By Angela Marshall
A funeral mass will be offered at St. Agnes Cathedral at 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 4.
Growing up on Bainbridge Street in Brooklyn in the 1920s and 30s, John McGann began to learn the lessons that would help him become the spiritual leader of one of the country's largest dioceses. For more than 24 years, McGann helped his flock navigate life's lessons as the second bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
He will long be remembered for his dedication to Catholic education and the plight of the poor. McGann got a close look at the problems facing the underprivileged during his childhood and it never left him.
During an interview before his retirement in early 2000, McGann said he was inspired by his parents, Thomas and Mary McGann. I was going to school in the Depression and it was a hard time for a lot of people financially. [My parents] always showed a good example to us and then reached out to help other people, teaching us that we had to be concerned about other people.
Bishop John McGann will be sorely missed in this diocese, which he guided with care and compassion for 24 years, Bishop Murphy said in a prepared statement. He was a priest of total dedication and a bishop who cared for his flock with deep and abiding love.
