Msgr. Thomas J. Healy, a retired priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, passed away on May 10 at the age of 84. Born on May 22, 1940, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 1966, and spent nearly six decades in faithful service to the Church.
Throughout his ministry, Msgr. Healy served as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows in Corona and Our Lady of Lourdes in Bushwick. His earlier assignments as a parochial vicar took him to Our Lady of Lourdes, Bushwick; St. Agnes, Carroll Gardens; Sacred Heart Chapel, Fort Greene; St. Gabriel Church, New Lots; and St. Paul, Cobble Hill. Even in retirement, he remained in residence at parishes including St. Michael in Sunset Park and Queen of Angels in Sunnyside.
Msgr. Healy was deeply committed to Catholic education and pastoral care. He served as chaplain at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene and Bishop Kearney High School in Bensonhurst, as well as at Holy Family Hospital. He was a member of the Priests’ Purgatorial Society and was honored as a Prelate of Honor in 1997.
“What I’ll remember most about Msgr. Healy was his love for Jesus and the Blessed Mother, and the people he served as a priest,” said Bishop Kevin Sweeney of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey. Bishop Sweeney served as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Sorrows from 2003 to 2004, while Msgr. Healy was pastor there. He recalled Msgr. Healy’s commitment to communities like St. Michael in Sunset Park, a largely immigrant parish, noting his genuine interest in the languages, cultures, and traditions of the faithful he served. “He will certainly be missed,” Bishop Sweeney added. “He was a wonderful priest and a wonderful friend.”
A vigil Mass for Msgr. Healy was held on May 14 at Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, with Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski as the principal celebrant and Father Fulgencio Gutierrez delivering the homily.
The funeral Mass was celebrated on May 16 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church. Bishop Robert Brennan served as principal celebrant, with Bishop Kevin Sweeney as the homilist. Special concelebrants included Father Manuel DeJesus Rodriguez and Father Fulgencio Gutierrez. Interment followed at St. John Cemetery in Middle Village.
Father Frank McMullen, age 97, passed away May 10, 2025 in Potomac Falls, VA. He was born in 1927 in Orange, NJ, the son of the late Harry and Elizabeth (Boyle) McMullen, he was raised in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in 1945 and was ordained a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn on June 9, 1951.
He spent his first years in the priesthood at St. Raymond’s Church in Rockville Centre, NY before joining the Air Force, where he spent 20 years in active service at postings around the world. Frank retired from the Air Force in 1983 while at Andrews AFB outside Washington DC. Frank went on to become the Chaplain at Charlotte Hall, the Maryland Veterans Home, where he ministered until his retirement in 2016 at the age of 88. He chose to spend his retirement with his military brethren at Falcons Landing in Potomac Falls, VA.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Monica McCormack. He is survived by two of his sisters, Sr. Marie Lalande McMullen CSJ, of Brentwood, NY and Kathleen Schafer, of Winchester, VA, as well as 8 Nieces and Nephews, 14 grandnieces and nephews, and several great grand nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, Potomac Falls, VA. A graveside Service with full military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sisters of Saint Joseph – https://brentwoodcsj.org/support-our-mission/donate-online/ or the Falcons Landing Employee Education Fund, c/o Rick Bova, CFO, 20522 Falcons Landing Circle, Potomac Falls, VA 20165 (rbova@falconslanding.org). Online condolences and a full obituary can be found at www.adamsgreen.com.