Longtime priest served for decades as pastor of St. Joseph in South Lyon, St. Genevieve-St. Maurice in Livonia
LIVONIA — Fr. Howard Vogan, the longtime pastor of St. Genevieve-St. Maurice Parish in Livonia and St. Joseph Parish in South Lyon, is remembered as a devout pastor who celebrated Mass with reverence and always ensured his parish was on sound footing.
Fr. Vogan combined reverence for the Mass with a personal preaching style that attracted people to go deeper in their relationship with God, said Mark Snitchler, a parishioner of St. Genevieve-St. Maurice who first met Fr. Vogan in 1998.
“He was very kind and warm when I first met him. I was coaching kids soccer, and we bought these little nets and were on the church lawn practicing. I remember Fr. Vogan would look out the rectory window and see us practicing, so he’d come out and watch us play and was just very personable,” Snitchler said.
A longtime priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Fr. Vogan passed away Oct. 29. He was 82.
Fr. Vogan was born May 9, 1943, in Toledo, Ohio, and was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John F. Dearden on June 7, 1969. His first assignments were serving as an associate pastor at St. Rita Parish in Detroit (1969-72) and St. Regis Parish in Bloomfield Hills (1972-76).
In 1976, Fr. Vogan was given his first pastoral assignment at St. Joseph Parish in South Lyon, where he ministered for 22 years.
In 1998, Fr. Vogan was assigned to St. Genevieve Parish in Livonia, where he served until he was granted senior status in 2020. Fr. Vogan was made the pastor of St. Maurice Parish in 2006 in addition to his duties at St. Genevieve, and in 2012, he was named pastor of the merged St. Genevieve-St. Maurice Parish.
Snitchler said parishioners from both St. Genevieve and St. Maurice appreciated the way Fr. Vogan handled the parish merger. He had parishioners from both communities on the parish council and was always up front with parishioners about the financial state of the parish and the needs when it came to church maintenance.
“He was very conservative when it came to the finances. When he tackled things like the parking lot or church lighting, he would plan ahead and spend the money for upkeep so it would last longer,” Snitchler said. “He was a good communicator about the state of our parish, fundraising and where the money was going; he did a good job informing us about where everything stood.”
Snitchler also recalled the devout manner in which Fr. Vogan would celebrate Mass, encouraging parishioners to embrace a sense of reverence when they were in church.
“He was very conservative in his approach to how he’d preach and celebrate Mass,” Snitchler said. “But on Wednesdays, we would have children’s Masses with the school kids, and during the homily, he would leave the ambo and would come down the aisle with his microphone.
“Sometimes it would be him by himself, and sometimes he’d come down with the deacon,” Snitchler added. “He was just so personal and inviting. I know the kids got a charge out of it. I remember telling him, ‘Father, I like this way of preaching; you should do it more on Sunday.’ And he’d just give me a smile.”
Fr. Vogan was granted senior status on July 1, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 social gathering restrictions, making it impossible for the St. Genevive-St. Maurice community to throw Fr. Vogan a retirement party.
In any case, the humble priest would have been embarrassed to have such an event planned in his honor, Snitchler said. When planning his funeral with close friends and confidants, Snitchler said, Fr. Vogan didn't expect many people would come.
“He touched a lot of people’s lives, but when he was talking about his funeral — he was in hospice and knew his days were coming to an end — and he guessed there would be 14 or 15 people who would come,” Snitchler said.
Fr. Vogan's funeral was celebrated Nov. 6 at St. Genevieve-St. Maurice Parish, and "I'm pretty sure we had somewhere around 350 people there," Snitchler said, “including the cross-bearer for the Mass who was an altar server from St. Joseph’s in South Lyon."
"There were so many people there sharing how much Fr. Vogan meant to them,” Snitchler said. "He was a big proponent of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, so that’s what we said at the end of his funeral Mass."
Fr. Vogan's impact and legacy can be seen all around St. Genevive-St. Maurice Parish, Snitchler added.
“Fr. Vogan really left his mark on the parish, no matter where you look around,” Snitchler said. “When we got our new priest, Fr. Tom (Wilisowski), he continued the strong Marian devotions Fr. Vogan had started, reciting the St. Michael prayer after Mass, and continuing that legacy of devotion Fr. Vogan instilled in all of us.”
After the funeral Mass, Fr. Vogan was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield.
Fr. Vogan is predeceased by his parents, Howard and Margaret Vogan; his sister, Margaret “Meg” Vogan; nephew, Scott Vogan; niece, Rachel Vogan; and grandnephew, Hayden Vogan. He is survived by his sister, Dolores Onnenga (the late Harry Onnenga), as well as many nieces and nephews.
