REQUIESCAT IN PACE
Father William Hogan, S.S.J., 88
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Josephite priest, Father William Hogan, 88, died June 14 at Franklin Square Hospice while a resident of St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore, Maryland. St. Joseph Manor is the retirement and recuperation facility for St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart, the Josephite Fathers and Brothers, a Roman Catholic society of Catholic service for evangelization to African American communities throughout the United States.
Father Hogan served as pastor of St. Joseph Church in Welsh from 1997-2004, when health issues forced his retirement from active ministry, moving to Baltimore. A memorial Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Celsius Offor at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at St. Joseph Parish in Welsh, with the Rev. Archimandrite Herbert J. May delivering the homily.
He also served as a pastor or associate pastor at a churches in a number of cities in the South during his priesthood, including Houston, New Orleans, Donaldsonville, Tuskegee, Alabama, Natchez, Mississippi, and Jacksonville, Florida.
Father Hogan was born May 4, 1921, in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts, to Joseph Henry Hogan and Grace Sylvester Smith Hogan. The sixth of eight children, he is survived by a sister, Mrs. Mary Stanton and several nieces and nephews.
Father Hogan was educated in Boston at Seaver Grammar and Parker Grammar schools, Boston English High School, Roslindale Evening Commercial School, and Westworth Institute.
In 1945, he began his Josephite membership and his major seminary career at St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, D.C. Father Hogan’s permanent Josephite profession was June 2, 1950, and he was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1951 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.
He always had a garden, depending on soil, space and need, with both flowers for the church and altar, or vegetables for him and whomever else needed some.
His tools were many and varied and he was expert with them all. From simple to sophisticated building and carpenter's tools, plumber’s equipment, table saws and hand tools. Other tools were smaller but more powerful and produced a wealth of good. These were his portable typewriter, an engaging approach to writing, and his camera.
The typewriter was one of his most important tools. His very welcome contributions to the Josephite Harvest magazine over many years described the routines and detailed workings of many parish priests, himself included, in very friendly and amusing forms. He wrote of trips to rural parishioners, visits to their homes, his sick calls, the roads, the weather, the Pyx in which he carried the Blessed Sacrament to the homebound, and of so many of the normal, routine parts of daily priestly life. He was especially fond of remembering in these writings many of the deceased Josephites and their contributions with their interesting stories and accomplishments.
Always a very prolific and chatty letter writer, he liked to tell the story of his communications with the Income Tax people. Having inadvertently forgotten the quarterly payment of taxes one year, he was sent the usual form letter with its standard indictments and references to fines, fees and penalties. At the time, his cupboard was bare and so he wrote back to the gentle lady whose name he found at the bottom of the letter. He sent a three-page story filled, chatty apology, described his shame at being negligent and promising swift and complete payment. In a short time, he received a response, which while not absolving him of debt, postponed judgment day until the next due date, where she was certain he would pay all. And he did. He thought she was very kind and considerate.
His other letters were generally in the same character: chatty, warm, detailed and encouraging, finding life in the routine and mundane. Such did he share with Josephites, friends and family throughout the country. His other necessary tool was his camera. In these letters were usually photographs of those things he found interesting in his life, in his priesthood, in the parish and parish gatherings, the local environment, the flora, fauna, his dog and his Camaro. Whatever struck his fancy he liked to share with others. Even in retirement he enjoyed photographing his fellow retirees and their guests and sharing the prints with them.
