Curran, Rev John Joseph
REV. JOHN JOSEPH CURRAN
April 9, 2007
Personal Info
- Date of Birth: 13 May 1929
- Place of Birth in Ireland: Ardra
- County: Leitrim
- Education: St Peter’s Seminary, Wexford
- Date of Ordination: 6 June 1954
- Place of Ordination: College of St Peter, Fernensis, Ireland
- Ordained by: Bishop James Stanton, Bishop of Ferns, Ireland
Diocesan Appointments
- Assistant – St Andrew, Independence – 5/9/1959 to 8/2/1961
- Assistant – St Patrick, Parsons – 8/3/1961 to 5/30/1963
- Assistant Chaplain – Via Christi St Francis, Wichita – 5/31/1963 to 7/8/1965
- Pastor – St Joseph, Yates Center 7/9/1965 to 7/1/1969
- Chancery – Liturgical Commission Member, Wichita – 7/1/1968
- Pastor – Mary Queen of Angels, Fort Scott – 7/1/1969 to 3/30/1978
- Chancery – Deanery Vicar Forane, Fort Scott – 6/1/1970
- Chancery – Deanery, Fort Scott – discontinued
- Pastor – Holy Trinity, Little River – 3/30/1978 to 5/31/1979
- Pastor – St Mary, Chase – 3/30/1978 to 6/13/1979
- Pastor – Sacred Heart, Cunningham – 6/14/1979 to 8/30/1983
- Pastor – Sacred Heart, Caney – 8/31/1983 to 8/3/1986
- Leave of Absence – 8/19/1986
- Administrator – St Agnes, Castleton – 6/28/1988 to 6/27/1990
- Assistant – St Andrew, Independence – 6/28/1990 to 7/31/1991
- Assistant – St Anthony, Garden Plain – 8/1/1991 to 8/31/1998
- Assistant – St Mary, Newton
When Father Curran came to Wichita with five other Irish priests – three of the priests stayed in the Wichita Diocese and three sent to the new diocese in Dodge City, Kansas. The assignments were made when Monsignor John J. Butler drew their names out of a hat.
Father Curran, carried a busy pastoral schedule but always found a little time to devote to his hobbies of fishing, golf, quail shooting, cycling and reading. He was also very devoted in staying up with the scores coming from the various Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) football teams as he played for his native Drumreilly GAA team in the late 1940s.
A story about Fr. Curran, published in The Catholic Advance announcing Father’s death captured his enthusiasm for his vocation. Chuck Weber, director of communications for the Spiritual Life Center at the time, shared that “when Fr Curran was an active priest in a parish, it was not uncommon to see him standing at a four-way stop sign in town handing out Catholic catechetical materials to passers-by. When he would see me with my sons, he always engaged us in conversation, inevitably asking the boys: ‘have you thought of the priesthood?’”
Coinciding with his burial Mass in Wichita, a Mass for the repose of his soul was concelebrated in his native St. Mary’s Church, Drumlea by Very Rev Denis Murray, PP, assisted by Very Rev Charles Heerey PP; Very Rev Peter McPartland, PP; Rev John McMahon CC; Very Rev Canon M I Kelly; Very Rev Cathal Faughnam, PP, Aughavas and Fr Comiskey, Frogheda.
- Date of Death: 9 April 2007
- Place of Death: Priest Retirement Center – Wichita
- Age of Death: 78
- Cause of Death: Brief illness
- Funeral Held: St Elizabeth Chapel – Catholic Care Center, Wichita, KS
- Funeral Celebrant: Bishop Michael Jackels
- Burial: Ascension Cemetery – Wichita, Kansas