Msgr. James McGough, beloved priest instrumental in establishment of diocese, dies at 91
BY TERRY DICKSON
BILOXI – Msgr. James McGough, a brilliant preacher and teacher who played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Diocese of Biloxi, died Aug. 12, less than a month after celebrating his 91st birthday.
Msgr. McGough served as a priest in Mississippi for nearly seven decades.
“Msgr. James McGough was a faithful son of the Church. He had a great missionary spirit that enabled him to share the love of Jesus Christ wherever he was stationed. His gentleness and love of the God’s people enabled him to be a very good preacher of the Word of God and a good shepherd of God’s people.,” said Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III. “He deeply loved the Church and remained faithful to his call to be God’s priest all his life. I will miss his smile and loving spirit. May he rest in the Peace of Christ.”
At the time of his death, Msgr. McGough was living at Brookdale Assisted Living in Biloxi. Prior to that, he lived in one of the five original retired priest houses behind Our Lady of Fatima Church in Biloxi.
“He was a real scholar, a good theologian and a good canon lawyer,” said Father Paddy Mockler, who served as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima from 2000 to 2014 and was the catalyst behind the construction of the first two retired priest homes in 2006.
“The third house that was built was Msgr. McGough’s and we received great support from the people of St. James Parish in Gulfport where he served for 12 years,” Father Mockler continued. “It was very easy to raise money because people loved him and wanted to help him.
“He really adjusted very well to retirement and, anytime people would ask him how he was doing, he would always say, ‘I’m living in high cotton.’
“He enjoyed coming to lunch every day at Fatima and being part of the community of priests. He was a great conversationalist. There would be like 10 of us around the table – guys like Father John Ralph and Father John Kelly. We used to have great fun. He was very engaging and very knowledgeable, and he was very well-spoken.”
In no way did retirement slow down Msgr. McGough, who continued to assist at parishes throughout the diocese.
“He was very willing to help out but he never interfered. He never wanted to run things. He didn’t want any administrative duties,” said Father Mockler.
One of the places where Msgr. McGough frequently filled in was St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Ocean Springs.
“When I first came to St. Elizabeth Seton with my family, our pastor, Father Bernard Farrell, would take off for one month for his vacation to Ireland,” said Dr. Todd Coulter. “We would then spend one month with Monsignor McGough covering for him. Many of us would go back for a second or third Mass on the weekend just to hear his homilies again. We called it affectionately ‘our month with the Monsignor.’ He was a good man and a great priest.”
Msgr. McGough was born July 24, 1933 in Rathagan, County Kildare, Ireland. He studied at Mungret College in Limerick, Ireland and at St. Bernard Seminary in St. Bernard, Alabama. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson at St. Mary Basilica on May 25, 1957.
On Sept. 2, 1957, he was assigned to Nativity Parish in Biloxi and in September 1958, he entered Catholic University in Washington, D.C. to study Canon Law. In 1961, he was appointed as Assistant Chancelor and Defensor Vinculi (Defender of the Bond) and in 1962, he was appointed a Diocesan Chancellor. He was named Papal Chamberlain by the Holy See in 1965 and in 1966, he was appointed Vicar General for the diocese. In 1969, he was named an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness. Msgr. McGough was appointed as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Canton, Mississippi on Jan. 15, 1971, and later that year was appointed Diocesan Consultor. On Dec. 1, 1971, he was appointed as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Hattiesburg where he also served as the Dean of Deanery V and Episcopal Vicar.
On June 6, 1977, he was appointed as the Chancellor for the newly established Diocese of Biloxi and in 1979 was appointed as pastor of St. Paul Parish in Pass Christian. In 1980, he was named Vicar General for the diocese and in 1985, was appointed as pastor of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis.
In 1988, Msgr. McGough was appointed as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Picayune, and then served as pastor of St. James Parish in Gulfport. His last parish assignment was as pastor of St. Clare Parish in Waveland. He retired in June 2005. In 2013, he was appointed parochial administrator of Our Lady of the Gulf Parish in Bay St. Louis, serving in that capacity for a year.
Mary Graham knew Msgr. McGough in his younger days. She served as bookkeeper for the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson from 1963 until 1978.
“He was the chancellor of the diocese so, being the bookkeeper, I had things I had to take to him to sign,” said Graham, who now lives in State College, Pennsylvania. “He was stationed at St. Jude Parish in Pearl and we had a young adult group that met there because they had a real nice parish hall. He would come to our events and greet us. He was always a kind, understanding person. He was a priest’s priest. Working with him was a real honor. He was a very devout person and very dedicated to his priestly obligations.”
Father Louis Lohan said Msgr. McGough played an integral role in the establishment of the Diocese of Biloxi in 1977.
“He was a wonderful man, He was a brilliant man. He loved the Church and always had the good of the Church at heart,” said Father Lohan. “He was very instrumental in setting up the chancery office and in putting the diocese on the right road. He was always very friendly and a shining example of dedication and commitment.”
Patricia French Brewer’s friendship with Msgr. McGough spanned over five decades, beginning when he served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Hattiesburg.
“He baptized my youngest daughter and was very involved with the school children,” said Brewer. “But the thing I hold dear about him is the way he dealt with my sister, who had left the Church. She stayed away from the Church for a very long time because she thought she couldn’t come back. He told her all she had to do was come see him and she came back into the Church before she died. He made it very simple for her.
“He was just so pleasant to be around,” added Brewer. “I never heard anybody say anything bad about Msgr. McGough.”
After Msgr. McGough moved to Fatima, Brewer, her husband and sister paid him a visit.
“They had a little party for him and I took him a University of Southern Mississippi folding chair to sit out on his patio and watch the world,” she said. “He got a big kick out of that.”
After his ordination to the priesthood in 1994, Msgr. Dominick Fullam was appointed associate pastor of St. James Parish in Gulfport, where he served under Msgr. McGough. He has fond memories of the experience.
“Msgr. McGough was genuinely concerned about the people of his parish and their spiritual development. He wanted his parish and parishioners to thrive in their faith,” said Msgr. Fullam. “He wanted the youth to have the very best religion teachers, with backgrounds in theology or catechesis. He was very intelligent and preached with great zeal. He sought to be a faithful son of the Church.
“He was a true gentleman who enjoyed fishing on his day off and laughed deeply at a good joke,” continued Msgr. Fullam. “He was quite satisfied with a meal of overcooked roast and some form of potatoes.”
Overall, said Msgr. Fullam, “he supported me as parochial vicar in everything I attempted to do.”
Deacon Dick Henderson did not know Msgr. McGough prior to his becoming pastor of St. James Parish in Gulfport in 1990 but grew to love him and call him a friend.
“Msgr. McGough’s great reputation superseded him, and, though we were losing a great and holy pastor in Msgr. (Kevin) Bambrick, we welcomed Msgr. McGough with open arms,” said Deacon Henderson, who described the transition as “a wonderful experience” for everyone involved.
“We all quickly came to love, respect, and hold Msgr. McGough in great esteem. He was a gentle pastor, always encouraging everyone and growing the parish with new parishioners who flocked to him to hear his gentle, beautiful homilies. He could speak of the deepest theological subject, and we could grasp its concept to the point we felt comfortable, feeling we had genuinely learned something.”
Deacon Henderson praised Msgr. McGough’s administrative abilities.
“As an administrator, he worked tirelessly with the state of Mississippi when Cowan Road, a sleepy little two lane street was made a four lane Mississippi highway. The widening took a large number of our parking spaces, but Msgr kept the number to a minimum,” said Deacon Henderson, who was already enrolled in the permanent diaconate formation program when Msgr. McGough arrived at St. James.
“He continued to be extremely supportive and encouraging, as was Msgr Bambrick,” said Deacon Henderson.
“One day, Msgr. McGough asked me to quit my job at the Jefferson Davis campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and come to work full time for the parish. It was one of the best and easiest decisions I ever made. He was not your typical boss. He told me he wanted me to go to the hospitals every day, be involved with St James Elementary School and visit our shut-ins. Msgr. McGough allowed me to do those things as I saw fit and he never questioned me. That was a great feeling to believe he had that much faith and trust in me.”
Three decades later, Deacon Henderson still visits the hospitals and shut-ins on a daily basis He also frequently visited and ministered to Msgr. McGough at home and in the hospital up until his death.
“We who knew him well will carry a special place in our hearts for knowing, loving and serving him,” Deacon Henderson said. “He was a great man and inspiration.”
Msgr. McGough is survived by a brother, Rev. William “Bill” McGough; and numerous nieces and nephews in Ireland and England.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 21 from 9:30 – 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, 2090 Pass Road, Biloxi. Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in the church. Interment will be in St. James Cemetery, Gulfport.
In lieu of flowers, it is requested that memorials to Msgr. McGough be made to the Association of Priests, 237 E Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201.
