Josephite Father Harfmann, former pastor, dies at 77

    Josephite Father John G. Harfmann, who until a recent illness was pastor of Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish in New Orleans, died in hospice care Oct. 30 at St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore. He was 77 and had served as a Josephite priest for 49 years.
    Father Harfmann, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was the oldest of five children of John Harfmann and Anna Schubert Harfmann. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Joseph Seminary in Washington D.C. and was ordained to the priesthood on June 8, 1963.
    Father Harfmann served much of his career in Baltimore. During the civil rights disturbances of the 1960s, he appealed for calm solutions, which earned him the respect of the African-American community and city and archdiocesan officials.
    He served in Baltimore at St. Peter Claver and St. Pius V churches. He established a “Summer Program for Lively Learning” and “The Stations of the Cross for Children” to encourage pastoral outreach.
    He also worked as associate director of “Operation Champ,” a youth program.
    He was an editor of the Josephite Harvest magazine and director of the Josephite Pastoral Center. He held a supervisory role with the Pastoral Center even while in New Orleans. He was often a delegate or administrative member of the society government.
    He was assigned to New Orleans and served as pastor at Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish from 2008 until medical retirement. After Hurricane Katrina, Father Harfmann worked hard raising funds for food and shelter in support of emergency camps in northern Louisiana for the evacuees.
    Networking with other parishes and organizations throughout the country, he recruited people, clothes, food and the basics for survival. His assignment at Corpus Christi Church, itself heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina, involved trying to solve the dilemma of funding with FEMA over a now unusable school building. During this entire time, he served as Josephite consultor general.
    Father Harfmann also served in Mobile, Ala.; Washington, D.C.; Houston; Los Angeles and Church Point, La.
    He was buried Nov. 7 at New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore.