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June 6, 2005 
VOL.
43, NO. 11Oakland,
CA
Father Thomas Gallagher, pastor at four parishes, dies at 78
Father Thomas Gallagher, who served as pastor of four
parishes in the Oakland Diocese, died May 21 at the Bishop Begin Villa,
a residence for retired priests in Oakland. He was 78.
Born in San Francisco, he grew up in Burlingame, the third child in a
family of 10. He realized his calling to religious life early and wanted
to enter the seminary right after grade school, recalled his brother,
Robert Gallagher. But he was discouraged from doing so and enrolled instead
at San Mateo High School.
After graduation he studied at the University of Montana and Stanford
University while in cadet training in the Air Force during World War II.
Following the war, he resumed his studies at the University of San Francisco,
then entered St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park in 1950. He was
ordained to the priesthood by San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Merlin J.
Guilfoyle in 1956. His first assignment was at St. Ambrose Parish in Berkeley.
He later served as assistant pastor at Holy Spirit Parish in Fairfield
and at St. Joseph Parish in Berkeley before he was named chaplain at Oakland’s
Providence Hospital. He also served as chaplain at nearby Merritt, Peralta
and Hill Haven hospitals from 1962 – 68 and as chaplain for the
physicians and nurses associations.
It was during that time that seminarian Jerry Kennedy met Father Gallagher.
His father, Dr. William Kennedy, introduced the two and the newly ordained
Father Kennedy celebrated his first Mass at Providence. Father Gallagher
preached the homily.
“He was a wonderful friend, that was one of his gifts,” said
Father Kennedy, now pastor at St. Jerome Parish in El Cerrito.
Father Gallagher was assigned as assistant pastor at St. Philip Neri Parish
in Alameda in 1968 and served there for a year before his appointment
as pastor at St. Bonaventure Parish in Concord in 1969. He was also pastor
at St. Joseph Parish in Pinole (1979-82), Holy Spirit in Fremont (1982-85)
and Santa Maria in Orinda (1985-1993).
“I know that the priests who were on his staff always admired him
and considered him a brother rather than a boss because he was always
very kind, very collaborative, interested in the new things in the Church
and anything that would be good for the parish he would be interested
in doing,” said Father Kennedy, who presided at the May 25 vigil
Mass at Santa Maria Parish.
Father Dan Danielson, pastor at the Catholic Community in Pleasanton,
recalled that the late priest embraced the reforms of the Second Vatican
Council with enthusiasm and worked to implement them at the local level.
“He was extremely eager to be in the very first class of the Vatican
II Institute, the sabbatical program we created for the renewal of priests.
He signed up for the first session before it had hardly been announced.”
Father Danielson, who lived at St. Bonaventure Parish when Father Gallagher
was pastor, noted that he worked very closely with the parish council
and liturgy committee. “It was quite open and quite remarkable,”
he said.
When Father Gallagher celebrated his 40th anniversary of ordination, he
said that seeing the development of the laity “in all aspects of
Church life” was one of the highlights of his priesthood. “It
is a solid leadership that is beginning and needs to grow further,”
he said.
Father Gallagher also gave support and encouragement to priests, said
Father Danielson, who delivered the homily at the vigil service. He was
a “very optimistic, positive influence among priests. A very joyful
man, he was committed to pastoral ministry and extremely upbeat. You never
heard much discouragement from him at all.”
He left behind a quiet yet enduring legacy.
“Anybody who had contact and worked with him liked him very much
and was better for having known him and worked with him. And I certainly
include myself among those,” said the Pleasanton pastor.
Survivors include his brothers, Robert, James, Edward, Raymond and Neal,
and sisters, Sister Mary Margaret and Geraldine.
The funeral Mass was held May 26 at Santa Maria Church in Orinda. Burial
was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.
Father Thomas Gallagher
