A Priest Who Inspired Vocations
Father Donald Berran, a retired priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, died on Feb. 12 at age 91.
He was born Oct. 27, 1934, was ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 1960, and was pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (South Ozone Park) and Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians (Woodside).
He also served the Diocese of Brooklyn as parochial vicar for Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dyker Heights), St. Helen (Howard Beach), and Sacred Heart (Glendale), and was in residence at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs (Forest Hills), and St. Ephrem (Dyker Heights).
Father Berran grew up a parishioner of St. Patrick Church in Bay Ridge and celebrated his first Mass there.
He felt drawn to the priesthood at the age of 9, after his father’s death. The priests at St. Patrick’s become fatherly role models to him. He became an altar server there and also worked in the rectory and sacristy. He attended Cathedral Preparatory Seminary and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York.
Father Thomas Ahern, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, was the homilist at Father Berran’s funeral Mass. Father Ahern said that “it was easy to see why people sought out his company. He was a great listener and would help you smile in the midst of something serious.” He added that “one of the reasons he had such a positive influence on others was that he loved being a priest.”
Father Ahern noted that Father Berran inspired many vocations through the years. A current diocesan seminarian, Aidan Birth, posted on Facebook that Father Berran was instrumental in bringing his family to the Church and was “a major influence in my own discernment.”
The funeral Mass was celebrated on Feb. 20 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Bishop Robert Brennan was the principal celebrant. Burial followed at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside.
Deacon Ramon Lima, a retired deacon of the Diocese of Brooklyn, died on Nov. 29, at age 88.
Deacon Lima was born on Sept. 19, 1937, and was ordained as a deacon on Dec. 3, 1977. He served at St. Leo the Great Church (Corona) St. Raphael Church (Long Island City), and Resurrection-Ascension Parish (Rego Park), among others.
Deacon Lima was born in Cuba. He met his wife, Digna, when they sat next to each other in a college course. He was fond of saying of that moment, “The rest is history.”
Soon after marrying, the Limas fled Cuba due to the communist takeover of the island nation.
They settled in Corona and attended St. Leo’s for 20 years before moving to Little Neck and then Oakland Gardens. They have three children: son Paul and daughters Lourdes and Beatriz.
Deacon Lima was one of the first permanent deacons in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Deacon Jorge Arturo Gonzalez, who serves at St. Michael-St. Malachy Parish in East New York wrote in The Tablet that “it would be impossible to speak about the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Brooklyn without speaking about Deacon Lima, whose 48 years of service as an ordained minister revealed his deep love for God, the Church, his family, his brothers in the diaconate, and those whom he served.”
He added that Deacon Lima “was a pillar of the diaconate formation program, especially for Hispanics.” Deacon Lima served in the diaconate program as a professor, mentor, spiritual director, and retreat leader for candidates and their wives, among other duties.
He was the president of the National Association of Hispanic Deacons and served as the diocesan secretary of the Office of Hispanic Concerns.
Deacon Lima led over 40 pilgrimages to the Holy Land and was the author of a book titled “Ensayos: A Spiritual Guide to the Holy Land.”
The funeral Mass for Deacon Lima was celebrated on Dec. 3 at St. Leo the Great Church.
Burial followed at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Flushing.