Former Ellicott City and Odenton pastor Father Harrison dies at 84

Redemptorist Father John Barron “Harry” Harrison, a former pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City and St. Joseph in Odenton who was remembered for his pastoral care of parishioners, died March 31. He was 84. 

“He was an awesome, gentle priest, for sure,” recalled Verna Kramer, a longtime parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. “He was just so nice and so sweet, you felt like his friend. He was always going the extra mile to work out whatever problem you had.”

Another longtime parishioner, Patti Wynne, remembered a moment that reflected Father Harrison’s compassion. As the oldest of nine siblings, she recalled how her younger sister Maureen, who had Down syndrome, longed to participate in the sacrament of confession after seeing her siblings do so.

“Father Harrison said to her, ‘Maureen, we can do confession, just follow me,’” Wynne recalled. “He took her by the hand because she didn’t want any of us to go along, and he talked her through it. She came out of there just beaming because she went to confession like the rest of us.”

Father Harrison was ordained a priest in 1967 and resided at St. Mary in Annapolis while he completed additional theological studies. His first assignment was in the former Redemptorist vice province of Campo Grande, Brazil. While there, he spent the majority of his time as a teacher in formation at the high school seminary.

Upon returning to Baltimore in 1985, he began serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, first as an associate, then as pastor from 1987 to 1993. In August 1993, he became pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Odenton, where his leadership brought significant changes.

“He’s the one who brought modernization of the office,” said retired Deacon David Page. “At that time, we only had one computer in the office and that was just keeping track of the funds.”

Father Harrison not only added multiple computers to the various offices, but he personally went through the parishioner’s registration records and created a database, not just to facilitate parish mailings, but also allowing him to create and mail out personal Christmas letters to all the parishioners.

“I have yet to meet one of the older parishioners who didn’t get one,” Deacon Page said.

Deacon David Roling, also at St. Joseph, said he came to know Father Harrison in two different roles.

“I knew him first as a pastor,” said Deacon Roling, “but then when I decided I wanted to become a deacon, and he was no longer here, I was sent to him as a spiritual director.”

Deacon Roling found him to be great as a pastor, outgoing, fun, with a good sense of humor. He also gave wonderful homilies, the deacon said. And whether he was a priest or not, he was somebody you liked being around, he added..

“And on the spiritual advisor part, he always kept me on the right track,” Deacon Roling said.

In 1999, Father Harrison was transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes in Seaford, Del., for six years as pastor. Then, while semi-retired, he shared his time between St. Mary in Annapolis and being rector at St. John Neumann Residence at Stella Maris in Timonium, the retirement community for Redemptorists.

“Everybody just adored him,” said Rick Culp, a parishioner of St. Mary. “He was always so easygoing and very approachable, quite humble.”

The two played golf every week for years. Culp said on “Father JB’s” day off, he would drive down from Timonium to the Eastern Shore, play golf, have lunch, and then drive back up to Stella Maris again all in the same day, and the only way you ever knew he had a bad shot is hearing him quietly say, ‘Oh, sugar!”

Harry Thompson, resident organist and choirmaster at St. Mary, recalled Father Harrison’s patience and gentleness.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard him angry,” Thompson said. “I’m sure he has been, we’re all human, but if he was, I never knew it. He was a gentle soul, very caring in the parish, especially in the confessional.”

The day after Father Harrison’s death, Thompson was in church organizing his Lenten music when the pastor called him, requesting that he come over to the office.

The message was that they had gone through Father Harrison’s notes for his funeral, and one of his requests was to “make sure that Harry’s there.”

“Of course, I said yes, I will be there.”

Just after arriving in Brazil 56 years ago, Father Harrison sent a note back to his order with a brief description of his activities, and it is a perfect description of how he saw his priestly ministry.

“I said Mass on the back porch of an old schoolhouse. The congregation gathered in the school yard underneath the shade of the trees. Over in the next yard, there was the rooster still announcing the dawn; the chickens were clucking at the feet of the congregation, the dogs were weaving in and out around the altar during Mass. But the people didn’t mind. They were happy as could be that they were able to have Mass there in their area.”

A funeral Mass was offered April 5 at St. Mary. 

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