Owen McHugh Obituary

Father Owen was born in Oklahoma City on April 24, 1924 to Owen McHugh and Stella Sharnetsky. At age 3, with his mother and brother, he followed his father to Colorado Springs. Fr. Owen attended grade school at Corpus Christi and is a 1942 St. Mary’s High School graduate. He attended Denver’s St. Thomas Seminary from 1942-1944, and then again from 1946-1950. He attended Catholic University from 1944-1946, where he received his MA in Philosophy. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Urban J. Vehr in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on June 3, 1950. Fr. Owen’s first assignment was 10 years at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Denver. For the next 5 years, he was a chaplain at Denver’s Mercy Hospital. In 1965 he went to Greeley to be pastor of St. Peter’s and served as Catholic Campus Minister at the University of Northern Colorado. While there, he was appointed director of all campus ministries in the Denver Archdiocese, which included schools in Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, and Colorado Springs. In 1977 Fr. Owen took a year sabbatical in Berkeley, CA, and returned to his home town of Colorado Springs as co-pastor at Divine Redeemer for 2 years, and then pastor for the next 8 years. He was assigned in 1988 as Sacramental Minister at St. Francis of Assisi where he served for the next 12 yearsâ€"until his official retirement in 2000. Fr. Owen occasionally presided at masses at Benet Hill and heard confessions at various parishes in Colorado Springs. On June 3, 2008, he celebrated 58 years as a priest. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Robert, sister Elizabeth, brother-in-law Paul, and nephew Peter. He is survived by his sister Mary, and several nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., with a vigil at 7 p.m. on Sunday at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Fr. Owen on Monday, March 2, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, it is respectfully requested that donations be sent to the Diocese of Colorado Springs, or the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, Colorado Springs, CO.