CINCINNATI: October 3, 2024 — Father John Thomas Brown, 70, a Glenmary Home Missioner for 46 years, died October 3 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent most of his life serving missions in Ohio, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Georgia and North Carolina.
Father Brown, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, is survived by his brothers Christopher (Lynn) and Gregory (Susan), as well as many nieces, nephews, and fellow Glenmary missioners. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Genevieve, and his sister, Ann McKechnie.
He began his Glenmary ministry in West Union, Ohio, one of the earliest parishes served by Glenmary. After that he served as pastor in Elkton, Kentucky; Idabel, Oklahoma; then Swainsboro, Georgia. He served in Blakely, Georgia, then, most recently as missionary pastor in Williamston, in Eastern North Carolina.
Father Brown was a tireless missioner. As he worked increasingly with Spanish-speaking parishioners, he learned Spanish. When there was no Church musician, he pulled out his guitar to lead hymns. He was a strong singer, and encouraged everyone to participate at Mass. He was deeply interested in nurturing marriages in his parishes, and participated in the Marriage Encounter program, which provides marriage enrichment. He was an outdoorsman who loved sports, and an avid reader.
A generous man, he devoted much of his life to serving those in need. “Father John’s passion and dedication to Glenmary’s mission was an inspiration to all he encountered,” says Father Dan Dorsey, president of Glenmary Home Missioners. “He once described himself as ‘scatter-brained,’ but his focus was laser sharp when it came to the people he served.”
In a 2021 interview Father Brown spoke of his impending death, as he struggled against the cancer that ultimately prevailed. He recalled visiting a celebration at a church where he once had been pastor, seeing all manner of people whom he knew and didn’t know, celebrating their new church building. He said, “It was as if I had just been able to open a trap door and to stick my head into heaven for a while. All those people, happy and proud and glad of each other and kind of putting aside the problems for a bit—I look forward to the joy of heaven.”
Funeral arrangements
Reception of the body will take place on Tuesday, October 8, at 3:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Fields Chapel, 4085 Glenmary Trace, Fairfield, Ohio. Visitation will follow. Wake service will begin at 7 p.m.
Mass of Christian Burial will begin Wednesday, October 9, at 10:30 a.m., at Community of the Good Shepherd, 8815 E. Kemper Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45249. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 11000 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249. Funeral Mass will be livestreamed.
Memorials can be made to Glenmary Home Missioners, P.O. Box 465618, Cincinnati, OH 45246-5618.
Republished with permission from Glenmary Home Missioners.