A funeral Mass for Father Gerald F. West, a longtime chaplain to the Franciscan Sisters, was to be offered Aug. 18 at Clare Court Convent Chapel in Baltimore.
Father West died Aug. 15 at the age of 76. He had been a chaplain to the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, (Milwaukee) in Baltimore for more than 40 years. The sisters were an integral part of his ministry.
“Despite the three coronaries and advancing age (75), I still feel young inside although I have definitely lost stamina,” Father West told officials at the Archdiocese of Baltimore. “My doctor is surprised that I have lasted this long. All in all, God has been very good to me by blessing me with a good intellect and happy assignments.”
Father West attended St. Charles College and St. Mary’s Seminary and University on Paca Street.
Ordained in 1959 at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Homeland, Father West served as an associate pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Essex and St. Anthony of Padua in Gardenville. The Baltimore native was a longtime member of the archdiocesan tribunal, serving as an auditor, advocate, judge and delegate judge.
He retired in 1993 and is survived by several family members.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in Father West’s name to The Franciscan Sisters at the Clare Court Convent, 3725 Ellerslie Ave., Baltimore, MD 21218.