Ortonville-While his roots were grounded in Ireland, his heart remained in Ortonville.
Fr. John J. Hardy, the proclaimed ‘Bishop of Ortonville,? St. Anne’s first pastor and a priest for 65 years, died July 30, 2003 at Lourdes Nursing Home.
He was 92.
Fr. Hardy was born March 30, 1911 in the Corktown area of Detroit, the son of John & Ellen (Mulry) Hardy.
His father, Captain John Hardy, had served in the Civil War earning the title of ‘Fighting Little Irishman,? after participating in several battles of the war.
Hardy attended St.Vincent School from first to fifth grade then The Hall of Divine Child in Monroe to the eighth grade. He went to high school at St. Cecilia High School in Detroit, where he was part of the school’s first graduating class in 1930.
After that, he left for the Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, where he majored in Philosophy. From there he attended St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati, majoring in Theology. He was ordained a priest June 11, 1938 by Bishop Edmund Mooney and in 1998 celebrated 60 years as a priest. He served under four cardinals: Mooney, John Dearden, Edmund Szoka and Adam Maida, in addition to 17 Bishops within the Dioceses of Detroit.
‘He was the quintessential Irishman,? said Fr. John J. Sullivan, pastor of St. Anne’s from 1983 to 1993.
‘Hardy fell in love with the people of Ortonville, he was truly the ‘Bishop of Ortonville,? for not just Catholics but for all people.?
Fr. Sullivan attended St. Cecilia’s in Detroit, the same parish as Fr. Hardy.
‘He was always the trickster’you never knew what he’d come up with next.?
During his lifetime of service he was assigned to: St. Thomas in Ann Arbor, St. Peter in Mt. Clemens, OLGG in Detroit, St. Michael in Rosedale Gardens, St. Patrick in Wyandotte, St. Mary in Monroe. In 1957 Fr. Hardy was assigned to St. Anne in Ortonville, and he was the parish’s first pastor. He retired in 1981.
‘Father Hardy was very courageous in answering the call of the Cardinal to start the church in Ortonville,? said Roseann Owen, 84, a member of one of the first 20 families to join the congregation at St. Anne. ‘He gave so much to this community, regardless of the denomination. His kindness and devotion will be missed.?
Fr. Hardy was the Charter Chaplain for the Third Degree Knights of Columbus Fr. George Ging Council #6824 and the Fourth Degree Msgr. Sharpe Knights of Columbus
‘Father was the Chaplain for our council and you’d think he was sleeping but then he’d come up with a great comment at the end of our meeting,? said Mike Johnson, a longtime friend, fellow Knight and parishioner at St. Anne. ‘After all the years of knowing him I don’t think he ever used a note to say his homilies’it’s just off the cuff. We’re going to miss him.?
Fr. Hardy was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Margaret, Nellie, Sr. M. Frances Clare Hardy, and brothers, Msgr. Frank Hardy and Msgr. Walter Hardy.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Aug. 5 at St. Annes Catholic Church, 825 S. Ortonville Road, Ortonville.
Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, will officiate followed by a private interment in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Rev. Hardy will lie in state at the church Sunday 4-9 p.m. and Monday noon until 9 p.m.