Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

Two of our members, Fr. Howard Fath, MSC and Fr. Thomas Cain, MSC passed away on August 7, 2008 and August 11, 2008, respectively. They will be sorely missed.

Fr. Fath was ordained a priest on May 27, 1961. He was fluent in Spanish and spent 37 years working in Colombia, where he served as parochial vicar, pastor, local superior, and director/supervisor of the Center for Family Pastoral Care in Bogotá (which he founded in 1983). He returned to the United States in 2006 where he assisted in Native American Ministry on the Soboba Reservation in California until May 2008, when he transferred to the MSC assisted living facility Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, PA. His writings include Familia y Comunidad (Family and Community) and A Sign of Hope.

Fr. Cain was ordained a priest on January 30, 1965. His first assignment was to the MSC missions in the Diocese of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea. He worked in parish pastoral ministry for 25 years and also oversaw the schools of the local mission stations. In 1991 he was appointed the regional MSC Superior in Papua New Guinea. He returned to the US in December 1993 for health reasons and worked in parish ministry in St. Joseph's Parish in Upland, California. Before retiring to Center Valley, PA in 2000, Fr. Thomas also served as the Treasurer of the MSC/USA Province.

The MSC mourn the loss of two dear friends and great missionaries who touched so many lives. Please join us in praying for Fr. Howard and Fr. Thomas and for their families.