THE OBITUARY OF REVEREND FATHER JOHN Gill KIERNAN
The Reverend Father John Gill Kiernan died Monday, May 24, 2010 at Hospice Care Center at the age of 85. Visitation is set for Thursday, May 27, from 6-7 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, with a vigil service to follow at 7p.m. A funeral Mass is planned for Friday, May 28, at 10 a.m., also at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bishop Fernando Isern will celebrate the Mass.
John Kiernan was born July 7, 1924 in New York, and grew up in the Bronx. The son of Irish immigrants, his parents were Anne O'Connell and Patrick Kiernan.
During WWII, he served in the US Army Air Corps/Air Force from 1943-1946 in Alaska on islands in the Bearing Sea as part of the LORAN (Long Range Aid to Navigation) System, a radio-navigation system using land-based radio transmitters and receivers to allow military and civilian mariners, and aviators, to determine their position.
John Kiernan attended Niagra University, New York on a basketball scholarship between 1946 and 1950, there he earned a BA in Philosophical studies. In his senior year of school, Kiernan visited a friend who had joined a monastery, and he decided the lifestyle looked appealing. He then entered Saint Joseph's Abby in Spencer, Massachusetts and successfully completed his Theological Studies. He was ordained a priest as a member of the Cistercian Order on December, 21 1955 by the Most Rev. John J. Wright at St. Joseph's Abbey located in Spencer, Massachusetts.
Fr. John Kiernan came to Colorado in 1955, and in 1956 he was one of the founders of the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass where he became a cowboy priest. At St. Benedict's, Fr. Kiernan tended 319 head of heifer cattle raised by the monastery. He roped and branded cows in Snowmass and in the White River Forest. He remembered the challenge of roping a cow in the "middle of a melee of disturbed cows," in order to tie it to a tree to doctor it by himself in the middle of the forest.
In the mid 1960s, Fr. Kiernan left the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass and went to Rome, Italy where he received a master's degree in Scripture Studies at the Biblicum in Rome and a master's degree in Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. This is when he experienced the renewal of the Church at Vatican II, and he was inspired to become more involved in parish ministry.
Fr. Kiernan began serving in the Diocese of Pueblo in 1967, but the process of incardination (as a transfer from another diocese) typically takes 5 years, as was the case for him. Fr. Kiernan was subsequently incardinated to the Diocese of Pueblo on February 17, 1972. The parishes he served in Colorado were many:
Served at St. Michael's Parish; Delta, Colorado; October 1967 through September 1968.
Assistant Pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish; Grand Junction, Colorado; September 1968
through August 1969.
Co-pastor, St. Frances DeSales' Parish; Lamar, Colorado; August 1969 through September 1972.
Pastor, St. Peter's Parish; Gunnison Colorado; September 1972 through July 1981.
Pastor, St. Joseph's Parish; Monte Vista, Colorado July 1981 through July 1985.
Appointed to serve in the Alamosa Deanery; June 1984.
Appointed to serve as a member of the Due Process Board for the
Diocese of Pueblo; April 1985.
Pastor, St. Mary Parish; Montrose, Colorado, July 1985 through September 1987.
Fr. Kiernan, was granted permission and served as an Associate for the Maryknoll
Missioners and studied Spanish while working at missions in Bolivia and in
Guatemala. In Central and South America, he learned first-hand how U.S. policies
affected the region, September 1987 through July 1988.
Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish; Fruita Colorado, July 1988 through October 1989.
Fr. Kiernan supposedly "retired" in 1989, though he continued to serve the people across the Western Slope of Colorado, assisting parishes and filling in for priests. He particularly loved working extensively with the immigrant communities in Palisade, Olathe, Delta, Hotchkiss, Montrose, Paonia, and Grand Junction, and also Campus Ministry at Mesa State College.
A consummate theologian, scripture scholar, and historian, Fr. Kiernan was probably best known as an ardent advocate for justice and peace, in speech, in writing and with his feet and hands. He thoroughly understood Catholic social teaching connecting the moral principles of his faith to the social and political issues of the day. He was known by all as often challenging his country, his community, and his church to greater love and justice to all with incisive clarity. He blended intelligence, compassion, and humor in his community work.
Fr. Kiernan seldom missed a chance to protest or talk about political and social issues, from military spending to the environment. Criticized for talking about political issues in sermons, his response was, "You can't keep politics out of church. We're called by God to create a just society."
Fr. Kiernan was a member of Grand Valley Peace & Justice and Western Colorado Congress. He served on both of their boards. He also identified himself as representing HAP, the Hispanic Affairs Project. He worked closely with their board and saw it as a vibrant faith and community organization of primarily immigrant families across the Western Slope of Colorado since 2005. He often spoke lovingly of the immigrant community and said they nourished him and strengthened his faith. He was an ardent promoter of respecting the rights of women, workers, and the victims of poverty, war, and violence. He condemned the violent excesses of U.S. foreign policy, the degradation of the environment, and the lack of access to health care.
Fr. Kiernan lived frugally, but he was a gentle, generous person who often gave donations anonymously. His sister, Pat Kiernan of Peekskill, N.Y. always gave him a sweater for Christmas, and he wore it all year. He "got nervous" one November that he wouldn't have worn out the sweater before she sent another one. He shunned material possessions: he had one outfit for each activity, and that was plenty for him.
Fr. Kiernan also was known for his good tennis skills, often playing people half his age, and for making the rounds on basketball courts in Grand Junction.
Fr. Kiernan will be dearly missed by many as he touched and made a difference in the lives of thousands of Catholics and Non-Catholics around the world. God speed Fr. John Kiernan.
The Reverend Father John Gill Kiernan died Monday, May 24, 2010 at Hospice Care Center at the age of 85. Visitation is set for Thursday, May 27, from 6-7 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, with a vigil service to follow at 7p.m. A funeral Mass is planned for Friday, May 28, at 10 a.m., also at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bishop Fernando Isern will celebrate the Mass.
John Kiernan was born July 7, 1924 in New York, and grew up in the Bronx. The son of Irish immigrants, his parents were Anne O'Connell and Patrick Kiernan.
During WWII, he served in the US Army Air Corps/Air Force from 1943-1946 in Alaska on islands in the Bearing Sea as part of the LORAN (Long Range Aid to Navigation) System, a radio-navigation system using land-based radio transmitters and receivers to allow military and civilian mariners, and aviators, to determine their position.
John Kiernan attended Niagra University, New York on a basketball scholarship between 1946 and 1950, there he earned a BA in Philosophical studies. In his senior year of school, Kiernan visited a friend who had joined a monastery, and he decided the lifestyle looked appealing. He then entered Saint Joseph's Abby in Spencer, Massachusetts and successfully completed his Theological Studies. He was ordained a priest as a member of the Cistercian Order on December, 21 1955 by the Most Rev. John J. Wright at St. Joseph's Abbey located in Spencer, Massachusetts.
Fr. John Kiernan came to Colorado in 1955, and in 1956 he was one of the founders of the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass where he became a cowboy priest. At St. Benedict's, Fr. Kiernan tended 319 head of heifer cattle raised by the monastery. He roped and branded cows in Snowmass and in the White River Forest. He remembered the challenge of roping a cow in the "middle of a melee of disturbed cows," in order to tie it to a tree to doctor it by himself in the middle of the forest.
In the mid 1960s, Fr. Kiernan left the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass and went to Rome, Italy where he received a master's degree in Scripture Studies at the Biblicum in Rome and a master's degree in Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. This is when he experienced the renewal of the Church at Vatican II, and he was inspired to become more involved in parish ministry.
Fr. Kiernan began serving in the Diocese of Pueblo in 1967, but the process of incardination (as a transfer from another diocese) typically takes 5 years, as was the case for him. Fr. Kiernan was subsequently incardinated to the Diocese of Pueblo on February 17, 1972. The parishes he served in Colorado were many:
Served at St. Michael's Parish; Delta, Colorado; October 1967 through September 1968.
Assistant Pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish; Grand Junction, Colorado; September 1968
through August 1969.
Co-pastor, St. Frances DeSales' Parish; Lamar, Colorado; August 1969 through September 1972.
Pastor, St. Peter's Parish; Gunnison Colorado; September 1972 through July 1981.
Pastor, St. Joseph's Parish; Monte Vista, Colorado July 1981 through July 1985.
Appointed to serve in the Alamosa Deanery; June 1984.
Appointed to serve as a member of the Due Process Board for the
Diocese of Pueblo; April 1985.
Pastor, St. Mary Parish; Montrose, Colorado, July 1985 through September 1987.
Fr. Kiernan, was granted permission and served as an Associate for the Maryknoll
Missioners and studied Spanish while working at missions in Bolivia and in
Guatemala. In Central and South America, he learned first-hand how U.S. policies
affected the region, September 1987 through July 1988.
Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish; Fruita Colorado, July 1988 through October 1989.
Fr. Kiernan supposedly "retired" in 1989, though he continued to serve the people across the Western Slope of Colorado, assisting parishes and filling in for priests. He particularly loved working extensively with the immigrant communities in Palisade, Olathe, Delta, Hotchkiss, Montrose, Paonia, and Grand Junction, and also Campus Ministry at Mesa State College.
A consummate theologian, scripture scholar, and historian, Fr. Kiernan was probably best known as an ardent advocate for justice and peace, in speech, in writing and with his feet and hands. He thoroughly understood Catholic social teaching connecting the moral principles of his faith to the social and political issues of the day. He was known by all as often challenging his country, his community, and his church to greater love and justice to all with incisive clarity. He blended intelligence, compassion, and humor in his community work.
Fr. Kiernan seldom missed a chance to protest or talk about political and social issues, from military spending to the environment. Criticized for talking about political issues in sermons, his response was, "You can't keep politics out of church. We're called by God to create a just society."
Fr. Kiernan was a member of Grand Valley Peace & Justice and Western Colorado Congress. He served on both of their boards. He also identified himself as representing HAP, the Hispanic Affairs Project. He worked closely with their board and saw it as a vibrant faith and community organization of primarily immigrant families across the Western Slope of Colorado since 2005. He often spoke lovingly of the immigrant community and said they nourished him and strengthened his faith. He was an ardent promoter of respecting the rights of women, workers, and the victims of poverty, war, and violence. He condemned the violent excesses of U.S. foreign policy, the degradation of the environment, and the lack of access to health care.
Fr. Kiernan lived frugally, but he was a gentle, generous person who often gave donations anonymously. His sister, Pat Kiernan of Peekskill, N.Y. always gave him a sweater for Christmas, and he wore it all year. He "got nervous" one November that he wouldn't have worn out the sweater before she sent another one. He shunned material possessions: he had one outfit for each activity, and that was plenty for him.
Fr. Kiernan also was known for his good tennis skills, often playing people half his age, and for making the rounds on basketball courts in Grand Junction.
Fr. Kiernan will be dearly missed by many as he touched and made a difference in the lives of thousands of Catholics and Non-Catholics around the world. God speed Fr. John Kiernan.
THE OBITUARY OF REVEREND FATHER JOHN Gill KIERNAN
The Reverend Father John Gill Kiernan died Monday, May 24, 2010 at Hospice Care Center at the age of 85. Visitation is set for Thursday, May 27, from 6-7 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, with a vigil service to follow at 7p.m. A funeral Mass is planned for Friday, May 28, at 10 a.m., also at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bishop Fernando Isern will celebrate the Mass.
John Kiernan was born July 7, 1924 in New York, and grew up in the Bronx. The son of Irish immigrants, his parents were Anne O'Connell and Patrick Kiernan.
During WWII, he served in the US Army Air Corps/Air Force from 1943-1946 in Alaska on islands in the Bearing Sea as part of the LORAN (Long Range Aid to Navigation) System, a radio-navigation system using land-based radio transmitters and receivers to allow military and civilian mariners, and aviators, to determine their position.
John Kiernan attended Niagra University, New York on a basketball scholarship between 1946 and 1950, there he earned a BA in Philosophical studies. In his senior year of school, Kiernan visited a friend who had joined a monastery, and he decided the lifestyle looked appealing. He then entered Saint Joseph's Abby in Spencer, Massachusetts and successfully completed his Theological Studies. He was ordained a priest as a member of the Cistercian Order on December, 21 1955 by the Most Rev. John J. Wright at St. Joseph's Abbey located in Spencer, Massachusetts.
Fr. John Kiernan came to Colorado in 1955, and in 1956 he was one of the founders of the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass where he became a cowboy priest. At St. Benedict's, Fr. Kiernan tended 319 head of heifer cattle raised by the monastery. He roped and branded cows in Snowmass and in the White River Forest. He remembered the challenge of roping a cow in the "middle of a melee of disturbed cows," in order to tie it to a tree to doctor it by himself in the middle of the forest.
In the mid 1960s, Fr. Kiernan left the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass and went to Rome, Italy where he received a master's degree in Scripture Studies at the Biblicum in Rome and a master's degree in Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. This is when he experienced the renewal of the Church at Vatican II, and he was inspired to become more involved in parish ministry.
Fr. Kiernan began serving in the Diocese of Pueblo in 1967, but the process of incardination (as a transfer from another diocese) typically takes 5 years, as was the case for him. Fr. Kiernan was subsequently incardinated to the Diocese of Pueblo on February 17, 1972. The parishes he served in Colorado were many:
Served at St. Michael's Parish; Delta, Colorado; October 1967 through September 1968.
Assistant Pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish; Grand Junction, Colorado; September 1968
through August 1969.
Co-pastor, St. Frances DeSales' Parish; Lamar, Colorado; August 1969 through September 1972.
Pastor, St. Peter's Parish; Gunnison Colorado; September 1972 through July 1981.
Pastor, St. Joseph's Parish; Monte Vista, Colorado July 1981 through July 1985.
Appointed to serve in the Alamosa Deanery; June 1984.
Appointed to serve as a member of the Due Process Board for the
Diocese of Pueblo; April 1985.
Pastor, St. Mary Parish; Montrose, Colorado, July 1985 through September 1987.
Fr. Kiernan, was granted permission and served as an Associate for the Maryknoll
Missioners and studied Spanish while working at missions in Bolivia and in
Guatemala. In Central and South America, he learned first-hand how U.S. policies
affected the region, September 1987 through July 1988.
Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish; Fruita Colorado, July 1988 through October 1989.
Fr. Kiernan supposedly "retired" in 1989, though he continued to serve the people across the Western Slope of Colorado, assisting parishes and filling in for priests. He particularly loved working extensively with the immigrant communities in Palisade, Olathe, Delta, Hotchkiss, Montrose, Paonia, and Grand Junction, and also Campus Ministry at Mesa State College.
A consummate theologian, scripture scholar, and historian, Fr. Kiernan was probably best known as an ardent advocate for justice and peace, in speech, in writing and with his feet and hands. He thoroughly understood Catholic social teaching connecting the moral principles of his faith to the social and political issues of the day. He was known by all as often challenging his country, his community, and his church to greater love and justice to all with incisive clarity. He blended intelligence, compassion, and humor in his community work.
Fr. Kiernan seldom missed a chance to protest or talk about political and social issues, from military spending to the environment. Criticized for talking about political issues in sermons, his response was, "You can't keep politics out of church. We're called by God to create a just society."
Fr. Kiernan was a member of Grand Valley Peace & Justice and Western Colorado Congress. He served on both of their boards. He also identified himself as representing HAP, the Hispanic Affairs Project. He worked closely with their board and saw it as a vibrant faith and community organization of primarily immigrant families across the Western Slope of Colorado since 2005. He often spoke lovingly of the immigrant community and said they nourished him and strengthened his faith. He was an ardent promoter of respecting the rights of women, workers, and the victims of poverty, war, and violence. He condemned the violent excesses of U.S. foreign policy, the degradation of the environment, and the lack of access to health care.
Fr. Kiernan lived frugally, but he was a gentle, generous person who often gave donations anonymously. His sister, Pat Kiernan of Peekskill, N.Y. always gave him a sweater for Christmas, and he wore it all year. He "got nervous" one November that he wouldn't have worn out the sweater before she sent another one. He shunned material possessions: he had one outfit for each activity, and that was plenty for him.
Fr. Kiernan also was known for his good tennis skills, often playing people half his age, and for making the rounds on basketball courts in Grand Junction.
Fr. Kiernan will be dearly missed by many as he touched and made a difference in the lives of thousands of Catholics and Non-Catholics around the world. God speed Fr. John Kiernan.
The Reverend Father John Gill Kiernan died Monday, May 24, 2010 at Hospice Care Center at the age of 85. Visitation is set for Thursday, May 27, from 6-7 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, with a vigil service to follow at 7p.m. A funeral Mass is planned for Friday, May 28, at 10 a.m., also at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bishop Fernando Isern will celebrate the Mass.
John Kiernan was born July 7, 1924 in New York, and grew up in the Bronx. The son of Irish immigrants, his parents were Anne O'Connell and Patrick Kiernan.
During WWII, he served in the US Army Air Corps/Air Force from 1943-1946 in Alaska on islands in the Bearing Sea as part of the LORAN (Long Range Aid to Navigation) System, a radio-navigation system using land-based radio transmitters and receivers to allow military and civilian mariners, and aviators, to determine their position.
John Kiernan attended Niagra University, New York on a basketball scholarship between 1946 and 1950, there he earned a BA in Philosophical studies. In his senior year of school, Kiernan visited a friend who had joined a monastery, and he decided the lifestyle looked appealing. He then entered Saint Joseph's Abby in Spencer, Massachusetts and successfully completed his Theological Studies. He was ordained a priest as a member of the Cistercian Order on December, 21 1955 by the Most Rev. John J. Wright at St. Joseph's Abbey located in Spencer, Massachusetts.
Fr. John Kiernan came to Colorado in 1955, and in 1956 he was one of the founders of the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass where he became a cowboy priest. At St. Benedict's, Fr. Kiernan tended 319 head of heifer cattle raised by the monastery. He roped and branded cows in Snowmass and in the White River Forest. He remembered the challenge of roping a cow in the "middle of a melee of disturbed cows," in order to tie it to a tree to doctor it by himself in the middle of the forest.
In the mid 1960s, Fr. Kiernan left the St. Benedict's Trappist Monastery in Snowmass and went to Rome, Italy where he received a master's degree in Scripture Studies at the Biblicum in Rome and a master's degree in Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. This is when he experienced the renewal of the Church at Vatican II, and he was inspired to become more involved in parish ministry.
Fr. Kiernan began serving in the Diocese of Pueblo in 1967, but the process of incardination (as a transfer from another diocese) typically takes 5 years, as was the case for him. Fr. Kiernan was subsequently incardinated to the Diocese of Pueblo on February 17, 1972. The parishes he served in Colorado were many:
Served at St. Michael's Parish; Delta, Colorado; October 1967 through September 1968.
Assistant Pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish; Grand Junction, Colorado; September 1968
through August 1969.
Co-pastor, St. Frances DeSales' Parish; Lamar, Colorado; August 1969 through September 1972.
Pastor, St. Peter's Parish; Gunnison Colorado; September 1972 through July 1981.
Pastor, St. Joseph's Parish; Monte Vista, Colorado July 1981 through July 1985.
Appointed to serve in the Alamosa Deanery; June 1984.
Appointed to serve as a member of the Due Process Board for the
Diocese of Pueblo; April 1985.
Pastor, St. Mary Parish; Montrose, Colorado, July 1985 through September 1987.
Fr. Kiernan, was granted permission and served as an Associate for the Maryknoll
Missioners and studied Spanish while working at missions in Bolivia and in
Guatemala. In Central and South America, he learned first-hand how U.S. policies
affected the region, September 1987 through July 1988.
Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish; Fruita Colorado, July 1988 through October 1989.
Fr. Kiernan supposedly "retired" in 1989, though he continued to serve the people across the Western Slope of Colorado, assisting parishes and filling in for priests. He particularly loved working extensively with the immigrant communities in Palisade, Olathe, Delta, Hotchkiss, Montrose, Paonia, and Grand Junction, and also Campus Ministry at Mesa State College.
A consummate theologian, scripture scholar, and historian, Fr. Kiernan was probably best known as an ardent advocate for justice and peace, in speech, in writing and with his feet and hands. He thoroughly understood Catholic social teaching connecting the moral principles of his faith to the social and political issues of the day. He was known by all as often challenging his country, his community, and his church to greater love and justice to all with incisive clarity. He blended intelligence, compassion, and humor in his community work.
Fr. Kiernan seldom missed a chance to protest or talk about political and social issues, from military spending to the environment. Criticized for talking about political issues in sermons, his response was, "You can't keep politics out of church. We're called by God to create a just society."
Fr. Kiernan was a member of Grand Valley Peace & Justice and Western Colorado Congress. He served on both of their boards. He also identified himself as representing HAP, the Hispanic Affairs Project. He worked closely with their board and saw it as a vibrant faith and community organization of primarily immigrant families across the Western Slope of Colorado since 2005. He often spoke lovingly of the immigrant community and said they nourished him and strengthened his faith. He was an ardent promoter of respecting the rights of women, workers, and the victims of poverty, war, and violence. He condemned the violent excesses of U.S. foreign policy, the degradation of the environment, and the lack of access to health care.
Fr. Kiernan lived frugally, but he was a gentle, generous person who often gave donations anonymously. His sister, Pat Kiernan of Peekskill, N.Y. always gave him a sweater for Christmas, and he wore it all year. He "got nervous" one November that he wouldn't have worn out the sweater before she sent another one. He shunned material possessions: he had one outfit for each activity, and that was plenty for him.
Fr. Kiernan also was known for his good tennis skills, often playing people half his age, and for making the rounds on basketball courts in Grand Junction.
Fr. Kiernan will be dearly missed by many as he touched and made a difference in the lives of thousands of Catholics and Non-Catholics around the world. God speed Fr. John Kiernan.
