Msgr. Francis Garvey, 81

Monseignor Francis John Garvey died Thursday morning, Oct. 23, 2014, at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar. He was 81.

Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 27, at the Church of St. Philip in Litchfield with a Knights of Columbus Rosary Service at 10 a.m. Interment followed at the Church of St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery in Kandiyohi. Visitation was from 3-7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Church of Our Lady in Manannah; vigil prayers for the deceased with reception and parish prayers were held at the church.

Francis John Garvey was born March 2, 1933, on the family farm near Eden Valley in Manannah Township in Meeker County, Minn, to Dennis and Susan (Schmit) Garvey. He grew up in the Eden Valley community, graduated from Eden Valley High School in 1950, Nazareth Hall College in 1953, and the St. Paul Seminary in 1959. Fr. Garvey was ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm Feb. 22, 1959, by Bishop A. Schladweiler for the Diocese of New Ulm. He served as Associate Pastor of the Church of St. Anastasia in Hutchinson, St. Adalbert in Silver Lake, and the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm. He served as Pastor of the Church of St. Patrick in Kandiyohi, St. Thomas More in Lake Lillian, St. Anthony Church in Watkins, and Church of Our Lady in Manannah. He served as Chaplain at the Willmar Regional Treatment Center for 40 years, and was an accredited supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) for 32 years.

In addition to parish ministry, Msgr. Garvey served as Director of Priest Personnel, was a member of the Priests’ Council, College of Consultors, Committee on Parishes, Diocesan Pastoral Council, and Diocesan Vocations Team. He planned and hosted many diocesan seminars and gatherings for priests. He received the title Monsignor in 2005, and he was the recipient of special awards given by the Diocese of New Ulm, USCC, State of Minnesota, Knights of Columbus, and various community organizations.

Msgr. Garvey was the founder of St. Francis Halfway House in Atwater in 1964. He oversaw the building of the rectory in Kandiyohi in 1967 and the chapel at the WRTC in 1968. He facilitated the new construction of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Kandiyohi in 1983 and the remodeling project at the Church of Our Lady in Manannah from 1998-2000.

Msgr. Garvey retired from active ministry July 1, 2013, and had been living in Manannah since then. His hobbies included farming, gardening, and providing spiritual care to all of his church family.

Msgr. Garvey was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Helen Garvey and Kathleen Wuertz, and brothers Joseph, Dennis Jr., and Michael Garvey.

He is survived by his sister Anna Marie (and Earl) Howard of Minneapolis, several nieces and nephews, and good friend Sister Judith Orland OSB of Duluth, besides many other relatives and friends.

Arrangements were by Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Diocese of New Ulm Priest Pension Fund, or to Church of Our Lady in Manannah.