CUNNINGHAM, CSSp, Father John - July 8, 1924 – May 23, 2019
Fr. John Cunningham of the Spiritan Province of TransCanada died peacefully on the night of May 23, 2019.
At the time, Fr. John was a resident of the Houses of Providence, Scarborough, Ontario.
He was predeceased by his parents, Bartholomew and Ellen (Nellie) and siblings, Liam, Bridget, Brendan and Flannan.
He will be missed by nieces and nephews in Ireland, Flannan, Frances, Anne, Laura and Peter and cousins in Canada, Pat Sexton, Mary Flanagan and Mary Sneep. Fr. John was born July 8, 1924 in Quilty, County Clare, Ireland. He made his first profession as a Spiritan on September 15, 1943 and was ordained to the priesthood on July 15, 1951.
During his 67-years-plus as a priest, he served in a variety of pastoral works in Nigeria, Ireland and Canada.
Assigned from 1951 to 1955 to parish ministry in Nigeria, Fr. John then returned to Ireland and served in teaching ministry at Blackrock College, Dublin, from 1956-59. In May of 1960, Fr. John was assigned to Canada and began with a short stay at Holy Rosary Parish in Guelph, Ontario (Diocese of Hamilton), before serving five years at St. Rita's Parish in Woodstock, Ontario (Diocese of London). In 1966, Fr. John made the move to his beloved Alberta and ministered in the Archdiocese of Edmonton.
There he was the founding pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Edmonton. He later served as pastor of St. Peter's Parish in Villeneuve, St. Andrew's Parish in Edmonton and finally at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Edmonton.
Fr. John served a number of terms on the Spiritan Provincial Council and was a very popular coordinator of the Spiritan group living in Alberta. Due to health issues, Fr. John retired to Toronto in the fall of 2001, residing first at Shanahan House, then La Salle Manor and finally the Houses of Providence in Scarborough.
Father John was known for his welcoming smile, his fondness of reading, simplicity of life, his gentle kindness and love of people and pastoral ministry, along with a great devotion to Edmonton's hockey and football teams! Fr. John will be greatly missed by his Spiritan confreres, family and friends.
Visitation at Paul O'Connor Funeral Home, 1939 Lawrence Ave. E., on Monday, June 3, 2019 from 7-9 p.m. with prayer service at 8 p.m. Mass of the Resurrection on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at 11 a.m. in St. Joseph's Parish (Old Kingston Rd. at Morrish). The Mass will be followed by a light reception in the church hall. Burial will follow at 2:30 p.m.
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