RIP Rev. Thomas Quinlivan

+Rev. Thomas J. Quinlivan
7th Pastor of St. Mary of the Angels Parish
 
Requiescat in Pace—Rest in Peace
 
With sad hearts we relay that Rev. Thomas J. Quinlivan, 7th Pastor of St. Mary of the Angels (1990-1997), went home to the Lord. “Remember your pastors who have spoken the Word of God to you.” (Hebrews 13:7) Let us pray for eternal rest for his soul. An exerpt from our Basilica history book covers a brief overview of his ministry in Olean.
 
From the Basilica history book …
Bishop Head assigned Father Thomas J. Quinlivan as seventh pastor of Saint Mary of the Angels. Already serving as parochial vicar under Monsignor Gallagher, his term began in January 1990 at a parish with a reported membership of 1,700 families. Upon his lap fell the unfortunate task of managing the parish now under immense debt from the unavoidable building renovation and art restoration in the late 1980s.
 
In a magnanimous gesture of his commitment to the stewardship of the parish, Father Quinlivan donated the bulk of his life savings—$21,000—to help alleviate the debt burden. He said he was setting an example for others in the parish who would be asked to help pay off the $1 million loan plus interest on roof, steeple and foundation work that were necessary projects to save the historic church building. “I wouldn’t ask anybody to do anything I wouldn’t do,” he told The Buffalo News. “For me, it was something I could do.” 
 
This was Father Quinlivan’s first assignment as a pastor in the diocese. In the five years previous to his arrival in Olean, he had served as a priest in the Marynoll Associates Program in Riberalta, Bolivia. Earlier in his ministry, Father Quinlivan had served as chaplain of Saint Mary’s School for the Deaf and would often celebrate Mass in Olean mixing in sign language.
 
When tempted to remove some of the marble altar railing in the sanctuary—a common pastoral initiative at the time—he wisely listened to parishioner concerns and chose to let another era handle that question. Still to this day, all of the principle architectural elements in Emile Uhlrich’s design remain. 

Father Tom was a soft-spoken pastor who responded to challenges with gentleness, even under trying circumstances. He endeared himself to the parish community as one of those priests who could get choked up laying the infant Jesus statue in the Nativity creche during Midnight Mass. His sincerity and devotion were infectious. 
 
Fr. Thomas J. Quinlivan - 2025 - Cannan Funeral Hometributearchive.com
 
May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.