Obituary: Father John E. Horgan, 79, retired priest of the Diocese of Worcester

Father John Edward Horgan, a retired priest of the Diocese of Worcester, passed away Tuesday, March 10.

Father Horgan was born Dec. 4, 1946, in Worcester, the son of John F. and Helen L. (Bergstrom) Horgan.  

He graduated in 1964 from St. Stephen High School, Worcester. He began studies for the priesthood at Maryknoll Seminary, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, graduating in 1966. He continued studies from 1966 to 1972 at St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore.

He was ordained a priest May 5, 1972, in St. Stephen Church, Worcester, by Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan.

He had been an associate pastor at the parishes of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Gardner; St. Anne, Shrewsbury; and Our Lady of Fatima, Worcester.  

He served in campus ministry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and was associate pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish and Our Lady of the Angels Parish, both in Worcester.

On Oct. 1, 1984, he was named pastor of St. John Parish, East Brookfield. On Oct. 6, 1989, he was appointed pastor of St. Mark Parish, Sutton. While at St. Mark’s, he supervised the expansion of the church, adding two wings which doubled the seating capacity of the church to 500, increased classroom space and added a 30-foot steeple.

On Jan. 22, 1999, he was appointed pastor of St. Brigid Parish, Millbury. On July 1, 2006, he was appointed pastor of both St. Denis Parish, Ashburnham, and St. Anne Parish, South Ashburnham. He retired from active ministry July 1, 2015.

Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 at St. Christopher Church, 950 West Boylston Street in Worcester, with a vigil service at 7 p.m.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, March 20 at 11 a.m. at St. Christopher’s. Burial will follow in St. John’s Cemetery.

Callahan, Fay & Caswell Funeral Home is conducting arrangements. Visit
callahanfay.com.