Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2007 / Fr. Mullen dies at 72
Fr. Mullen, 'compassionate human being,' dies at 72
The Michigan Catholic
Published December 7, 2007
Detroit — Fr. Bernard Mullen was a caring, creative man who had a great love for families and who could connect people with Christ in a very human way, his friends said.
"He was a very compassionate human being, and there was always a way to redeem a situation and to find forgiveness," said Fr. Joseph Gagnon, a seminary classmate and long-time friend of Fr. Mullen. "He would find a way to include people, and find some way to connect with them."
Fr. Mullen died Nov. 28, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 72, and had been serving as pastor of St. Anne Parish in Ortonville.
Fr. Mullen was born July 16, 1935, in Croswell. His home parish, which friends said he loved, was St. James in Ferndale. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit on June 3, 1961. He had a theology degree from St. John's Provincial Seminary in Plymouth Township, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Sacred Heart Seminary.
Fr. Mullen served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Detroit from 1961 to 1966 and St. Joseph Parish in Monroe from 1966 to 1969. He served as pastor of St. Boniface Parish in Detroit for three months in 1969 before being granted a leave of absence. He was associate pastor at St. Joseph in Lake Orion from 1995 to 2003. In 2003, he became pastor of St. Anne Parish.
"He took interest in trying to show the human side of the Church and the priesthood," said Fr. Gagnon. "Yes, there is a divine presence here, but Jesus was a real human being, and we who minister in His name should be real human beings, and we are at our best when we are that way — that came through."
Fr. Mullen would meet regularly with his friends, Fr. Gagnon, Fr. Edward Prus and Fr. Edward Belczak, to discuss their Sunday homilies — something Fr. Mullen took to heart, his friends said. Fr. Prus said he was the type who would go a long way for his friends, and he had many.
"He was really a true friend," Fr. Prus said. "He was a true friend to me, but I know he was a true friend to everyone who he met."
He added that Fr. Mullen had qualities to relate with whomever he met.
"He was very sensitive and considerate with older people, and encouraging to younger people," he said. "He was patient with children. He accepted them for who they were, and saw the good in them always."
Fr. Mullen had a great faithfulness to his own family, Fr. Prus said, and loved his friend's families and the families in his parish.
Fr. Mullen's passions ranged from sports to nature to reading.
He especially was passionate about the arts. He was a pianist, and he loved jazz. He also enjoyed movies with good moral messages, and would show them and discuss them with parishioners. His parishioners each year would travel downtown with him, as well, where Fr. Mullen would point out the artwork adorning Detroit's historic churches.
He loved the rituals of the Catholic Church, and also had a passion for ecumenical movement, working with those from other denominations and recognizing them as his brothers and sisters in Christ.
Those who knew him said becoming pastor of St. Anne was an honor he never took for granted. He knew how to bring the best out of his parishioners, too, said Mary Ann McCarville, St. Anne's parish secretary.
"He was a good leader in a very quiet way," she said. "He was a mild-mannered person, a humble person. … He cared a lot about the poor. He cared about the many charities he supported."
She said the children of the parish loved him, and he loved them. He even made a special box for the children to put their collection offerings in each week. Fr. Mullen was a good leader by example, McCarville added, noting that he didn't ask the parish to tithe without first doing it himself.
"When he talked about (tithing), he talked from the heart because this is what he believed in," she said.
Fr. Mullen is survived by brothers Vincent, Paul and Francis; brother-in-law Joseph Ruhlman; and several nieces and nephews.
His funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 1 by Cardinal Adam Maida at St. Anne Church, Ortonville. Burial was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield.
Condolences may be sent to Vincent Mullen, 33415 Elgin Court, Sterling Heights, 48310.
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