Sept. 13, 2017

Plattsburgh –  A Mass of Christian Burial for Father Patrick W. Mundy, 79, was held Sept. 8 at St. John the Baptist Church. Bishop Terry R. LaValley presided with  priests of the diocese concelebrating.

Father Mundy died Sept. 4 at Meadowbrook Healthcare; burial was in Mount Carmel Cemetery.

Father Mundy was born Dec. 6, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of the late William and Mary (Toman) Mundy. He graduated from Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn in 1956 and entered the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Washington, D.C., in 1961. He completed studies for the priesthood at the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels in Albany.

Bishop Thomas A. Donnellan ordained Father Mundy as priest for the Diocese of Ogdensburg at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg May 28, 1966.

His first assignment was as assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Cathedral for one year until he began his ministry to Catholic Charities where Father Mundy spent 14 years of his priesthood.

In 1967, he was named assistant secretary of Catholic Charities in charge of the Watertown office.  He continued his education from 1969 to 1971 at the Fordham University School of Social Science and then was named director of the Plattsburgh Catholic Charities office, a position he held until 1981.

Catholic Charities announced earlier this year that Father Mundy, along with Msgr. Joseph G. Aubin, would be the 2017 recipients of the Caritas Award. Father Mundy will receive the honor posthumously.

While working for Catholic Charities, Father Mundy also served in a number of parishes, as assistant pastor at St. Paul’s Church in Black River, St. Anthony’s Church in Watertown, St. John’s Church in Plattsburgh and St. Mary’s of the Lake Church in Plattsburgh and as administrator of St. Louis of France Church in Sciota, St. Joseph’s Church in Coopersville, the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Keeseville, St. Alexander’s Church in Morrisonville, St. Joseph’s Church in Treadwell Mills.

In 1981, Father Mundy was named pastor of St. Paul’s Church in Bloomingdale and its mission, the Church of the Assumption in Gabriels.

In 1993-94, he served as administrator at St. Mary’s in Potsdam and at the Newman Center in Plattsburgh before becoming a missionary in the Ogdensburg Peruvian Apostolate. He was an associate pastor and then pastor of St. Martin de Porras Parish in Mollendo, Peru from 1995 until the mission was returned to Peruvian control in 2003.

Upon his return to the diocese, Father Mundy served as pastor at St. Brendan’s Church in Keene and St. Margaret’s Church in Wilmington.

From 2006 to 2008, he was pastor of St. John’s Church and St. John XXIII Newman Center in Plattsburgh.

Father Mundy served the diocese as Vicar for Religious, dean of Adirondack deanery and as a member of the Council of Priests.  He was also a spiritual advisor for Cursillo and was involved in prison ministry and with the Knights of Columbus.

He is survived by his twin sister, Ann “Nancy” Raimondi of Queens, New York; a sister-in-law, Helen T. Mundy (nee Boyle) of Florida, and nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was predeceased by his parents and his brothers; William Mundy, Gerard Mundy, Harold Mundy, and Francis Mundy, several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Memorial donations may be made to Catholic Charities, 6866 State Highway 37, Ogdensburg, N.Y., 13669.

Rest in peace, Father Pat Mundy

Mary Lou Kilian
Editor/General Manager

Father Patrick Mundy “was a simple humble man, full of joy, full of charity.”

This message of condolence sent to the diocese from the current pastor of St. Martin de Porras Parish in Mollendo, Peru, would surely be echoed by all who have known Father Mundy throughout the 51 years of his priesthood.

His charity and joy were on full display as he directed Catholic Charities offices in Watertown and Plattsburgh during the early years of his priesthood. As Catholic Charities celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2017, the decision to honor Father Mundy (along with Msgr. Joseph Aubin) with its prestigious Caritas Award was made months ago. Now the award will be given posthumously.

Father Mundy’s eight -year tenure as a missionary for the Ogdensburg Peruvian Apostolate began in 1995, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

In a reflection he wrote for the North Country Catholic in 2000, he said, “In Catholic school, the brothers always encouraged us to think about the plight of others, their needs and importance of the faith for people in their lives and in society…. I volunteered to be a missionary as a young priest and they said I needed more experience. Then I went into social work and finally later, with more experience, I volunteered myself when there was a need and here I am. The Lord is full of surprises.”

In the same article, Father Mundy wrote, “to be Catholic is to be interested in all people, to share with other people, most of all the gospel of the Lord.”

And that’s how Father Mundy lived his life. He shared the Good News with families who needed the services of Catholic Charities, with Peruvians, with his parishioners in parishes across the diocese, in Cursillo groups, in prisons.

In this week’s NCC, we are reminding readers of the important role that the Bishop’s Fund plays in the life of the diocese. High on the list of priorities, of course, is the education and continuing education of priests of the diocese.

How blessed we would be if every priest in our future responded to the needs of our church with the same love and generosity as Father Mundy.

Rest in peace, dear Father. You will be greatly missed.