Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Big sendoff(s) for Monsignor Michael Gallagher at Our Lady of Grace

Hundreds show for services June 22 and 23

Pat Hough and Michael Gallagher
Pat Hough and Michael Gallagher

Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church parishioners spent two days saying goodbye to Monsignor Michael Gallagher, the priest retiring after serving for 27 years as pastor.

Receptions followed weekend services, and 600 people attended the 5:30 p.m. Mass and celebration on June 22. On June 23, several hundred people attended the 11 a.m. Mass and reception.

Traditionally, the priest blesses the people near the end of Mass. Before that happened, the congregation stood and surprised Gallagher by singing "Irish Blessing," Father Bob Fabing's version of the prayer with lyrics that include: "May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always with you. May the sunshine warm you always 'til we meet again.…” The song was followed by several minutes of applause.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"If I knew I was going to get this big of a crowd, I would retire more often," quipped the priest, who was raised on a dairy farm in Tipperary, Ireland.

Michael Gallagher (image from the Parishioner)

Tom Dean, a San Carlos resident and former editor of the quarterly Parishioner newsletter, gave a presentation on June 22. He contributed to the summer 2013 issue, which was a 16-page tribute to the pastor, who was born in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1966.

Editor Kathy Wilson and her staff compiled photographs, reminiscences, and a timeline of Gallagher's life and the parish where the first Mass was celebrated in an airplane hangar in 1954.

According to the Parishioner, during his years at Our Lady of Grace, Gallagher "celebrated at least 1340 baptisms, 453 marriage ceremonies, and 856 funerals."

Madelyn Fenick and Pat Hough said they appreciated Gallagher's humor. "I love his sermons; they're so meaningful [and delivered in] a Shakespearean voice. He always puts in a joke," said Fenick. Hough said that Gallagher is "always upbeat" and "open to people."

The receptions were held in Moloney Center, named for Monsignor Thomas Moloney, the pastor who died in 1986. In the center, a sign outside the kitchen (remodeled in 2012) proclaims "Gallagher's Kitchen."

Hough said Gallagher shared recipes during bread-making sessions that started at 5 a.m. Although she didn't attend, Hough praised the results. Gallagher retires on June 30, and the parish is holding a bread sale that day.

Gallagher will live in La Mesa and wrote in the newsletter, "I am retiring as pastor, but not as a priest…. I would hope that I can help out in parishes if I am needed and invited." His successor is Peter McGuine, pastor of Santa Sophia Church in Spring Valley.  

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Jazz jam at a private party

A couple of accidental crashes at California English
Pat Hough and Michael Gallagher
Pat Hough and Michael Gallagher

Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church parishioners spent two days saying goodbye to Monsignor Michael Gallagher, the priest retiring after serving for 27 years as pastor.

Receptions followed weekend services, and 600 people attended the 5:30 p.m. Mass and celebration on June 22. On June 23, several hundred people attended the 11 a.m. Mass and reception.

Traditionally, the priest blesses the people near the end of Mass. Before that happened, the congregation stood and surprised Gallagher by singing "Irish Blessing," Father Bob Fabing's version of the prayer with lyrics that include: "May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always with you. May the sunshine warm you always 'til we meet again.…” The song was followed by several minutes of applause.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"If I knew I was going to get this big of a crowd, I would retire more often," quipped the priest, who was raised on a dairy farm in Tipperary, Ireland.

Michael Gallagher (image from the Parishioner)

Tom Dean, a San Carlos resident and former editor of the quarterly Parishioner newsletter, gave a presentation on June 22. He contributed to the summer 2013 issue, which was a 16-page tribute to the pastor, who was born in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1966.

Editor Kathy Wilson and her staff compiled photographs, reminiscences, and a timeline of Gallagher's life and the parish where the first Mass was celebrated in an airplane hangar in 1954.

According to the Parishioner, during his years at Our Lady of Grace, Gallagher "celebrated at least 1340 baptisms, 453 marriage ceremonies, and 856 funerals."

Madelyn Fenick and Pat Hough said they appreciated Gallagher's humor. "I love his sermons; they're so meaningful [and delivered in] a Shakespearean voice. He always puts in a joke," said Fenick. Hough said that Gallagher is "always upbeat" and "open to people."

The receptions were held in Moloney Center, named for Monsignor Thomas Moloney, the pastor who died in 1986. In the center, a sign outside the kitchen (remodeled in 2012) proclaims "Gallagher's Kitchen."

Hough said Gallagher shared recipes during bread-making sessions that started at 5 a.m. Although she didn't attend, Hough praised the results. Gallagher retires on June 30, and the parish is holding a bread sale that day.

Gallagher will live in La Mesa and wrote in the newsletter, "I am retiring as pastor, but not as a priest…. I would hope that I can help out in parishes if I am needed and invited." His successor is Peter McGuine, pastor of Santa Sophia Church in Spring Valley.  

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Barrio Logan’s very good Dogg

Chicano comfort food proves plenty spicy
Next Article

City Lights: Journey Through Light & Sound, Hotel Holiday Tea Service

Events December 7-December 11, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader