Rev. William Gorman, 71

A funeral Mass was offered Oct. 28 at Sacred Heart Church, Troy, for Rev. William Gorman, who died Oct. 23. He was 71 and had been a priest of the Albany Diocese for 41 years.

A native of Troy, he served as associate pastor at Holy Cross parish, Albany; St. Jude, Wynantskill; St. Clare's, Colonie; St. Mary's, Glens Falls and St. Thomas, Delmar. He served as pastor or administrator of St. Paul's, Hancock; St. Mary's, Hudson; St. George's, Pittstown; Ss. Peter and Paul, Frankfort; Sacred Heart, Philmont; Sacred Heart, Berlin; St. Ann's, Fort Ann; Our Lady of Hope, Whitehall; Sacred Heart, Margaretville; St. Peter's and St. Paul's, Troy; St. John the Baptist, Newport and St. Joseph's, Dolgeville.

His final assignment was as pastor of Our Lady of the Valley parish in Middleburgh and sacramental minister for Our Lady of Fatima in Delanson. He also served as chaplain to the Resurrection Sisters in Castleton and the Little Sisters of the Poor. He had been a military chaplain in the Air Force during the first Persian Gulf War.

After so many assignments, Father Gorman described priesthood last year as "super, because it has put me in a position of helping people just as Jesus helped everyone. If you want to help people to experience joy more than tears, become a priest."

He also saw the more serious side of ministry, having shepherded parishes like St. Peter's and St. Paul's in Troy through their closure in 2009.

"I'm thinking one thing in my head and feeling something else in my heart," he said at the time. "In my heart, I feel sad; I feel slightly frustrated. In my head, I understand there is a difference between simply closing and 'closing ranks.' I've asked people to study the situation as a closed-rank situation - in the military, [that] meant we came together and became closer to one another, and were able to move on to the future and see that we have not lost everything. There are no endings, only a new beginning in Jesus Christ."

He could have been speaking to those who grieve for him now. "Convey your feelings to one another," he added. "All will be okay someday, sometime."

May the Lord welcome Father Gorman into His heavenly kingdom. Survivors include his sister, Kathryn.[[In-content Ad]]