Father Joseph M. O'Malley

Born November 27, 1925, in Worcester, Massachusetts, Joseph O'Malley was educated in public schools and the college of Holy Cross in Worcester. After working on the general staff and as a police reporter for the Worcester Telegram Gazette, he entered and graduated from St. Thomas Seminary in Broomfield, Connecticut He then attended the Pontifical Grand Seminary in Montreal, Canada, but his health prompted the transfer to St. Thomas Theological Seminary (now St. John Vianney Theological Seminary) in Denver. He completed his formation in Denver, but was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John J. Wright on May 18, 1950, at St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester. He was given permission to be ordained in Worcester so that his parents and friends could attend the ordination. He did, however, bring two things with him to Denver: his Boston-Irish accent and his love of newspaper work. He wrote, edited and distributed a newsletter of general Catholic religious interest and beliefs. In the more than 50 years of publication, he has distributed some 650 issues of the newsletter, Talking at Random, to a long list of friends. Because of his experience as a police reporter on a newspaper of general circulation, in addition to having a father who was a fireman, he always admired police and firemen. He has served as chief of chaplains of the Denver Fire Department since 1958. His first assignment was to St. Philomena Church where he was assistant pastor for seven years. He served as Catholic chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution in southwest Denver from 1957 to 1967, when he was transferred to Colorado Springs to be the pastor of Divine Redeemer Church. He returned to Denver to become the founding pastor of Risen Christ Parish in southeast Denver and supervised the building of that unique church, fondly referred to by some Catholics as the ""ski slope"" church because of its unusual architecture. He was appointed pastor of Notre Dame Church in Denver in 1984 and served as pastor there until ill health (diabetes) forced his retirement in 1989. He served as: chaplain for the South Metro Fire District, Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, an active and Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and was Charter Friar - Fourth Degree - of the Mother Seton Assembly. Father O'Malley kept in touch with retired priests, said daily Mass in the chapel in his townhouse in Centennial, and in the past he volunteered regularly to assist pastors at Our Lady of the Pines Church in Conifer, Christ the King in Evergreen, and St. Catherine's in Buffalo Creek. Throughout his priestly career, Father O'Malley has actively participated in a wide variety of organizations and associations including the Governor's Committee on Institutions, the Mayor's Committee on Citizenship Relations, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, The Colorado Western Probation- Parole Corrections Associations, American Catholic Chaplains Association, Colorado Law Enforcement Association and the State Firefighters Association. He served as chaplain at National Jewish Hospital and for the Civil Air Patrol (he is a retired lieutenant colonel), Our Lady of the Bell Telephone Employees and the State Fire Chiefs Association. An excellent administrator, Father O'Malley was vicar for Catholic education for the archdiocese where he initiated the Archdiocesan Program of Support of Catholic Schools for parishes without Catholic schools. He chaired the Archdiocesan Personnel Board from 1972 to 1977 and the Priests Retirement Committee from 1975 to 1984. He was dean of the Southeast Denver Clergy from 1976 to 1980. He also found time to be an adjunct professor of criminology at Regis University and supervised the training of chaplains for the Bureau of Prisons. Visitation will be on Thursday from 12:00 - 5:00 P.M. at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 1091 South Colorado Boulevard, Denver, Colorado followed by the Recitation of the Rosary and Vigil at Risen Christ Catholic Church, 3060 South Monaco Parkway, Denver, Colorado. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Friday at 10:00 A.M. at Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 1530 Logan Street, Denver, Colorado. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Denver.