Obituaries

Msgr. Breen, Former Pastor And Professor, Dies at 82

September 11, 2014

A Mass of Christian Burial for Msgr. Edward J. Breen, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Fatima, East Elmhurst, will be celebrated Saturday, Sept. 13, at the church. He died Sept. 8 at Bishop Mugavero Residence, Douglaston. He was 82.

Msgr. Breen
Msgr. Breen

Born in Brooklyn, he attended Our Lady Help of Christians School, Midwood; Cathedral College, Brooklyn; and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I.

He was ordained May 31, 1958 by Bishop Bryan McEntegart at St. James Pro-Cathedral, Downtown Brooklyn. He did graduate studies at Catholic University, Washington, D.C., Fordham University and the University of San Francisco.

He served as an assistant at Holy Child Jesus, Richmond Hill, 1958, before being appointed to the faculty of Cathedral College, Brooklyn. In 1967, he was appointed to the first faculty at Cathedral College, Douglaston, where he taught Latin and Greek until 1986.

He served as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima parish, East Elmhurst, from 1987 to 2004 when he retired.

He also served as a member of the Priestly Concerns Committee and was a member of the board of directors of The Tablet; chairman of the board of the Pastoral Institute; and a member of the Diocesan Mediation and Arbitration Board.

During his retirement, he also served as temporary administrator of St. Gabriel parish, East Elmhurst.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was the main celeberant of the funeral Mass.

Msgr. Michael Hardiman, who preached at the Mass of Transferral, described Msgr. Breen as a “fine priest and a great teacher.”

“Hundreds of men who went through Cathedral College, both in Brooklyn and Douglaston, were better because they had him as a professor,” said Msgr. Hardiman.

“He also tremendously loved Our Lady of Fatima parish and the people there loved him. He will be missed by a lot of people.

“He taught by example. He had a great influence on my own life since I was about 18 and on my priesthood.”

Msgr. Breen is survived by his sister Irene of Brooklyn. He was predeceased by his brother, Bishop Vincent D. Breen, a Brooklyn priest who served as Bishop of Metuchen, N.J.