Fr. Patrick Malone laid to rest
Fr. H. Patrick Malone was no shrinking violet, Bishop Carl Kemme recalled during his homily at the Mass of Christian Burial for the priest who had served the Catholic Diocese of Wichita for 56 years with great distinction, dedication, and selflessness. The funeral was held on the morning of Monday, Dec. 29, at Holy Savior Catholic Church in Wichita.
That varied and significant ministry – which not only included numerous Wichita parishes, but also assignments in Pittsburg, Hutchinson, Newton, and Derby, as well as a missionary stint in South America – spanned several bishops, Bishop Kemme observed.
“I never had the courage to ask him which of those bishops was his favorite, but I’m sure he would have told me had I asked,” he said. “Fr. Pat was never shy to let me know his thoughts and opinions. In this time that I knew him, he always seemed to claim the right to let me know his thoughts on any given subject in the diocese and in the Church; this right he earned by his long years of service.”
Before he retired, Fr. Malone spent his final 16 years as a pastor at Holy Savior, Bishop Kemme noted, and while he no doubt loved each assignment, Holy Savior and its parishioners held a special place in Fr. Malone’s heart.
He was immensely proud of the parish’s new church and school buildings, Bishop Kemme described, and in many ways laid the foundation for them. “I recall watching him overcome with deep emotion when we dedicated and blessed the school as he was invited to share a few words at the celebration,” the bishop said.
Even in retirement, Fr. Malone continued to demonstrate an indefatigable spirit, Bishop Kemme recounted, noting Fr. Malone’s service as the Catholic chaplain of Wesley Medical Center and the VA hospital. In the latter years of his retirement, Fr. Malone moved into the diocese’s Priest Retirement Center and was known for his fraternity and lively spirit, the bishop noted.
“There, as I would visit from time to time, I often found him sitting quietly in the beautiful St. John Vianney Chapel, gazing upon the Lord in the tabernacle,” Bishop Kemme said. “He used that time so allotted to him to live and relate to the Lord as a branch to the vine, connecting to the Lord for his grace and mercy. There he showed us how to remain in the Lord so that his life would continually bear fruit.
“Fr. Pat knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that, apart from Christ, he could do nothing,” Bishop Kemme continued. “For all that he did, visible to the public or known only to God, he claimed no credit for any of it, but gave it all to God, for God is good, all the time; all the time God is good.”
Heroic Service
Bishop Kemme expressed admiration for the priests of Fr. Malone’s generation who persevered in a tumultuous period. “Ordained in a turbulent time of the Church’s history, exercising their ministry in the choppy waters of the late 60s and throughout the 70s – and when many of his peers withdrew from priestly life and ministry – he, and others like him, remained and persevered until the end. We should not discount the heroic nature of their service, given the headwinds they were compelled to face. Nothing mattered to him but to remain connected to the vine that is Christ, who called him to be his priest.”
As he concluded his homily, the bishop entrusted the faithful and loving Fr. Malone to God’s mercy. “We pray that if there is any residue of sin committed – no doubt not because of malice or evil intentions, but because of human weakness – that he will be purified of it in short order and find his admittance to the eternal glory that that he longed to receive as a beloved son of the Father,” Bishop Kemme said. “May God bring this faithful and dedicated priest, Fr. Pat Malone, home and to the heavenly Mass and banquet where he will take his rightful place in the Kingdom that has no end, for God is good, all the time; all the time God is good. Amen.”
Life and Ministry
Fr. Harry Patrick Malone, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 21. He was 87.
Fr. Malone was born on Feb. 16, 1938, to Harold H. and Monica (Flakus) Malone in Wichita. He studied at Kenrick-Glennon Divinity School in St. Louis and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1969, at Wichita’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Fr. Malone’s first assignment began on July 1, 1969, as an assistant pastor at Christ the King Parish in Wichita. On July 1, 1970, he was appointed assistant pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Pittsburg. He next assignment, as a diocesan missionary in Barquisimieto, Venezuela, began on Sept. 1, 1978.
He returned stateside in 1982, and was assigned as administrator at St. Agnes Parish in Castleton.
On June 14, 1983, he was named pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Newton. He also went on to serve as pastor for St. Mary in Derby (starting in June 1986) and Holy Savior in Wichita (starting in March 1992).
Other positions Fr. Malone held include service as a chaplain at Wichita’s Wesley Medical Center and VA Hospital (starting in 1997), as well as chancery roles as a:
• Member of the Continuing Education Committee for Clergy;
• Priest Coordinator for the Catholic Marriage Preparation Program;
• Moderator of the African American Council;
• Member of the Presbyteral Council; and
• Member of the College of Consultors.
He retired from active ministry in June 2008.
“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
