SAN DIEGO — Msgr. Raymond Kirk, a retired priest who ministered for many years in the Diocese of San Diego, died July 1 in Wildomar, in Riverside County. He was 90.
Born in Chicago, Msgr. Kirk was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of San Diego on March 19, 1959, at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
Ordained at a time when the Diocese of San Diego also included San Bernardino and Riverside counties, he served as pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Riverside, St. Joseph Parish in Barstow, St. Francis de Sales Parish in Riverside, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in San Diego, and St. John of the Cross Parish in Lemon Grove.
From 1962 to 1963, Msgr. Kirk served on the faculty of Marian Catholic High School, whose legacy continues today at Mater Dei Catholic High School.
Made a monsignor in 1985, he also served as director of the Diocese of San Diego’s Office for the Missions, from 1997 until his retirement.
In 2003, Msgr. Kirk was diagnosed with macular degeneration, which made him legally blind. He retired and relocated to Sun City. With the assistance of guide dogs, he continued to exercise his priestly ministry.
Msgr. Kirk’s second guide dog, Buster, attended his funeral Mass in a harness.
As late as June 23 of this year, eight days before his death, he celebrated Sunday Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Sun City.
“Father Ray took all of this in stride, and I think he probably realized that this was God’s will for him to minister this way,” Patricia Erzinger, past president of Casa de los Pobres USA, said of his vision problems.
She recalled Msgr. Kirk as a generous contributor to her nonprofit, which was founded to support the work of the Tijuana-based Casa de los Pobres, an urban relief center that provides food, clothing and other essentials to the local poor.
“He had a beautiful smile. He welcomed everyone. When you first met him, it was sort of like you’ve known him all your life,” she said.
“Everybody will (miss him) … because he was just such a wonderful, wonderful man,” she said.
Msgr. Donald Webber, a retired priest of the Diocese of San Bernardino, was a longtime friend of Msgr. Kirk’s. The two men lived together for the past 21 years in their retirement.
“We’ve been friends through all the years, back to the seminary days,” said Msgr. Webber.
The priesthood was “the heart of who he was,” he continued. “He loved being a priest, pastor, confessor, missionary, or to raise his voice for justice for the poor — not just financially poor, but poor in human resources,” he said. “He enjoyed his many priest-friends, whether it was playing handball with late (Auxiliary) Bishop (Gilbert) Chavez once a week or concelebrating a Mass.”
A viewing was held July 13 at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, followed by the first of two funeral Masses. The second funeral Mass, which preceded an interment at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, was celebrated July 15 at St. John of the Cross Parish in Lemon Grove; Cardinal Robert W. McElroy was the principal celebrant.
