Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Chaplain who served Boston Fire Department for 60 years dies at 94
“His spiritual leadership has comforted countless firefighters and their families during some of the most difficult times our department has experienced.”
Long-serving chief chaplain of the Boston Fire Department Rev. Daniel J. Mahoney, who was present through some of the department’s “most difficult times,” died Wednesday. He was 94, The Boston Globe reported.
The Boston Fire Department announced his passing in a post on X.
“Father Dan served the Boston Fire Department for nearly 60 years providing spiritual guidance, leadership, and an extraordinary love for our firefighters,” the post reads.
The reverend was honored with a Mass of Thanksgiving when he retired from the department in 2022.
Mahoney was “present at every major fire” since he started at the department in 1964, including the 1972 Vendome Hotel fire that claimed the lives of nine Boston firefighters, Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke said in a statement.
Advertisement:
The Vendome Hotel fire remains the largest line of duty death incident in the history of the department.
“His spiritual leadership has comforted countless firefighters and their families during some of the most difficult times our department has experienced,” Burke said.
Mahoney’s life was marked by several acts of heroism and a deep commitment to the community.
Before his time with the department, Mahoney saved a young man from a house fire in 1959. In 1982, he was one of few people who chose to go inside the Temple Tifereth Israel in Everett during a fire to rescue several sacred scrolls.
Advertisement:
Upon his retirement two years ago, then-Boston Fire Commissioner John Dempsey called him the “spiritual guardian” of the department.
He was also honored by the Anti-Defamation League in 2006 for his efforts to fight antisemitism and served as a pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church in Charlestown.
“We owe Father Dan a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid,” Burke said. “We were blessed to have him watch over us all of those years. All Boston firefighters consider him a saint and know that even after his passing he will still be watching over us. God bless you Father Dan.”
Funeral arrangements had not been announced as of Thursday evening.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com