Msgr. Francis Walsh

Msgr Francis E. Walsh passed away peacefully, Monday morning, June 22, 2026 at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland at the age of 89. Fr. Walsh grew up on St. Ann's Avenue in Lenox, Massachusetts. He was ordained a Catholic priest on May 21,1966 celebrating his first mass at St. Ann's Church in Lenox. He went on to serve at many parishes throughout the Springfield Diocese including St. Charles in Pittsfield where he was pastor from 1977 until 1989, at which time he responded to a call from the US Navy and became a Naval Chaplain. He served for 20 years in various parts of the world including Treasure Island and Twentynine Palms in California and Japan. Upon retiring from the Navy in 2009, Fr. Walsh moved to Ireland where he continued his priestly ministry at what was then the Pro-Cathedral, now St. Mary's Cathedral, in Dublin and later at Our Lady's Manor in Dalkey where he lived out his final years, celebrating mass and ministering to the staﬀ and residents. Wherever he traveled, Fr. Walsh had an extraordinary ability to connect with and minister to people. He was a wonderful priest of great intellect with a delightful sense of humor and a gentle and kind manner. He will be sadly missed by his beloved sister, Nancy Walsh Considine and her husband, Philip; his nieces Ann (Ken) Healy, Jean (Rick) Potter, and Chrissy (Paul) McCormack; his grandnieces and grandnephews Catherine (Ryan), Michael, Kate (Joe), Tom, Tim, Chris, Mark, Jack, and Emmy; a great-grand nephew Theodore; his dear friends Very Rev. Damian Canon O'Reilly, Sister Patricia Somers RSC, the McCormack and Moran families; the wonderful caring Sisters, staﬀ, and residents at Our Lady’s Manor; the Priests and Community of the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts and of St. Mary's Cathedral Dublin; those with whom he served in the US Navy; his relatives and a wide circle of friends, including former parishioners for whom he cared so deeply. Fr. Walsh was predeceased by his parents, Amelia and Francis Walsh, his uncle Joseph Walsh and aunt Catherine ("Sis") Walsh, all late of Lenox, Massachusetts, Louis Paris of Pittsfield, and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, July 9th at St. Ann Church, 134 Main St., Lenox at 11 am. Internment in St. Ann Cemetery, Lenox. Family and friends are respectfully invited to calling hours Wednesday, July 8th 5 -7 pm in St. Ann Church,

Msgr. Francis Walsh

May 14, 1937 - June 22, 2026