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Fr. Daniel C. Coughlin, C.S.C.,
passed away Sunday, November 18, 2007 surrounded by his brothers
in community and the wonderful staff of Holy Cross House.
Fr. Dan was born November 23, 1914
in Boston, MA to John and Barbara (Cooke) Coughlin. After
attending public grade schools he graduated from the Boston High
School of Commerce in 1931 and then attended classes at the
Bentley School of Accounting and Finance also in Boston, MA.
While working as a clerk for the
Boston Police Department, he applied for Father Coughlin
admission to Holy Cross and entered Holy Cross Seminary at Notre
Dame in September of 1940. After finishing the novitiate and
taking first vows in August of 1943, he returned to Notre Dame
and graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1946. After four
years of theology at Holy Cross College in Washington, D.C .,
Fr. Dan was ordained to the priesthood at the Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception onJune 6, 1950.
In his first assignment, Fr. Dan
spent five years at Sacred Heart Church in New Orleans followed
by ten years, 1955-65, on the Holy Cross Mission Band. He
assisted for the next two years at St. Joseph's parish, South
Bend, then for five years in California giving retreats from
1967-1972. Moving his center of operations to the Holy Cross
Mission House in North Dartmouth, MA, in 1972 he continued in
retreat work until 1975. Accepting the opportunity to assist at
St. John the Evangelist parish in New York City, he stayed there
until being assigned to Christ the King Parish in South Bend in
1979. In 1985 he moved across town to St. Casimir Parish and
nine years later went to St. Jude for one year. Beginning in
1996, Fr. Dan lived and assisted at St. Stanislaus Parish in
South Bend, IN.
In June of 2001 he moved to Holy
Cross House.
On Tuesday night at the Moreau
Seminary Chapel, Fr. Ken Molinaro, assistant provincial,
presided at Fr. Dan's wake service and preached the following
eulogy:
"This is truly an honor to
preside at the wake service for Fr. Dan Coughlin. We spent four
years together at Christ the King Parish (1981-1985).
Fr.Joe Fey was pastor. I served as principal of the school. I
remember spending many a Saturday evening with Fr. Dan. After
the Saturda)1 evening Mass at the parish, Frs. Joe Fey and John
Dupuis would usually go
out to dinner. Fr. Dan and I would generally stay
back at the house, sharing a bowl of soup or leftovers. We would
sit and talk. It was there that I really grew to know
Dan and developed a deep appreciation and
respect for him! First Mass back home. In my initial
experience of living with him at Christ the King, there was a
sternness about him that had me, as a young priest, sitting up
straight at the table and . .. most definitely . ..
very mindful about what I said . ..
especially if it had anything to do
with church matters. Just his look could silence me very
quickly! I wasn't alone in that feeling. F1: Dan projected a
"no-nonsense" approach that was certainly picked up by the
school children. I recall one occasion when OUR 8th graders were
preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Each student was
scheduled to have an interview with one other members of the
pastoral staff The students assigned to Fr. Dan were terrified.
They worried about what he might ask them. Later in the day I
met with the junior high teachers to hear about the Confirmation
intentions. The teachers reported that the students were
positive about their meeting with Fr. Dan."
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