Father Bernard Welch
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Bernard Welch, who died on May 14, 2024, at age 89, four days shy of his 90th birthday.
Father Welch was born May 18, 1934, in Portland, the son of Margaret Mary (O’Donnell) Welch Woods and stepson of Owen Francis Woods.
He was a 1952 graduate of Cheverus High School in Portland and then joined the U.S. Air Force, serving at Loring Air Force Base, while raising money for college.
He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Maine and then a master’s degree in legislative affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., followed by advanced studies at the University of Colorado.
He worked at the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst, at Pan American World Airways as the manager of public affairs, and with the United States Secretary of Transportation as an aviation congressional relations officer.
Father Welch said he had long felt a call to the priesthood, and at age 43, he finally decided to act on it, taking time off from his job to enter Pope John XXIIII Seminary in Weston, MA. He never went back. He received a Master of Divinity degree from the seminary and was ordained a priest there by Bishop Amadée Proulx, bishop of Portland, on May 2, 1981.
His assignments in the Diocese of Portland included serving in Cape Elizabeth, Brewer, Lubec, Portland, and Caribou, an assignment that included serving as chaplain at Loring Air Force Base. He became an Armed Forces chaplain, serving members of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine for 28 years before retiring from active and reserve military service.
In 1991, Father Welch awarded a Navy Achievement Medal from the Department of the Navy for his work assisting families impacted by Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Funeral Services
May 28, 2024 - Reception of the body and evening prayer at 4 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 39 Pleasant Street in Brunswick, with Father Philip Tracy presiding. Fr. Welch’s visitation will continue till 7:00 p.m.
May 29, 2024 - A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Bishop James Ruggieri at 10 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 39 Pleasant Street in Brunswick. Burial will follow with military honors at St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Brunswick.
