Monsignor Ray Mullan, gentle priest and talented musician and author, dies at 88
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Monsignor Raymund Mullan. (courtesy photo/Msgr. Mullan)
Father Ed Hopkins, then a transitional deacon, met Monsignor Raymund Mullan in June 2022, in the sacristy of St. Patrick Cathedral as he helped vest the priest ahead of the Mass in celebration of 60 years as a priest.
The two developed a close friendship the next year when Fr. Hopkins was assigned as parochial vicar to St. Jude Parish in Mansfield, where Msgr. Mullan assisted in his retirement.
Now pastor of St. Brendan Parish in Stephenville, Fr. Hopkins remembers the wisdom Msgr. Mullan accumulated in his decades of priesthood and shared with the new priest in their weekly lunches. Advice on homilies, confession, the importance of a pastoral council — the experienced priest shared his insights over lunchtime meals and evenings watching British comedies or listening to music.
“He loved the priesthood very much,” recalled Fr. Hopkins, who described Msgr. Mullan as gentle and full of mercy. “He was a good, holy priest and my best friend in Mansfield.”
Monsignor Raymund Mullan, priest, musician, and author, died on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at the age of 88. Msgr. Mullan was incardinated in the Diocese of Fort Worth on June 29, 1994, the 32nd anniversary of his priestly ordination in the Archdiocese of Pretoria, South Africa.
A vigil is scheduled on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. at St. Jude Church, 500 E. Dallas Street in Mansfield.
Bishop Michael Olson will preside at a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19 at St. Jude Church, followed by a graveside service at noon at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 2301 N. Sylvania Avenue in Fort Worth.
Msgr. Mullan was born on May 11, 1937, in Pretoria, South Africa, the third of four sons born to Bertram and Mynie Mullan.
He entered St. John Vianney Seminary immediately after high school and began his years of study and preparation for the priesthood.
Monsignor Mullan was ordained to the priesthood on the feast day of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29, 1962, in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pretoria.
In three decades of priesthood in his homeland of South Africa, he served as a parish priest, vocations director, chaplain at a maximum-security prison, and chaplain to the South African Defense Force during a time of war.
With permission from Archbishop George Daniel of Pretoria, in December 1989, Msgr. Mullan emigrated from South Africa with his parents to Texas, and in January 1990 he took up his first assignment in the Diocese of Fort Worth as associate pastor to Monsignor Charles King at St. John the Apostle Parish in North Richland Hills.
In July 1991, he was reassigned to Immaculate Conception Parish in Denton, and in October of that year, he was named pastor of St. Mary Parish in Graham and St. Theresa Parish in Olney.
On March 27, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed and named him “Prelate of Honor to His Holiness” and conferred on him the title of Monsignor.
Having served 23 years as pastor to St. Mary Parish in Graham and St. Theresa Parish in Olney, he retired from full-time priestly ministry on June 30, 2014, and moved to Mansfield where he was invited to stay in the old rectory of St. Jude Parish.
Even in retirement, Msgr. Mullan continued celebrating daily Mass at St. Jude Parish and glorifying the Lord through his hobbies of music and writing.
Xochitl Katramados, a St. Jude parishioner, said Msgr. Mullan would often “play amazing music” while she helped with chores at his residence. “He loved his piano; it brought so much joy to him.”
She accompanied the “humble, thoughtful” priest on errands, including shopping for his favorite treats of mangos, passionfruit juice, and chocolate.
“I thank God that he offered his life to become a priest, a sacrifice to help us become holy people the way God called us to be,” she said.
At a celebratory Mass on June 29, 2022, in honor of his 60th priestly anniversary, the music was composed by Msgr. Mullan himself — the Mass of Maria Regina, named for the parish in South Africa where he was first assigned, as well as the songs “Lord, Forgive Me” and “Ave Maria.”
On the occasion, Bishop Michael Olson noted, “The ministry of Msgr. Mullan as a priest has been marked by the peace of Christ amidst great tumult in society and the life of the Church. He came to this diocese as a faithful priest and kind pastor who very much brought with him a love and appreciation for the authentic priesthood of Jesus Christ during a stormy period of life in this diocese.”
Msgr. Mullan has written and memorized lengthy humorous poems for his brother and sister-in-law and their children. He has also written several plays, including “The Christmas Story” and “The Easter Story … Seven Years After.” He also wrote a set of meditations for The Way of the Cross.
When declining health necessitated a move to an assisted living facility, he ministered to his fellow residents by hearing their confessions, celebrating Sunday Mass, and anointing them, when requested.
As his health failed, “he leaned into his vocation, even in his frailty,” said St. Jude parishioner Greg Kunasek, who, along with his wife Sandra, frequently visited Msgr. Mullan.
In many of their last visits, Msgr. Mullan would choose which decade of the Rosary to pray, as a large portrait of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus hung by his bed. Making rosaries out of acorns was a hobby of Msgr. Mullan.
“He just kept marching on as a priest, even in his infirmity,” said Kunasek. “He had such joy and contentment in his vocation.”
Kunasek added that Msgr. Mullan showed “dignity in the face of death. He told me he was ready to meet the Lord face-to-face.”
Memorials in lieu of flowers may be given to the Priest Care Fund at the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, 800 W. Loop 820 S, Fort Worth, TX 76108 or to the Discalced Carmelites at Carmel of the Infant Jesus of Prague and St Joseph, 600 Flowers Ave, Dallas, TX 75211, where his great, great niece is a religious sister.