Father Kevin W. Brooksbank died unexpectedly early Sunday morning on May 25 at Saint Joseph’s Hospital after battling a viral infection and kidney failure. He was surrounded by his parents and family and close friends, including Monsignor James Barker who was offering the prayers for the Commendation of the Dying.

Father Kevin was the youngest of the four children of Walter and Ann Brooksbank. A member of Saint Joseph Parish in Cockeysville, he attended Warren Elementary School and Dulaney High School, graduating in 1990. He went onto Frostburg State University where he majored in Computer Science. Both in high school and college, Kevin played soccer and was twice awarded at Frostburg the Gilbert Gray Memorial Award given to the athlete who exhibits an exceptional work ethic on the field, an outstanding attitude toward his teammates, and a determined overall desire to play to the best of his abilities and have fun while doing it.

Towards the end of his college tenure, Kevin worked at Saint Joseph’s parish as a groundskeeper, helping Mr. John Flaherty, the maintenance supervisor. He continued this work for a year after college as his vocation took root. The following year, Kevin entered the Formation program for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and was appointed to study at Saint Mary’s Seminary and University. After one year of Pre-Theology, a pastoral year at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish, Overlea, and four years of Theology, he received the Masters of Divinity Degree. Summer pastoral placements included Saint John, Westminster; Saint Andrew by the Bay, Annapolis; and Saint Dominic, Baltimore. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 26, 2001 in the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen by Cardinal William H. Keeler.

After ordination, Father Brooksbank was assigned as Associate Pastor at Saint Andrew by the Bay Parish, Annapolis. After two years there he was assigned as Associate Pastor to Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Baynesville. In both of his assignments and during his time in formation, Father Kevin was, in addition to his other duties and responsibilities, very generous with his musical talents and abilities. Throughout his time in seminary, he helped prepare and lead music for liturgies and seminarian events. Father Kevin also used this gift of music to help celebrate his Irish heritage.

Father Michael Carrion, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, said he and parishioners are taking the loss of Father Brooksbank “very hard.” When the death was announced at Masses, many people left the church in tears.

“He was very obviously excited about ministry,” said Father Carrion, noting that Father Brooksbank took great care in the way he celebrated liturgies.  “He was always one who wanted the Eucharist to be something special for the people,” Father Carrion said.

Father Brooksbank was always ready to pitch in to help in any way he could, Father Carrion said. Every year, the two cooked and served Mardis Gras dinners and held cookouts for the eighth-graders in the parish school.

Monsignor James Barker, a close friends of Father Kevin’s, was an associate pastor at Saint Joseph’s when Kevin was growing up and the vocation Director when Kevin was in formation. Monsignor Barker said, “Kevin loved music but his greatest joy was to say Mass. He loved to celebrate the Eucharist.”

“He had an absolutely wonderful sense of humor, and was a devoted son and brother who loved to celebrate Mass,” said Father Donahue, a 45-year-old priest serving at Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Augusta, Ga.

Ironically, he said that although Father Brooksbank performed live music and was involved in a public ministry, he was “terribly shy.”  “But that’s how he connected with people,” he said.

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien served as the celebrant for the funeral Mass, which was concelebrated by Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, eastern vicar; Bishop W. Francis Malooly, western vicar; retired Archbishop William D. Borders; retired Bishop William C. Newman; and some 100 priests. Father Brooksbank’s parents, Walter and Ann, as well as his brothers, Bob and Tim Brooksbank, and sister, Teri Moss, were also present.

In his homily for Father Brooksbank, which drew tears from several in the faith community, Monsignor James M. Barker, pastor of St. Ignatius, Hickory, described his friend as having “a remarkable attitude of acceptance, of doing the best he could and being open to God’s will,” during the past seven weeks.

“He was so grateful for all the care and prayers and support that he was receiving,” he said. “Those who visited were in quiet awe of his attitude of courage and acceptance.

“(Father Kevin) realized and experienced the fact that this is not a perfect world,” Monsignor Barker said. “He wanted to give us hope in life, that if we remain faithful, we will be rewarded.”

He said that Father Brooksbank, who was ordained seven years ago by Cardinal William H. Keeler, loved to preach and “got so excited at making the Gospel of Jesus come alive for his parishioners.”

Father Brooksbank’s first assignment was as associate pastor of St. Andrew by the Bay, Annapolis, and he had served as associate pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Baynesville, for the past five years.

Father Tony Childs, associate pastor of St. Ambrose in Latham, N.Y., was a year ahead of Father Brooksbank in seminary, and recalled that his friend was “enigmatically complex and joyfully subtle.”

“He had just a very special, unique personality – you could see right inside him and know what he was all about,” the 40-year-old priest said. “He had a twinkle in his eye, a sharp wit, and he always wanted others to be as involved and having as much fun as he was.”

Father Donahue recalled that on St. Patrick’s Day in 1997, he was singing an Irish song, when Father Brooksbank ran excitedly to get his guitar so the two could play together

“At 2 in the morning, I finally said, ‘I have to go to bed,’ ” recalled Father Donahue, laughing heartily.

Later, the two decided to do public performances.

“We were going to play our first gig, and I said, ‘I feel like we’re the guinea pigs,’ ” said Father Donahue. “Another priest friend said, ‘With you two, it’s more like the Guinness pigs.”

From that day on, the Guinness Pigs performed music in nursing homes and Catholic schools in the archdiocese, eventually recording three CDs.

As he prepared to enter the church for the funeral, Father Donahue remarked that everyone was “in a state of shock.”  “To say goodbye so early is so sad,” he said, “and yet our faith helps us rejoice that Kevin is in heaven and we’ll see him again.”

“He is a priest forever,” said Archbishop O’Brien, “and hopefully his vocation will be replicated in this parish and others.”