April 9, 2007
Father John Curran
Father Curran was born in Ardra, Leitrim, Ireland, on May 13, 1929. He attended St. Peter’s College, Wexford, Ireland, where he was ordained for the Diocese of Wichita by Bishop James Stauton on June 6, 1954. He was one of six newly ordained priests who arrived from Ireland in the fall of 1954. Of the six, three were to go to the new Diocese of Dodge City and three would remain in the Diocese of Wichita. “Pictures of the six priests were placed in a hat. Wichita Monsignor John J. Butler doing the drawing, three pictures were pulled for the Eastern diocese—and the priests’ fate, and that of a multitude of people, was set.” (The Advance Register, Nov. 5, 1954) Fathers Curran, O’Hare and O’Keeffe were the three who stayed and served in the Diocese of Wichita. As an assistant Father Curran served at St. Patrick Parish, Wichita; Independence; and St. Patrick Parish, Parsons. As pastor he served in Yates Center, Fort Scott, Chase, Cunningham, and Caney. Father Curran later served as administrator of St. Agnes Parish, Castleton; and as an assistant pastor at St. Mary Parish, Newton; Independence; and Garden Plain. He was also Vicar Forane of the Fort Scott Deanery. Father Curran retired on August 31, 1998, and was residing at the Priest Retirement Center in Wichita at the time of his death on April 9, 2007. Bishop Jackels was the principal celebrant and homilist of the Mass of Christian Burial in the St. Elizabeth Chapel at the Catholic Care Center. Father Curran was buried in Ascension Cemetery in Wichita.