Obituary of The Reverend John Fahey

Reverend John Mark Fahey, Roman Catholic priest, passed away May 24, 2013 in Yuma, AZ. Father Fahey had been a priest for 54 years. He was born on July 2, 1926 in Columbus, OH to Raymond L. and Helen E. Fahey. His sister, Sr. Mary Louise, O.S. F, predeceased him. His son Marc Anthony Kwiatkowski, daughter-in-law Beth and two Grandchildren, Molly and Vincent survive him. He attended St. Charles Preparatory and after attending St. Charles College, Columbus and St. Ambrose College, Davenport, Iowa, completing his philosophy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he received his A.B. degree. He began and completed his Theology at St. Francis Seminary. On March 27, 1954 the Most Rev. Michael J. Ready, Bishop of Columbus, OH, raised him to the sacerdotal state for the Diocese of Tucson, AZ. Following his ordination, he celebrated his first Solemn High Mass in Holy Rosary Church, Columbus, Ohio. This first mass was followed by many years of service to his church. His devotion to his pastoral and liturgical duties as well as his personal holiness and prayerfulness inspired members of his family and his loyal parishioners wherever he served. The Roman Catholic Church, which Father John loved and served, was always at the heart of all he did. He asked others to follow their hearts and truly live, to the best of their ability, the Liturgy of the Word and teachings of the Church. He served many pastoral assignments in Arizona; they included Clifton, Safford, Yuma, Nogales, Douglas, Chandler, Summerton, Tucson and Parker. Following his retirement in 1999 he became Pastor Emeritus at The Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Tombstone, AZ. He enjoyed the planning that went with goals he believed in. Under his direction, all three church buildings were restored to their former glory. In 2002 the church and Rose Tree Garden were placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the Department of Interior. Following this appointment he returned to Holy Family Catholic Church of Tucson, AZ to serve out his retirement in continued service. His tireless faith convinced him that using his voice to be an advocate for change was important. He could be intense in his determination to continue to ask hard questions when he felt the Catholic Church was not moving fast enough to correct both fiscal and internal failings. He was never failing in his cause for change. He was a strong advocate for goals he believed in and often took action that brought about planning and change to reach those goals. He lived a life of practical faith nourished by prayer and tradition and set forth that example in all his works. That being said, he was proud of his Irish heritage and made sure all who knew him remembered when he had red hair! He loved the new computer technologies and how they could bring educational tools and the ability to connect to the world even in his remote parishes. Through his generosity of spirit, he made himself available to everyone who sought his assistance, spiritual or material, at any time. During his many years of service he travelled extensively around the world and forged many friendships, which he maintained throughout his life. He reminisced fondly and being ever the educator he shared many stories of his travels.. His life was filled with boundless compassion and selflessness and although he was known to be a bit stubborn, he believed in self-discipline and took great care to live a serenely prayerful life. Father John will surely earn a place as a unique and energetic figure for his service to his church communities. As his physical strength ebbed away, he was comforted by the love and care of those who looked to him as their spiritual father and by the ministrations and devotion of his fellow clergy. In his last years of life his many good friends, Father Joseph Michael Baker, Juliette Petillo, Kelly Copeland and most recently Maria von Trapp and Father Dan Taylor helped to make his last years of retirement ones of caring and peace. May his memory be eternal!