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Fr John Mason suffered a stroke in 1989, losing the power of speech, which made it impossible for him to continue his pastoral work in Mexico. He returned to Portsmouth after forty years on various assignments: chaplaincies to hospitals or convents, assistance to parishes and missions in the Bahamas, United States, and Mexico. He died on April 27, 1995 at a nursing home near Portsmouth, where he had been under care for about three years.
Fr John was born William Mason on December 23, 1920 in Superior, Wisconsin, before moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He began his postulancy in 1941 at Portsmouth, after graduating from Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He made his Simple Profession at St Anselm’s in Washington DC (along with Fr Aelred Wall), but did not make his Solemn Profession until January 1948.
His life contributed to the greater glory of God in more ways than one: his unswerving fidelity to his priesthood, his family’s loyal support, the understanding shown him by patient superiors, notably Bishop Paul Leonard Hagarty OSB of the Bahamas, the Benedictines of Cuernevaca until their dissolution in 1967, and at Esquipulas in Guatamala.
His devotion to the Church and his courageous attempts to serve Her people as well as his illness permitted was edifying and won the affection of many. Since his death, his relatives even claim to receive favors through his intercession, which is a comforting sign that he has found peace at last.
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