Notre Dame, Indiana – Rev. Robert Gifford Gilmour, C.S.C., 83, passed away on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Ind. following an extended illness.
Fr. Gilmour was born in New Bedford, Mass. on August 13, 1941, and is one of two children born to Robert and Beatrice Lillian (Surette) Gilmour. He attended grade school at Holy Name School in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and high school at Holy Cross Seminary in Notre Dame, Indiana. After graduation in 1959, he attended the University of Notre Dame where he received a B.A. in Philosophy in 1964. From 1964-1966, he attended Holy Cross Foreign Seminary in Washington D.C. He left the Congregation of Holy Cross and studied for the diocesan priesthood receiving a Master of Theology degree in 1968. He was ordained a priest in 1968 at Holy Name Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He subsequently rejoined Holy Cross and took final vows in 1972.
In 1969, Fr. Gilmour was an assistant at San Jose Parish, Austin Texas before assisting at the St. Mary’s Cathedral in Austin the following year. From 1970-1971, he served as a coordinator for the Citywide Committee for Human Rights in Austin. From 1971-1974, he assisted at St. Ignatius Church in Austin. In 1975, he began his ministry in Ghana, West Africa, where he would serve in various roles for the next forty years. He spent twenty-five years at St. John’s School where he was Chaplain and taught English language and religion. For ten years, he served as Director of the Pre-Novitiate Program in the village of Butu Majubu. In 2016, he moved back to the United States to reside at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Fr. Gilmour was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his sister, Lillian Ferreira of Massachusetts, and numerous nieces and nephews.
The Funeral Mass will be at 1:00 p.m. ET on Monday, September 16, 2024, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana. You may also join us via live stream at https://funerals.holycrossusa.org
Burial will be in the community cemetery at Notre Dame. Kaniewski Funeral Home, South Bend, is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org
