Funeral Mass will be celebrated March 23, 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Claremont, for Msgr. William J. Barry, pastor emeritus and a major figure in the local priesthood for more than 60 years, who died at home in Newport Beach March 18. He was 87.

Cardinal Roger Mahony will preside at Msgr. Barry's funeral Mass, the morning after a rosary vigil (7:30 p.m.) at the parish Msgr. Barry shepherded for 31 years until his retirement in 1994. A former officer with Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc. Msgr. Barry was a member of the agency's emeritus board at the time of his death, and was involved with numerous parish and diocesan outreach and educational efforts, both as an active and "retired" priest.

"The death of Monsignor William J. Barry brings to a close a great era of priest-leaders of Catholic Charities in those years when several priests served in the various Catholic social service programs at the same time," said Cardinal Mahony. "Monsignor Barry served in this field of the Church's outreach along with many distinguished brother priests --- all now deceased --- such as Bishop William Johnson, Monsignor Patrick Languille, Monsignor Robert Stein, Monsignor Patrick O'Brien, Monsignor Martin Slaught and others.

"Monsignor Barry lived out each and every day of his 63 years of priesthood with a special joy, an enthusiasm, and a spirit --- all of which were so contagious and life-giving to everyone whom he served with such distinction, zeal and commitment."

William Joseph Barry was born in Akron, Ohio on April 21, 1919 --- the middle of five brothers (Robert, David, Theodore and John) --- and moved with his family to Southern California in 1927. He graduated from San Marino-South Pasadena High School and went to UC Berkeley for one year; attended St. Thomas Seminary in Denver; and matriculated to St. John's Seminary, Camarillo, as a theology graduate student in 1939.

He was ordained by Bishop John J. Cantwell at the Cathedral of St. Vibiana on May 28, 1944. He served as an associate pastor at St. Joseph Church in Santa Ana until 1945 and then was assigned to St. Mary Church in Los Angeles through 1950.

In his early 30s, he was appointed to the Catholic Welfare Bureau (now Catholic Charities of Los Angeles) as director of the Long Beach-Orange County area. In 1956, he was named assistant director of the Bureau, overseeing services for the Los Angeles Central region. During this time, he also served as assistant chaplain at the USC Newman Club and province chaplain for the Southern California Newman Programs. He was appointed to the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission's Executive Committee in 1958, and was later elected president of the Commission in the mid-1970s.

He was named pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Claremont in July 1963, and led his new parish community through the changes adopted by the Second Ecumenical Council --- "from the quiet Church to the singing Church," he said. He was responsible for acquiring adjoining property which enabled the school and parish to expand. The school doubled in size when a second building was completed in 1965 and staffed by nuns from the Felician Order who took up residence in a newly-renovated convent. Father Barry also instituted a youth group and youth Mass in the early 1970s.

A good singer, Father Barry would often regale parishioners with his favorite song, "You'll Never Know [how much I love you]," following church social functions. Parish school alumna, Julie Ambord, remembers his gentleness and kindness during school visits when he often spoke of the importance of love. Her mother, Elizabeth Ambord, 73, a parishioner for 45 years, called The Tidings to share memories. "His whole life was centered in love. That's what he talked about the most," said Ambord, who also admired the love and devotion he extended to his father and four brothers.

Father Barry, who in 1969 was named a monsignor on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of his ordination, was instrumental in organizing the program for Pastoral Studies for Priests and was appointed chairman. In 1970, he was appointed archdiocesan director for the Campaign for Human Development. In 1971, he was elected the first president of the newly organized Senate of Priests for the archdiocese.

The popular priest was honored in 1972 with an appointment as "pastor in residence" at the North American College in Rome for one year where he taught third and fourth-year students preparing to take up pastoral work in their home parishes. Along with three Southern California priests taking graduate classes in Rome at the time --- Msgr. Thomas Welbers (current pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption), Msgr. Justin Rigali (now Cardinal of Philadelphia) and Msgr. Helmut Hefner (St. John's Seminary rector) --- he was a co-founder of the "California Club."

"We were amazed to find 50 California priests in Rome, from students to a superior general. Every Saturday night, 12 or 15 of us would gather at my room and walk to some trattoria for dinner," Msgr. Barry told The Tidings upon his return to Los Angeles. Before leaving Rome, he was personally thanked by Pope Paul VI for "taking a year away from home" to work with American seminarians.

Once home, Msgr. Barry resumed his duties as pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption, executive director of the Cardinal McIntyre Fund for Charity and diocesan director/Western States Region representative of the Campaign for Human Development. He served on the executive committee for the priests' Senate for two years and agreed to serve a second time on the Board of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations as a member of the Housing and Employment Committees.

In 1975, he was honored with the title, "Prelate of Honor." That same year, he served as coordinator of the archdiocesan Bicentennial Committee and was coordinator of "605," a parish cluster of pastors in the east San Gabriel Valley.

During the mid-1970s, parishioners sponsored Vietnamese refugee families who formed the nucleus of a growing community that has celebrated a regular Mass in Vietnamese since 1979. In the mid-1980s, Msgr. Barry led the parish through a discussion and decision about whether the community should become a "sanctuary" for refugees from Central America which raised awareness of peace and justice issues. About that time, a regular Sunday Mass for the Spanish-speaking was initiated.

During the 1980s, Msgr. Barry participated in interreligious activities, served as the Catholic representative on the Religious Services Committee for the 1984 Olympics, and also was a member of the Ethics Committee of the Governor's Task Force on Race, Ethics, and Violence.

In 1985, Archbishop Roger Mahony asked Msgr. Barry to head up the Convocation, a year-long consultation process eliciting parishioner responses on the needs and potentials of the church. Nearly 1,000 elected delegates then voted on goals and objectives based on recommendations from the five regional convocations listed in a 50-page book.

"This is the greatest consultation with the laity that has occurred in the 50-year history of the archdiocese," Msgr. Barry told The Tidings on the eve of the historic convocation Nov. 1-2, 1986 at LMU. The convocation process was a forerunner of the Archdiocesan Synod that was convoked in 2000 and in 2003 issued a series of pastoral initiatives, priorities and strategies to guide the archdiocese in its service to the Church and community of Los Angeles.

Msgr. Barry received two other awards in the late '80s: the Papal Decoration of Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and, in 1988, he was honored by the Holy Father by being raised to the highest level of Monsignor, Protonotary Apostolic. When he retired in 1994, he had completed 50 years of laudatory service as a priest for the archdiocese.

In 1994, Msgr. Barry celebrated three milestones: his 75th birthday, his golden jubilee as a priest, and his retirement after 31 years as pastor of OLA. The parish dedicated the new Msgr. William J. Barry Center for Education and Parish Life in 1995.

Msgr. Barry is survived by his brother, David, sisters-in-law Mary and Lorna, and numerous nieces/nephews and grand-nieces/nephews, all of whom he baptized. In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to make donations to Catholic Charities of Los Angeles or the Building Fund of Our Lady of the Assumption Church.