Fr. Thomas Fleming was the pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Gloucester from 1991 to 2002. He was much loved, and many of his former parishioners here still have very fond memories of him. He died last Dec. 23, at the venerable age of 80, at the Regina Cleri Residence in Boston. His funeral was held on Dec. 29, but since many Gloucester residents were unable to attend his funeral, a memorial Mass was held yesterday (Saturday, January 2) at St. Ann’s Church in Gloucester (one of the churches of Holy Family Parish).
A good number of people turned out for the service, and after the homily, the main celebrant, Fr. John Kiley (pastor of Holy Family), invited former parishioners and friends of Fr. Fleming to share some of their memories and experiences of him. The picture that emerged was one of a welcoming, caring pastor with a good sense of humor. His impact on the community remains even today, both in the hearts of the people of Gloucester and in the local cartography; a small road next to the former St. Peter’s Church bears his name.
May he rest in peace, and may the Lord reward him for his labors!
His full obituary can be found here. Photos graciously provided by John Wheeler.
Good Morning Gloucester 
He was a great Man/Priest. Believe it or not He made it fun to go to church. He was a to the piont and a no frills kind of guy. I got more out of his 30 min. Mass than any 45 min to an hour Mass ANYWHERE! and he always told a good joke just before the end of Mass so we could all leave with a smile on our faces. RIP My good friend. Thanks for all you’ve done for us.
LikeLike
Father Fleming was a great guy and a wonderful friend to my own father. We had some pretty interesting discussions, too!
LikeLike
Father Fleming was a one of a kind priest. Who else would start mass on Saturday afternoon by announcing the Red Sox score? God only knows 🙂 what would have happened if he was saying mass in the smart phone era!
LikeLike
Thank you so much for this expanded coverage of Fr. Fleming’s memorial. I felt his death notice in the GDT was SO inadequate,not mentioning how much he meant to us in Gloucester during his time here. he was much loved.
LikeLike