June 12, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Our Lord Jesus:
Peace and wellbeing to you in this special month dedicated to the divine love of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lord. It is in a spirit of gratitude and prayer that I share with you the news of the passing into eternal life of our dear brother, Reverend Monsignor Philip A. Behan, one of our retired diocesan priests and a founding pillar of our Diocese of San Bernardino. Msgr. Behan entered into the joys of the Kingdom on Saturday, June 8, 2024, on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, after enduring several months of declining health due to dementia. He died peacefully in the company of Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother and his caregivers at the special assisted living facility in San Bernardino that was his home since November of last year.
Philip Anthony Behan was born on September 21, 1944, in Abbeydorney, County Kerry, Ireland to William and Brigid (Healy) Behan. He attended elementary and secondary schools in Killahan, County Kerry, and Ballyvourney, County Cork, Ireland, and later attended the National University of Ireland and University College Dublin from 1964 to 1967, where he was awarded the Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors in Philosophy and Psychology. Hearing the call of Our Lord to serve as a missionary priest, he entered the Congregation of the Passion in 1963 and took his final vows as a Passionist brother in 1967. He attended the Archdiocesan Seminary at Clonliffe College, Dublin in affiliation with the Angelicum University in Rome, and he obtained the Bachelor of Divinity Degree. Fully committed to his vocation to the priesthood, he was ordained on December 19, 1970, for the Congregation of the Passion at Saint Bernard's Parish, Abbeydorney, County Kerry Ireland by Most Reverend Eamonn Casey.
As a Passionist missionary priest, Msgr. Behan immersed himself thoroughly into the pastoral life of the international needs of the Church in faraway South America. From 1971 to 1980, he served courageously as Pastor of Parroquia del Niño Jesus in the Diocese of Oviedo in Paraguay, South America. Surrounded by the wealth of nature of the forests, rivers, and waterfalls of Paraguay, he learned the native indigenous Guarani language as well as learning Spanish and Portuguese to minister to the diverse Catholic populations in that missionary land.
While on a visit to the newly established Diocese of San Bernardino in 1979, Msgr. Behan was impressed by the lively faith of the emerging Latino Catholic population in the Inland Empire. He saw the Diocese of San Bernardino as his new missionary priority and offered his services to Most Reverend Phillip F. Straling, founding Bishop of the new Diocese, who accepted Msgr. Behan into the Diocese in January 1980. Upon joining the Diocese of San Bernardino, Msgr. Behan served at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, San Bernardino as Parochial Vicar and St. Mary's Parish, Redlands as Pastor. He also assisted Bishop Straling in serving the needs of the growing Diocese by accepting the positions of Episcopal Master of Ceremonies and Administrative Assistant to the Office of the Bishop. In 1982, he was appointed as Chancellor and Vicar General of the Diocese and assisted Bishop Straling in overseeing the tremendous growth in ministries and pastoral offices of the Diocese. In November 1988, he was appointed Prelate of Honor to His Holiness, Saint Pope John Paul II, with the title of Monsignor, and later studied Canon Law at the Catholic University of America where he obtained the Licentiate in Canon Law (JCL) in June 1992. He served as a Judge on the Diocesan Tribunal from 1992 until his retirement in 2018.
Returning to full-time pastoral ministry to the Diocese in 1992, Msgr. Behan was a dynamic and forward-thinking Pastor for the next 26 years. He served as Pastor at Holy Family Parish, Hesperia (1992 to 1998), St. Theresa Parish, Palm Springs (1998 to 2010), and St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Loma Linda (2010 to 2018). He also served as Vicar Forane of the High Desert Vicariate and was a member of the Presbyteral Council, College of Consultors, and the Diocesan Personnel Board. In each of his parish assignments, he demonstrated great skill and leadership in building new church facilities, as seen in his work in relocating St. Mary's Parish in Redlands and in building the new Holy Family Parish, the largest parish church in the High Desert Vicariate. As a dedicated Pastor, he advocated for priestly vocations for the Diocese and was a strong supporter of lay ministry formation, parish health programs and Hispanic ministry. An avid reader of theological works and journals, he would frequently share the latest theological developments with his brother priests, especially in the areas of social justice ministry, Sacred Scripture, and pastoral practice in support of parishioners, always with a witty observation on how the Church needed to adapt to the changing times.
Msgr. Behan was granted retirement status in 2018 and remained very active in helping brother priests in the Hemet Vicariate with Sunday Masses, especially with Masses in Spanish, he was very supportive of his fellow retired priests staying in touch with them frequently. He was also very caring in staying in touch with his family in Ireland through his yearly visits back home. He is survived by his brothers James and Gerard. (His brother Joseph preceded him in death.) He is also survived by his nieces Rebecca, Rosemary, Catherine and Eimear, his nephew Enda, grand-nieces Olivia and Hannah, sisters-in-law Eileen and Geraldine, extended family, friends, and neighbors. In late 2023, he was diagnosed with dementia and received round the clock care at the Villas Assisted Living Center in San Bernardino until his peaceful passing into Eternal Life.
I invite my brother priests to join me in offering prayers for the repose of the soul of Msgr. Behan. As a Diocesan church we will honor his good memory by praying the Funeral Vigil on Thursday, June 20, 2024, at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, 2525 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino 92405 with viewing from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and the Vigil Service at 7:00 PM. I will preside at the Mass of Christian Burial to be held on Friday, June 21, 2024, at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, San Bernardino at 11:30 AM. The Rite of Burial will be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery, 3510 East Washington Street, Colton 92324 in the Bishops’ Circle immediately following the Funeral Mass. A reception will be held after the burial. I kindly ask my brother priests to offer the customary three Masses of suffrage for the eternal repose of our brother.
From the misty, verdant hills of Ireland to the lush forests of Paraguay and finally to the expansive territory of the Inland Empire, Msgr. Behan was a true missionary disciple, bringing the message of Our Lord's Gospel to countless generations and Continents. Now, Our Lord rewards him with his final missionary journey into the New and Eternal Jerusalem where he breathes the pure air of Heaven. May Our Lord grant him eternal joy and everlasting peace. "Well done, my good and faithful
servant. Come, share your master's joy." (Matthew 25:21).
May Our Lord bless you with the divine Love of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sincerely in Our Lord,
Most Reverend Alberto Rojas
Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino