By Anna Weaver | Hawaii Catholic Herald

Msgr. William Mattimore, a retired military chaplain who spent the last 15 years of his priesthood serving parishes in Hawaii, died of cancer on Sept. 29 in his home state of Massachusetts. He was 81 and a priest for 56 years.

Msgr. Mattimore was a priest of the Diocese of Worcester in central Massachusetts, but had been assigned to Hawaii since 1992. He retired as administrator of St. George Parish in Waimanalo last summer for health reasons and had been living in his family home in Shrewsbury, Mass.

Father Bill, as he was known to his parishioners, was described as a humble, generous priest and a great listener.

Jesuit Father David Travers, administrator of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Honolulu, knew the monsignor for 25 years and described him as a loyal friend.

“He was an excellent priest,” he said. “He took care of his people, and they came first.”

St. George secretary Eva Marie DeMotta said he was genuinely concerned about his parishioners, whether it was visiting all the religious education classrooms on Sunday or greeting people as he processed in and out of Mass.

“He was so good with people,” she said. “And he would remember you. If you weren’t in Mass that weekend and he saw you later, he’d ask, ‘Where were you?’”

St. George built a parish hall in 2001 thanks mostly to Msgr. Mattimore, who spearheaded its fundraising efforts, but in his typical fashion he gave all the credit to others. As a show of thanks, parishioners renamed the hall the “Father Bill Gathering Place” in a dedication ceremony and party on Aug. 26.

St. George parishioner Pua Hofbauer recalled how the priest called from the mainland that day to talk to everyone at the gathering. “The truth is, without Father Bill, we would not have that gathering place,” she said. “We’d still have a grassy parking lot.”

Msgr. Mattimore and his family also established the Mary Lou Scholarship Fund four years ago with money left by his cousin Mary Lou to help send parish children to Catholic schools.

Mattimore was ordained on June 24, 1951, and served as an Air Force chaplain for 35 years, including a year at a Thailand military base during the Vietnam War. Less than a year after retiring in 1991, his friend and seminary classmate, Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario, asked him to come and work in Hawaii.

Msgr. Mattimore served as associate pastor at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, and Holy Trinity Parish. He was administrator at St. Roch Parish and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish before arriving at St. George Parish in 1997. Msgr. Mattimore was also a past diocesan vicar for Windward Oahu.

He was named a monsignor in 2001, but he would cringe a little, Hofbauer said, if anybody called him anything but Father Bill.

“He was just a very humble man, and he would never take credit for anything,” she said. “Father Bill was generous of everything he had, generous of his time, and passionate for the Lord.”

Hofbauer said that a personal remembrance she has of her parish priest was of him helping her mentally challenged brother prepare for and receive Confirmation several years ago.

She said previous pastors didn’t think her brother would be able to comprehend the sacrament enough to receive it. “Father Bill said, ‘We’ll work with the Holy Spirit, and I’m sure he can,’” Hofbauer said. “And [my brother] did. He got it.”

Hofbauer and fellow parishioner Carol-Louise Carper had planned to visit Msgr. Mattimore in January 2008. But, “being the thoughtful New Englander” that he was, he told them to come when the weather was better and they changed their trip to leave on Sept. 30.

When he died the day before they were to depart, Hofbauer and Carper instead became the St. George parish representatives at his funeral. Father Travers also planned to fly to Massachusetts to represent the Diocese of Honolulu at the funeral.

Msgr. Mattimore’s funeral Mass was scheduled for Oct. 3 at St. Mary Parish in Shrewsbury with the bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, Robert McManus, presiding. Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva prepared a letter to be read aloud at the service.

Msgr. Mattimore had been planning a December visit to Hawaii. He had always hoped to someday return to St. George. His parishioners are planning a memorial for their longtime friend.