MADISON — A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Bernard Church, 2438 Atwood Ave., Madison, on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. for Deacon John (“Jack”) Kenneth Fernan, who died on October 27, 2019, at the age of 82 at the inpatient hospice unit at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison after a battle with cancer.
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison will celebrate the Mass, with Fr. Father Michael Radowicz, pastor of St. Bernard Parish, as homilist.
A visitation will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ryan Funeral Home, 2418 N. Sherman Ave., Madison, and on Thursday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. until the start of the Mass at St. Bernard Church.
Burial will take place at Resurrection Cemetery, Madison. A funeral luncheon will take place in the St. Bernard Church Hall after the Mass. To view and sign the guestbook, visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com
He was born on May 30, 1937, at St. Mary Hospital in Madison, the fourth youngest of 12 children of Thomas and Ann (Rubbert) Fernan.
He attended St. Bernard Parish School and East High School in Madison. He served in the Army from 1955 to 1957 and then entered the banking industry and married Joan (Hutton) Fernan in 1960, moving to Monroe, where they raised their children, Patrick (wife Lisa Bies Fernan) and Ann. He later worked in real estate and as a nursing home administrator.
Jack Fernan was an usher, reader, and server at parish Masses; a catechist; the president of the Holy Name Society; an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion to area hospitals; an active and strong supporter of pro-life, pro-family, and peace and justice causes; and a member of the National Advisory Committee of the U.S. Catholic Health Association for long-term care.
Deacon Fernan studied in the Diocese of Madison Permanent Diaconate Formation Program and was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Robert C. Morlino on July 23, 2004, at St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison.
Deacon Fernan assisted as a deacon at St. Raphael Cathedral Parish, Holy Redeemer Parish, St. Patrick Parish, and Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Madison. He assisted Bishop Emeritus William Bullock of Madison as master of ceremonies; assisted Fr. Lawrence Kieffer, the chaplain for the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison; and provided pastoral care to the incarcerated at the Dane County Jail, Madison.