Flights of angels led Father Angelus peacefully into Eternal Life during the praying of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary on March 2, 2018, the First Friday of March, at 2:15 pm at the Vincentian Home in the North Hills suburb of Pittsburgh PA. 

Watch “Father Angelus Shaughnessy Tribute Video” 

Funeral Mass

 

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Father's funeral arrangements:

Viewing

Tuesday, March 6, 2018 - 3-5 pm and 7-9 pm 

Vigil Prayer Service 

Tuesday, March 6, 2018 - 8:00 pm

St. Augustine Church

225 37th Street

Pittsburgh (Lawrenceville) PA 15201 

Limited on the street parking and parking lot is available across the street from the church. The parking lot is marked Our Lady of the Angels Parish.

Funeral Mass

Wednesday, March 7, 2018 - 11:00 am 

Also at St. Augustine Church

Main Celebrant: Rev. John J. Higgins, Archdiocese of New York, Father's nephew

Homilist: Fr. Leon Leitem, OFM Capuchin

Burial

Immediately after Holy Mass

St. Augustine Cemetery

Friars Plot

250 Wible Run Road

Pittsburgh (Millvale) PA 15209

Luncheon

Immediately after burial. Location will be announced in Church

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Obituary

Father Angelus M. Shaughnessy, OFM Capuchin

Father Angelus M. Shaughnessy, OFM Cap. died early Friday afternoon, March 2, 2018 in his 89th year after more than 67 years in vows as a Capuchin friar and 62 years a priest.  He was preceded in death by sisters Mary Elizabeth (Roth), Sr. Mary Cecilia (Anna Mae) CDP, Irene (Murray), Pauline (Adams Cucinelli) and Josephine (Laman), and by brothers Fr. Sigmund (John Joseph) OFM Cap., Paul and Joseph.  He is survived by sisters Regina (Sykes) and Bernadette (Higgins), and brother Bernard as well as hundreds of nieces and nephews.

Matthew Edmund Shaughnessy, fourth son and ninth child of John and Anna (Spang) Shaughnessy, was born on November 16, 1929, in Rochester, PA, and baptized at St. Cecilia church by the pastor Fr. Hugh Rauwolf, OFM Cap. on November 24th.  After attending St. Cecilia Grade School he entered St. Fidelis College and Seminary in Herman, PA in 1947.

A talented and capable athlete in his youth, Matthew turned down an offer to play professional baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the Cleveland Indians to enter the Capuchin Novitiate, where he received the religious name Angelus.  On July 14, 1950, Father Angelus professed his vows as a Capuchin Friar, making his perpetual profession three years later on July 14, 1953.  After receiving a Master’s Degree in Religious Education, Father Angelus was ordained a priest by Bishop John McNamara on June 4, 1955 in the Crypt Church of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

In his early years as a priest, Father Angelus served as the Director of the Secular Franciscan Order and directed retreats in the Pittsburgh area.   In October of 1966, Father Angelus volunteered to work as a missionary in Papua New Guinea (PNG). 

From 1966 to 1978 Father Angelus was spiritual director and teacher at the newly erected Saint Fidelis Seminary on the northern coast of the Madang Province.  In 1978 he was transferred to the Mendi Diocese in the Southern Highlands Province, and for the next two years did pastoral work among the people there. During the course of his ministry in Papua New Guinea Father Angelus with his friends and parishioners built 11 permanent churches and three bush churches. Using the propellers of left behind World War II planes, he lead teams of folks in establishing Stations of the Cross made beautiful with native flowers and plants. While ministering to the needs of the people of PNG, Father was privileged to baptize 1,227 men, women and children.

In the summer of 1980, Father was reassigned to Western Pennsylvania. Under the auspices of St. Fidelis Retreat Center, he conducted many parish missions and renewals, preached and directed retreats, accepted parish help-outs, days of recollection and appointments for personal individual counseling.

From 2001-2007, Father Angelus was stationed at EWTN in Birmingham, Alabama. There he served as Minister General to the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word. Father Angelus was happy to be a part of the apostolate of the Eternal Word Television Network where he was able to preach to 268 million households in more than 145 countries throughout the world.

In 2007 Father returned to Pittsburgh where he served as the National Executive Director of the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers until the time of his death.  After circling the globe four times and traveling thousands of miles over barely navigable terrain, Father delighted in characterizing his present ministry as “the good life — a taste of the hundredfold here on earth.”

Fr. Angelus was blessed with many devoted and helpful friends. Father Angelus’s interest in the spiritual life led many to seek him out for spiritual guidance. He loved being in the company of his friends and family, who were always ready to attend to his needs. In his last days he preferred the company of his visitors to the easement of his pain, foregoing medication so that he would be able to converse with those who came to see him.

May this faithful servant of Christ now take his rest in the eternal fullness of the hundredfold, the taste of which so delighted him in work that only Sister Death could part him from it.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.