Gulf Pine Catholic

Volume 41, Issue 27 www.gulfpinecatholic.com August 30, 2024 G ulf P ine C atholic Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Biloxi Msgr. James McGough, beloved priest instrumental in establishment of diocese, dies at 91 BY TERRY DICKSON BILOXI -- Monsignor James McGough, a bril- liant 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 birth- day. Monsignor McGough served as a priest in Mississippi for nearly seven decades. “Monsignor 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 wherev- er 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, Monsignor 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 Monsignor 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 Monsignor 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 Monsignor 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.” Monsignor 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. Monsignor 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, Monsignor 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 Monsignor McGough in his younger days. She served as bookkeeper for the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson from 1963 until 1978. SEE MSGR. McGOUGH, PAGE 12 Monsignor James McGough