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Father Howard E. O’Brien, M.M., a missioner to Japan and Africa, died at Mission St. Teresa in Ossining March 5. He was 89.
He was assigned to Japan following his ordination in 1955, serving at parishes in the dioceses of Kyoto, Sapporo and Hokkaido.
He returned to the United States in 1977 to become administrator of the Maryknoll Society House in Manhattan. In 1984 he was assigned to Tanzania where he served in Dar es Salaam as administrator and procurator, importing and transporting supplies to Maryknoll missions and assisting Maryknoll members in securing Tanzanian residence and work permits.
He retired in 1999 but continued to live in Dar es Salaam until 2005, when he returned home to take up residence at Mission St. Teresa.
Born in Providence, R.I., he entered Maryknoll in 1947 after having served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II during the Northern France and Central European campaigns. After his discharge, he attended Providence College before entering Maryknoll. He held a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and master’s degrees in sacred theology and religious education from Maryknoll Major Seminary.
A Funeral Mass was offered March 12 in Queen of Apostles Chapel at Maryknoll. Burial was in Maryknoll Society Cemetery, Ossining.
