Father Bernard E. Toal, 101, of the Columban Fathers, Ferry Road, Bristol, died peacefully on Nov. 14 at St. Elizabeth’s Manor. He was a Columban Missionary priest for nearly 73 years.
Born …
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Father Bernard E. Toal, 101, of the Columban Fathers, Ferry Road, Bristol, died peacefully on Nov. 14 at St. Elizabeth’s Manor. He was a Columban Missionary priest for nearly 73 years.
Born in Philadelphia, Penn., he was the son of the late Bernard Edward and Alice Elizabeth (Walsh) Toal. In addition to his Columban missionary priest colleagues, he is survived by his sister-in-law, Mrs. Selma Toal of Gloucester City, NJ; nieces, nephews and numerous cousins.
Father Toal attended St. Columban’s Minor Seminary in Silver Creek, NY. He then entered the Columban Fathers spiritual program in Bristol, and completed his theological studies at St. Columbans, NE. He was ordained on Dec. 18, 1943 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Buffalo, NY. His first assignments were in the Southwestern US, where he served parishes in Redlands, Calif., and Douglas, AZ. When the Second World War ended, he was appointed to the Philippines, where he taught high school students on the island of Mindanao.
In 1952, he was appointed as Spiritual Director and Bursar of the St. Columban’s Seminary in Bristol. In 1957, he became Director of Probationers, a position he held until 1968 when he was reassigned to Peru, where he worked in the port city of Callao. Upon returning from Peru in 1978, he ministered at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Westminster, Calif., Immaculate Conception Parish in Las Crues, NM, and Immaculate Conception in Grand Prairie, Texas. He was then assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Fontana, Calif., his last pastoral assignment.
Friends and family gathered in Bristol last year to mark Father Toal’s 100th birthday. Thanks to his gentle spirit and genuine interest in all those who crossed his path, Father Toal touched the lives of a great number of people and maintained personal contact with many of them for several decades up to the end of his life.
All are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, Nov. 18, 10:30 AM at the St. Columban’s Chapel, 65 Ferry Road, Bristol. Calling hours are Thursday in the Chapel, 7-8:30 p.m.
Arrangements are by the George Lima Funeral Home. www.limafh.com.