A Tribute to Msgr. Rhatigan
by Jack Williams and Rich Grosch
With an Irish brogue that became more pronounced the longer
he was removed from the Auld Sod, Monsignor 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, " remembers Jeane Mckay, his former
secretary at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ocean Beach.
Monsignor's 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
administrator of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Holtville. He
served as an administrator at our Lady of Perpetual Help in
Indo from 1958 until 1961, when he began a 13 year term as
pastor of St. Keeran's in El Cajon. He was assigned to Sacred
Heart in Ocean Beach in 1974 and received the title monsignor
two years later. From 1973 to 1985, he served on the Diocesan
Building Committee.
Monsignor Rhatigan
who emphasized education and the needs of seniors during
his 21 years as pastor of Sacred Heart Church,
died at Scripps Mercy Hospital. He was 76. Monsignor Rhatigan
dedicated years to providing the right teachers at Sacred Heart
Academy and oversaw the transition of faculty from nuns to
lay person staff. The academy was struggling financially when
Monsignor Rhatigan appointed a new principal, Robert Hamm,
in 1986. Mr. 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 it's financial commitments and
now has waiting lists for every grade.
Parishioners, students, faculty, and staff will miss Msgr.
Rhatigan and the contributions he made to the community of
Sacred Heart and to the lives of so many people.
Read
the article written in the local community newspaper, the
Beacon.
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