Sacred Heart leader memorialized

Building dedicated to the late Monsignor John Rhatigan

by PHILIP NERAT

The Beacon

As many of us move thourgh life, some of the people who augment our lives are taken for granted. They become noting more than characters in a great play, characters that we believe will always be there. Yet, these are the very people who often make the biggest difference and it is realized only when they are gone.

Through his 21 years at Sacred Heart Church, Monsignor John Rhatigan was part of the backdrop of many lives who moved throught the small Ocean Beach campus. His Irish brogue and unflappable sesse of humor touched many who knew him and enriched others in untold ways.

Monsignor Rhatigan died at Scripps Mercy Hospital on Sept. 11 at the age of 76. Monsignor Rhatigan, who emphasized education and the needs of seniors during his 21 years as pastor of Sacred Heart Church, dedicated his time to promoting qualified and proactive teachers at Sacred Heart Academy and oversaw the transition of faculty, ranging from nuns to lay staff.

On Satruday, Oct. 14, Sacred Heart Academy celebrated its 50th anniversary. A special dedication was perfromed as well. Led lby Bishop Robert Brow, Sacred Heart's new academic building was dedicated to the memory of Monsignor Rhatigan. The two story, 4,500-square-foot building will house classrooms for 2nd and 3rd grades, as well as a specialized Science Lab and a Fine Arts Center that every grade will be able to utilize.

Mnsignor Rhatigans first parish assignments were at St. John the Evangelist in San Diego, Holy Rosary in San Bernardino, St. Didacus in SAn Diego and Sacred heart in Brawley. In 1955, he was appointed adminsitrator of St. Joseh CAtholic Church in Holeville. He served as an administrator at our Lady of Perpetual Help in Indio from 1958 until 1961, when he began a 13-yeard term as pastor of St. Keeran's in El Cajon.

'He really related to the kids and geared many of his monthly homilies directly to the children.'

The academy was struggling financially when Monsignor Rhatigan appointed a new principal, Robert Hamm, in 1986. Hamm instituted the Core Knowledge curriculum and since that time Sacred Heart Academy has risen to be one of the finest elementary schools in the state, if not the nation. It annually meets and exceeds its financial commitments and now has waiting lists at every grade level.

Rhatigan remained active in the parish until his death. He regularly golfed with a group of priests and stayed involved in the school.

"He was a genuine priest," Hamm continued. " He valued Catholic education and did everything he could to ensure that Sacred Heart Academy provided Catholic education."

Monasignor John Rhatigan left no doubt about his origins. And, even as Parkinson's disease left him in pain, depriving him of his beloved golf, it was no match for his sense of humor.

"That ability to turn a tense moment into a funny moment carried him through some difficult days," remembered Jeane McKay, his former secretary at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ocean Beach.