Msgr. George J. Brennan, a retired diocesan priest, died Jan. 31, 2016, at the age of 94.

He was born Sept. 13, 1921, in Lackawanna, to George J. and Bertha H. Brennan. He attended Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora and received a bachelor's degree from St. Bonaventure University. Later, he went on to receive a master's degree from Canisius College in Buffalo.

Msgr. Brennan was ordained on June 4, 1949, after which he began serving at St. Leo Parish in Raleigh, N.C. In 1950, he returned to the Diocese of Buffalo to serve as assistant pastor of All Saints in Buffalo from 1950-51, Mount Carmel in Niagara Falls from 1951-53 and St. Mary in Batavia from 1953-54.

In 1954, he was named administrator of Mount Carmel. In 1955, he became assistant pastor and administrator of St. Mary. He also served as a part-time chaplain of Veterans Hospital in Batavia.

In 1959, Msgr. Brennan briefly served as assistant pastor of St. Peter in Lewiston. That same year, he started serving in the same capacity at Holy Family in Buffalo, where he remained until 1967.

He then served for two years as chaplain of St. Mary's Manor in Niagara Falls, followed by a two-year term as assistant pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Hamburg.

In 1971, he returned to Holy Family to serve as the parish's pastor, during which he was named a monsignor in 1984. Msgr. Brennan retired in 1996.

He was also a chaplain of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and the Father Baker Council.

Msgr. Brennan was the uncle of Denise (Shaun) McKenzie and David (Marjorie) Switala, and the great-uncle of Christopher Switala and Dylan McKenzie.  

Visitation will be held at O'Connell Murphy Funeral Home, 2286 South Park Ave, Buffalo, from 3-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5.

Visitation will also be held from 10-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Our Lady of Charity - Holy Family site, 1901 South Park Ave., Buffalo, where the Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Bishop Richard J. Malone at 11:30 a.m. Bishop Donald W. Trautman, bishop emeritus of Erie, will be the homilist. Priests are invited to concelebrate and Deacons are invited to vest.

Burial will be in Annunciation Cemetery in Elma.