg, he attended St. Nicholas School, Most Holy Trinity H.S., Cathedral College, all […]