GULFPORT, Miss. – Father John Joseph McBrearty, a Josephite priest who served briefly in the Diocese of Wilmington, died suddenly on Dec. 1. He was 87 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination earlier this year.
In the Diocese of Wilmington, Father McBrearty was the pastor of St. Joseph Parish on French Street in Wilmington in 1986. At the time of his death, he was the pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux in Gulfport, Miss., and was the oldest active Josephite pastor. He also ministered in Washington, D.C., Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Virginia.
A funeral Mass was scheduled for Dec. 6 at St. Therese of Lisieux Church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Dec. 7 in Breaux Bridge, La., at St. Francis of Assisi Church, where he was pastor for six years. Burial will be in the St. Francis of Assisi parish cemetery.
