Priest helped establish
pro-life movement in Toronto

The Toronto pro-life community is mourning the passing of a priest who was instrumental in getting the pro-life movement established in the city.

Father Patrick Joseph Gorman died in Toronto on Dec. 14 at the age of 86 after a brief illness. A priest of the Order of St. Basil, Gorman was a confrere of the late Father Tony Kelly in ensuring the newly formed Campaign Life organization (a forerunner to the current Campaign Life Coalition) had a place to hang its shingle in 1978 on property owned by the Basilians.

"The Basilian fathers allowed us to use their facilities, made generous donations and assigned us personnel," recalled current Campaign Life Coalition president Jim Hughes, in paying tribute to Gorman.

He also noted that Gorman always encouraged pro-lifers to put everything in the hands of God, and keep prayer as their primary focus, before they set out to do their work. "He helped ensure we stayed on the straight and narrow," he said.

In recent years, although he was less able to be involved, Gorman still offered regular words of encouragement and support, and offered suggestions for improving pro-life strategies and tactics. He also put the pro-life cause at the forefront of his prayer intentions, said Hughes.

When Linda Gibbons appeared in courtrooms to face some of numerous charges she has dealt with over the years for violating court-imposed "bubble zones" around certain Toronto abortuaries, Gorman could be seen, cane in hand, offering moral support by sitting in on the proceedings.

Gorman had a profound impact on youth. Despite retirement and advancing years, he was faithful in filling a pastoral gap by leading a Rosary group for young people that met at least weekly at St. Michael's College.

"He would pause between each decade and give students something to work on," recalled Sophia Hyginus, a Ryerson University student who was among about 50 young people attending the meetings. "He took everyone's name and phone number and called them periodically to see how they were doing. He took an active role in all the students' lives, even though he didn't have to."

Gorman also composed a pro-life song that was performed and recorded by the group. The extent of the affection the young people had for the priest was demonstrated by the fact that many of them attended his funeral at the Cardinal Flahiff Basilian Centre Chapel.

Gorman was born in Sudbury, Ont. After attending St. Michael's College for high school and university studies, he taught for a year in Detroit, Mich. before being ordained a priest in 1944. He then taught at St. Michael's College School for 20 years and was active in coaching hockey, football and debating there. In 1963, he was appointed the superior of the Basilians at St. Joseph's High School in Ottawa, before working in ministry at Madonna House in Combermere, Ont. between 1966 and 1973.

Along the way, his parish work included stints in Owen Sound and Windsor, Ont. and Lethbridge, Alta., in addition to a hospital chaplaincy in Vancouver. He retired to Toronto in 1994.