1943
The
2013
The James P. Kerrigan
June 8, 1943 — February 15, 2013
RUTLAND/WORCESTER – The Rev. James P. Kerrigan, 69, the beloved pastor at St. Patrick’s Church in Rutland, died peacefully at the church rectory in the presence of his loving family on Friday, February 15, 2013 after an illness. Born and raised in Worcester, Fr. Jim was the son of Irish immigrants, James B. and Mary A. (Baynes) Kerrigan.
Fr. Jim was a graduate of St. Peter’s High School in Worcester, Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Providence and St. John’s Seminary in Brighton. After graduating from seminary in 1969, Fr. Jim was assigned to Christ the King Church in Worcester as a deacon. On May 15, 1970, he was ordained a priest and served two years as an assistant priest at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Worcester, and later as an associate priest at Sacred Heart Church in Hopedale, St. Stephen’s Church and Our Lady of the Rosary Church both in Worcester. In 1984 he was assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Brookfield where he served as pastor until being assigned to St. Patrick’s Church in Rutland where he served as pastor from 1989 until the present.
Fr. Jim was a passionate and devoted parish priest and considered the community of Rutland his home. He was particularly proud of the parishioners and friends who rallied together with him in support of building the new parish center. He loved anything Irish and looked forward to playing his accordion at St. Patrick’s Church annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner. He will also be remembered for his humble, compassionate, gentle and kind nature and his ever-present quick Irish wit. We were all blessed to have had Fr. Jim in our lives and if he had left a final message it might have been this old Irish blessing, “Green are the hills of Ireland and green they will always stay. Warm are the blessings wished for you and they’ll always be that way.”
He is survived by two sisters, Mary Lizotte and her husband Bernard of Buckeye, Arizona and Theresa Shusas and her husband Gerald of Worcester; nephews and nieces, Kaitlyn and Emily Shusas, Brian and Matthew Lizotte, and Christine Marler.
Parishioners and friends are invited to attend calling hours at St. Patrick’s Church, 258 Main St., Rutland, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20, with a wake service at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 21, at St. Patrick’s Church with Bishop Robert J. McManus as the principal celebrant. Interment will follow at St. John’s Cemetery in Worcester. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Patrick’s Church, 290 Main St., Rutland, MA 01543, or the Clergy Benefit Plan, The Diocese of Worcester, 49 Elm St., Worcester, MA 01609.
To share a memory or offer an online condolence, please sign the guestbook at the top of this page.
Fr. Jim was a graduate of St. Peter’s High School in Worcester, Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Providence and St. John’s Seminary in Brighton. After graduating from seminary in 1969, Fr. Jim was assigned to Christ the King Church in Worcester as a deacon. On May 15, 1970, he was ordained a priest and served two years as an assistant priest at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Worcester, and later as an associate priest at Sacred Heart Church in Hopedale, St. Stephen’s Church and Our Lady of the Rosary Church both in Worcester. In 1984 he was assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Brookfield where he served as pastor until being assigned to St. Patrick’s Church in Rutland where he served as pastor from 1989 until the present.
Fr. Jim was a passionate and devoted parish priest and considered the community of Rutland his home. He was particularly proud of the parishioners and friends who rallied together with him in support of building the new parish center. He loved anything Irish and looked forward to playing his accordion at St. Patrick’s Church annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner. He will also be remembered for his humble, compassionate, gentle and kind nature and his ever-present quick Irish wit. We were all blessed to have had Fr. Jim in our lives and if he had left a final message it might have been this old Irish blessing, “Green are the hills of Ireland and green they will always stay. Warm are the blessings wished for you and they’ll always be that way.”
He is survived by two sisters, Mary Lizotte and her husband Bernard of Buckeye, Arizona and Theresa Shusas and her husband Gerald of Worcester; nephews and nieces, Kaitlyn and Emily Shusas, Brian and Matthew Lizotte, and Christine Marler.
Parishioners and friends are invited to attend calling hours at St. Patrick’s Church, 258 Main St., Rutland, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20, with a wake service at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 21, at St. Patrick’s Church with Bishop Robert J. McManus as the principal celebrant. Interment will follow at St. John’s Cemetery in Worcester. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Patrick’s Church, 290 Main St., Rutland, MA 01543, or the Clergy Benefit Plan, The Diocese of Worcester, 49 Elm St., Worcester, MA 01609.
To share a memory or offer an online condolence, please sign the guestbook at the top of this page.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of The James P. Kerrigan, please visit our flower store.
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