Funeral services for Father Mark S. Mealey, a former official in the Diocese of Wilmington Tribunal, will be Sept. 3 at Immaculate Conception Church, 454 Bow St., Elkton, Md. A viewing is scheduled for 10 a.m., with the Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11.
Father Mealey, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales who served his congregation and the Diocese of Wilmington in various roles, died on Aug. 26 after a lengthy illness. He was 75 and had been a member of the Oblate community for 56 years, a priest for 46.
Father Mealey, a Philadelphia native, graduated from Father Judge High School in 1968 and entered the Oblates a year later. He told the Arlington Catholic Herald in 2015 that the Oblate brothers and priests at Father Judge displayed a “beautiful joy” and care for the individual. He was attracted by that.
“The style is to be very supportive and nurturing and caring of individuals, no matter what the issue is. You begin where they are and you travel with them to where they can be,” he said.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1979. His experience at his first assignment, as a parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Parish in Reston, Va., sparked his interest in canon law. He earned his Ph.D. in canon law from the University of Ottawa, Ontario.
He worked in the Tribunals in the Diocese of Arlington, Va., and the archdioceses of Philadelphia and Ottawa before coming to the Diocese of Wilmington from 2015-21 as judicial vicar. In Arlington, he was also episcopal vicar for pastoral services, vicar general for administration and moderator of the curia, and while vicar general was often designated by the bishop to administer the sacrament of confession. While in the Diocese of Wilmington, Father Mealey assisted with sacramental ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish.
He also served the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales as a provincial councilor and assistant provincial (2008-16) and at the congregational level as procurator general (1995-2022), as well as general councilor and assistant superior general (1994-2008).
Father Mealey was also a member of the board of trustees of his alma mater, DeSales University, and a member of the Canon Law Society of America. In addition, he was a canonical consultant for the Redemptorist Fathers and the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians).
He retired from active ministry in 2021 and became a member of the Oblate community at Annecy Hall in Childs, Md.
“In the church, ‘care of souls’ is the fundamental purpose and foundation of all canon law,” the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales wrote in Father Mealey’s obituary on the congregation’s website. “Throughout his life and ministry, this principal guided Father Mealey as he cared for the souls of so many people.”
Father Mealey was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his brothers, their spouses and many nieces and nephews.
Burial will be in the Oblate Cemetery in Childs. Condolences can be sent to Kevin Mealey, 208 Worstall Alley, Newtown, PA 18940. Contributions in Father Mealey’s memory can be made to the Oblate Development Fund, P.O. Box 87, Childs, MD 21916-0087 or www.oblates.org.
