Montfort Alumni News
A place for Montfort Alums in the US to reminisce and keep up with old friends/confreres. See Blog Archive and Pages list below right. - To add a new post/pic to the blog, send a request to edilgen34@gmail.com; you will be added to the list of authors. - Click on pic to enlarge. Montfort Alumni Zoom at 7 PM Eastern time, usually on the third Sunday of the month. Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88504462751?pwd=OEdndFZYUjFQZnZ0YjdPcllaQnpKUT09
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Rev. John "Doc" McCann, SMM
Monday, September 2, 2024
Mark Kintzley RIP August 30, 2024

Mark A. Kintzley
Apr 25, 1942 - Aug 30, 2024Mark
A Kintzley was born to Francis and Marie Kintzley on April 25th 1942
and passed away peacefully on August 30th 2024. He was the fourth oldest
of 15 children.
He attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School, was in
the Seminary for 2 years and graduated from Fort Collins high school.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1964, served in Vietnam, received a Purple
Heart and was Honorably discharged in 1967.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his oldest brother Pat.
He
is survived by his wife Dolores (Dee) and his seven children: Mark II
(Joy), Steve (Cynthia), Cathy, Courtney (Nick), Alissa (Ryan), Kari and
Jack (Kaylee). He has 18 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild and numerous
nieces and nephews.
He had an immeasurable love of life, God and family.
A
viewing will be held at Bohlender Funeral Chapel in Fort Collins on
Wednesday, September 4th, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, followed by a
Rosary service at 6:00 pm. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph
Catholic Church in Fort Collins on Thursday, September 5th, 2024 at 9:30
am. Mark will receive a Graveside Service with Military Honors at
Cheyenne National Cemetery in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Friday, September
6th, 2024 at 11:00 .
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Pathways Hospice.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Deacon Don Zirkel RIP 1/23/2023
https://thetablet.org/deacon-donald-zirkel-former-editor-of-the-tablet-dies-at-95/
Don Zirkel, Bay Shore Alum, passed away in January, 2023. He was in the same class as Montfort Priests Gene Lynch, Pat Gaffney, Eddie McCarthy, Willie Vigliotta, Francis Crimmins and Deacon John McLeod. He left the community after novitiate year in Nicolet, Canada. I believe they were the last group of Americans to do novitiate there. No doubt they had an interesting and joyful reunion.
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Gerald Fitzsimmons SMM (Fitzie) - RIP
Reverend Gerald Joseph Fitzsimmons, S.M.M., a Montfort Missionary priest, died July 19, 2024 after a
Monday, July 8, 2024
John Breslin, SMM - RIP
ECHO MONTFORTAIN --- FR. JOHN BRESLIN, SMM
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Litchfield 1953 |
First Profession: September 15, 1950
Ordination: February 25, 1956
Death: July 5, 2024
John Breslin was born July 27, 1929 in South Ozone Park, NY. He was the son of John and Catherine Breslin. He did his Secondary Studies at Montfort Preparatory Seminary in Bay Shore, NY, followed by his novice year at Marybrook Novitiate in Hartford City, Indiana where he made First Profession on September 15, 1950. John proceeded to the Major Seminary in Litchfield, CT and was ordained to the priesthood there on February 25, 1956.
John’s desire always was to be a missionary, and –if possible – a medical missionary. After four years as teacher in the Minor Seminary at Bay Shore, in 1960 John was sent to the missions in Borneo, Indonesia where at that time some American Confreres were working with the Dutch Confreres. Then, in 1965 he was transferred to Haiti and in the mission post of Mole St. Nicolas, he consistently tried to offer simple, direct medical care to the poor. He organized groups of volunteer nurses and doctors to work at his
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in Haiti |
clinics, and strive to provide the best medical care possible under difficult circumstances. Finally, in 1984, at the age of 55, his dream came true: he was accepted into Medical School at San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. Graduating with his MD degree in 1988, “Doctor John” began to work as priest and medical doctor in the Dominican Republic and then again in Haiti, working in both hospitals and parishes.
After decades of missionary life “ad gentes” John returned to the United States, to our community at Bay Shore. From there he assisted at various parishes near and far, using his language gifts of French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish to minister to a broad section of immigrants new to the United States. These last few years, health concerns and age confined him to our Montfort Residence in Bay Shore. This was a great trial and sacrifice for “Father John”, the missionary who was always on the go, and for “Doctor John”, the physician who could no longer care for patients. Increasingly weighed down with various infirmities, he passed over to God and to his dear ones on July 5, 2024.
In many ways, Fr. John Breslin literally tried to carry out Jesus’ commission to his Apostles: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature…. In my name, they will speak new languages… they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover…” (Mark 16:15 – 18).
May the Lord Jesus now welcome his faithful servant into the joy of his Master!
From Brian Harrington:
He also set up a ski tow on the hill behind the garage-backyard. Skis were in short supply so nobody, except maybe John, did much skiing.
My keenest memory of him was the day before he was to leave Litchfield to go home and celebrate his first Mass in his home parish in Richmond Hill. Bright student that he was, he had no problem in the oral Scripture exam answering questions about the origin of biblical texts, many of which were traceable back to an early Hebrew translation often cited in our Scripture textbook as the LXX. He was breezing along until the professor, Floyd Marleau, SMM of happy memory, asked him "What is this LXX you keep mentioning?" John didn't know it referred to the seventy Hebrew scholars who created the LXX version from earlier manuscripts. That didn't need to be a big problem until John frankly (and somewhat prophetically) advised Father Marleau that he did not expect to be asked that question when he was working in the Misssions. Floyd did not appreciate that answer and John spent an extra day in Litchfield re-taking the oral Scripture exam.
I wonder if the question ever came up. In any case, John did become a certified MD and spent many years in the Missions, no doubt "smelling like the sheep".
"Well done, good and faithful....."
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Gil Daniell, BayShore, 1964 - RIP
Gilbert Daniell passed away at age 78, on April 4, 2022 in Ocala, Florida.