Deceased Friars
Dermot McMahon, OFM

1927 – 1972
Fr. Dermot McMahon, OFM, was born May 21, 1927 in Revere, Mass. He graduated from St. Joseph Seraphic Seminary, Callicoon, N.Y., and entered the novitiate at St. Bonaventure Friary, Paterson, N.J., in 1948. He professed temporary vows in 1949 and made his solemn profession in 1952. Fr. Dermot was ordained two years later.
He became a missionary and served in Bolivia and Puerto Rico. When he returned to the United States, he joined the Province’s Mission Band in Denver, and developed a strong connection with the Spanish-speaking people of the Midwest and Southwest. His determination to preach the Gospel took him into the military, where he received an assignment in Vietnam.
Fr. Dermot learned much as a missionary and a military chaplain, and he desired to learn more. Returning home, Fr. Dermot started working toward a degree in religious studies while maintaining his typical good humor and generosity. He never lost his interest in spreading the Gospel nor his love for people.
He died on Oct. 9, 1972 in Clifton, N.J. Fr. Dermot was 45 years old, a professed friar for 23 years and a priest for 18 years.