Bishop Jaime Soto will preside at a funeral Mass for Father Michael McKeon, a retired priest of the diocese, on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. in St Rose of Lima Church, located at 615 Vine Ave. in Roseville. Father McKeon, who served as a priest of the diocese for 52 years, died on Nov. 23. He was 76.
Father McKeon served in parishes of the diocese from September 1965 to June 30, 2008, when he retired from active ministry and was named pastor emeritus of St. Rose of Lima Parish. From 2008 to 2017, he helped with assistance with Masses at various parishes in the diocese.
Upon his retirement in 2008, he told The Catholic Herald that his lifelong passion was social justice and that led him to the priesthood. “Peace and justice is a big component of what I have been doing in the process of my life,” he said. “It’s what I see the priesthood to be all about.”
Believing that the priesthood would be a challenging life, he attended seminary at All Hallows College in Dublin, Ireland, and was ordained for priestly service in the Diocese of Sacramento on June 20, 1965.
During his decades in active ministry, he led a rent strike in Suisun City in 1967, helped start Loaves and Fishes in Sacramento in the early 1970s, had a hand in the creation of the Cordova Food Locker in Rancho Cordova, and helped with the resettlement of refugees from other countries coming to the Sacramento area.
He served in a number of parishes in the diocese. He was assistant pastor of All Hallows Parish, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and Presentation parishes in Sacramento, Holy Cross Parish in West Sacramento, Holy Spirit Parish in Fairfield, St. Thomas More Parish in Paradise, St. John the Baptist Parish in Folsom and St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Vallejo.
He was pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Rancho Cordova from 1980 to 1990, parochial administrator of Immaculate Conception Parish in Downieville from 1992 to 1993, and pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Roseville from December 1997 to June 30, 2008.
During his 10 years as pastor at St. Rose, he encouraged his parishioners to lend their time, energy and resources to help others less fortunate in their community.
“A priest has the responsibility of empowering people,” he told The Herald. “When we integrate the sacred liturgy, education, the community of faith, and peace and social justice, it changes lives. It changes the world. That is the challenge of the faithful.”
Father McKeon was preceded in death by his parents John and Ellen McKeon, and a sister, Mary Ellen McGauran. He is survived by his brothers, Jim, Tom, Raymond and John.