Fr. Hugh O’Neill, a priest of the Diocese of Gallup for 43 years, died on May 08, 2020 at Villa Guadalupe in Gallup NM.
Fr. O’Neill was one of seven siblings and was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1932. He served in the Army in the Korean War and worked at newspaper and magazine printers before revisiting the call he first felt as an altar boy: the desire to be a priest. He knew of dioceses that served Native Americans and was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Gallup. He was ordained a priest on June 4, 1977.
He served as a Navy Chaplain briefly, and upon returning to the Diocese of Gallup, his assignments during priestly ministry included St. Johns AZ, St. Bonaventure NM, Crownpoint NM, Milan NM, Aragon NM, Alpine AZ, Snowflake AZ, Quemado NM, Datil NM, and Gallup NM as a hospital chaplain. He also served at Villa Guadalupe, the home for the elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, from 2001 until his death.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Theresa and Hugh O’Neill, and three sisters: Teresa Bohlin, Sister Mary Vincent (Gertrude O’Neill), and Catherine O’Neill and most recently his brother Dan O’Neill.
He is survived by two sisters: Jean Lane of Floral Park, NY and Margaret (Peggy) Gilliard of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by ten nieces and eight nephews. He officiated at many of his nieces’ and nephews’ weddings.
The following funeral and memorial services will be closed to the public but livestreamed, following state guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic:
Friday, May 15, 2020 (NM time)
Rosary at 11:30 am at Sacred Heart Cathedral
Funeral Mass at 12 noon at Sacred Heart Cathedral
Burial at Hillcrest Cemetery in Gallup following the funeral Mass
Livestreams:
Link to funeral livestream
Link to burial livestream