” I’ll be ready to meet the Lord whenever He calls me.” When Father Bernard Quinn
talked about how happy he was and spoke these words to his traveling companions,
he could not have known that just hours later he would indeed meet his Lord.
Father Quinn was tragically killed in a car accident in Terni, Italy, while vacationing
with two friends, Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, Maryland and Monsignor
Thomas Smith of St. Joseph’s parish in Pennsylvania.
Father Quinn’s priestly formation includes: Saint Louis Preparatory Seminary, Saint
Louis, Missouri; Glenmary Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio; and the Pontifical Gregorian
University, Rome, Italy. Father Quinn’s Ordination to the Ministerial Priesthood of
Jesus Christ for Glenmary Home Missioners was May 17, 1953 at Our Lady of the
Fields Seminary Chapel, Glendale, Ohio. Father’s priestly ministry assignments for
Glenmary Home Missioners included Business Manager for Glenmary Mother house,
Cincinnati, Ohio; Director of Glenmary Pastoral Center, Buck Creek, North Carolina;
Research Coordinator for Glenmary Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia; and various
assignments in Ohio, West Virginia, Georgia, Washington D.C. and Rome, Italy.
Father Quinn was incardinated in the Diocese of Harrisburg in 1990 and fulfilled
priestly assignments for the Diocese of Harrisburg as Administrator and then Pastor
(1987-1993) of Holy Infant Church, York Haven, Pennsylvania; Pastor (1993-2001)
of Saint Vincent de Paul Church, Hanover, Pennsylvania; retired and in residence
(June 2001) at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Upon
retirement, Father Quinn also served as priest in residence at The Leo House, New
York City, New York.
In all his apostolic activities, whether administrative teaching or leading and motivating,
his passion at the end was to re-institute in the Catholic culture a Catholic philosophy
of education. He carried on this mission with incredible zeal that lead the fight on
many fronts, the scope of which are only fully known to him and his Lord.
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