Father Michael Buckley dies of cancer Sept. 21 at age 54

By Veronica Ambuul

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. The Rev. Michael Patrick Buckley died of cancer on Sept. 21 at St. Joseph’s Villa in Salt Lake City in the company of his family and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial was scheduled to be celebrated Oct. 4 at St. Ambrose Church, followed by burial at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Salt Lake City.

Father Buckley was born Aug. 3, 1970, to Mary A. Buckley and Michael J. Buckley, Jr. in Salt Lake City.

After graduating from the University of Portland, he joined the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division from 1992-1994 and received an honorable discharge.

Called to the priesthood, he attended and graduated from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Colorado Springs on June 28, 2014 by Bishop Michael Sheridan.

“After having dinner with Father Jim Williams, I realized that Colorado Springs was the diocese I wanted to study for,” Father Buckley said in a 2014 article in The Colorado Catholic Herald. “I interviewed with Bishop Sheridan and he was very gracious in welcoming me.”

“All throughout my life, I have felt the gentle call from God to serve at the altar. Nothing brings me more joy than celebrating the Mass, hearing confessions, consoling the sick and preaching the Word,” he said.

He served as parochial vicar at Pax Christi Parish in Lone Tree and Ave Maria Parish in Parker, as well as several other assignments in Colorado and Utah. He eventually retired in Salt Lake City due to health problems.

“Father Michael will be missed,” said Father Matt Kane, parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Pines Parish. “He was a solid priest and a very knowledgeable confessor. I always enjoyed seeming him during my winter and summer breaks from seminary.”

He is survived by his mother, Mary Buckley, and his brother, Paul Buckley.