January 2, 1986
Father Reilly was born on December 16, 1914 in Buffalo, NY and studied for the priesthood at the Little Seminary, Buffalo, NY; St. Anthony Monastery, Butler, NJ; and Holy Name College, Washington, DC where he was ordained a Franciscan priest on June 9, 1941. Before coming to the Diocese of Wichita in 1956 he was a university professor, a retreat master, and a pastor. In Wichita he was an assistant at All Saints Parish and Blessed Sacrament in Wichita. He worked in Latin America three times: in Peru with the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle; in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, at St. Augustine Parish; and in Mexico with the Latin American Mission Program. When not in Latin America he was pastor of St. James Parish, Augusta and Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Newton. He retired in 1983 and died on January 2, 1986 at seventy-one years of age. Bishop Gerber was principal celebrant of Fr. Reilly’s funeral at St. Mary’s Cathedral and noted in his homily, “more than any other characteristic, he had God’s concern for the poor.” (The Catholic Advance, Jan. 19, 1986) Father Reilly was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Lackawanna, NY.