Father Rinaldo Damian, a retired priest of the Diocese of Worcester, died Jan. 18. Bishop McManus will celebrate his funeral Mass on Jan. 25 in St. Joseph Basilica, Webster.
He was born Jan. 31, 1948, the son of Stanley C. and Rose S. Damian of Dudley.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the Boston Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in music from the New England Conservatory of Music before beginning studies for the priesthood at the Theological College in Washington, D.C., and St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore.
He also received a master’s and doctorate in liturgical music from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
He was ordained a priest on July 2, 1988, in St. Paul Cathedral by Bishop Timothy J. Harrington.
Following ordination, he was assigned as associate pastor at St. Anne Parish, Shrewsbury. He later served as associate pastor at Christ the King Parish, Worcester; temporary associate at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, Worcester; and associate at St. Louis Parish, Webster, and at St. Mary Parish, Uxbridge.
In 1997 he began part-time work as Catholic chaplain at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Providence, R.I. He later served as Catholic chaplain at the VA Medical Center in Miami, Florida, for 18 years before his retirement in August 2018, when he returned to the Diocese of Worcester.
Visitation will be held on from 10–11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 25, in St. Joseph Basilica, 53 Whitcomb St., Webster, followed by the funeral Mass to be celebrated by Bishop McManus at 11 a.m. Committal services will be held privately.
Please omit flowers. Donations may be made in his memory to the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of the St. Benedict Center, PO Box 1000, Harvard, MA 01451.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, 48 School St., Webster.
A guest book is available at
www.shaw-majercik.com where you may offer condolences, share fond memories, or light a candle in remembrance of Father Damian.