Deacon John Langmead, dedicated St. Rita’s pastoral life director, dies at 77

Deacon John Langmead, a former pastoral life director of St. Rita who used his business skills to strengthen the finances of the Dundalk parish, died April 14 of complications of lung cancer in Hemet, Calif. He was 77.

Because of a shortage of priests, the Archdiocese of Baltimore has sometimes enlisted deacons such as Deacon Langmead to take on the administrative duties of parishes. When Deacon Langmead started his role in 2006, parishioners were unsure how they would cope without a traditional pastor.

“We were so apprehensive, because of it being a pastoral life director, that was a completely new concept for us. But he fit right in,” said Lollie Dachille, who serves as a parish corporator at St. Rita. “And he did not neglect our spiritual needs. He made sure we had priests for Masses at all times.”

During his time at St. Rita, Deacon Langmead encouraged more lay people to become more involved. He often would tell his parishioners that he was only as good as his team.

A longtime accountant for NASA, Deacon Langmead became an efficient administrator for the parish, quickly getting St. Rita’s books in order, Dachille said.

“I had a sense that God had been preparing me for this my whole life although I didn’t know it. I had much to learn about being a [pastoral life director], but I knew I was in the right place,” Deacon Langmead wrote in a newsletter to his fellow Baltimore deacons in 2010.

Bill Perry, another St. Rita’s corporator, said Deacon Langmead was known for his unflagging dedication to St. Rita.

“He was always there,” Perry said. “He was there for every Mass. He did really good sermons, and he was just a really great guy. He was just so interested in the parish.” 

Deacon Langmead was ordained in 1999 and previously served at his home parish, St. William of York in Baltimore. After several years as pastoral life director, Deacon Langmead left St. Rita in 2012, moving to California to be closer to his sons.

While at St. Rita, Deacon Langmead started a church group, “The Disciples of John,” to discuss Bible readings, Dachille said. The group still meets today and during the pandemic invited Deacon Langmead back to the group via Zoom.

“We were very happy to stay in contact with him for that,” Dachille said.

Deacon Langmead earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Baltimore in 1966. He later earned a master’s degree in applied behavioral studies from The Johns Hopkins University in 1990.

Dachille said while Deacon Langmead was well-liked, he had one pet peeve that always made the parishioners laugh. The deacon discouraged socializing right before Mass, encouraging people to pray and meditate rather than chat with their neighbors.

“We’d like to think that he’s in heaven right now and he’s making sure nobody’s talking in church before Mass,” Dachille said.

A funeral Mass will be offered at 5 p.m. April 16 at Our Lady of the Valley in Hemet.

Deacon Langmead is survived by his wife, Carole, and his three sons.

Email Tim Swift at tswift@CatholicReview.org

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