Born John Gilligan in Rochester, New York on May 2, 1920, he entered the Passionist seminary, Dunkirk, New York as a teenager. He professed his vows on August 15, 1941 and had the religious name Justinian. He was ordained February 25, 1948 in Union City, New Jersey. Exempted from sacred eloquence, he was assigned to the China missions and upon arrival in Peking was back in the United States due to the Communist takeover. He then went on for graduate studies at the Angelicum, Rome where he obtained a Ph.D. in philosophy. Beginning in June 1951 he was a professor in Passionist seminaries for eleven years. In 1963 he volunteered for the Philippines. First he was in Lagao and after 1964 in Marbel where he was rector of OLPH and professor of philosophy at Notre Dame College. In 1977 he was weakened by asthma and emphysema and was assigned to missions and retreats. He died of a heart attack.
Birth Date:
May 2, 1920
Profession Date:
August 15, 1941
Ordination Date:
February 25, 1948
Death Date:
April 16, 1982
Religious Name:
Justinian of the Mother of Sorrows Gilligan