NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Father Thomas Frances Elliott, CSC, 82, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind. on February 20, 2023 after a short illness.
Father Elliott was born on March 24, 1940 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the oldest of two children of Joseph and Filomena (Lofaro) Elliott. Father Elliott graduated from North Tarrytown High School in North Tarrytown, N.Y. in 1957. After graduating from high school, he began studies at the University of Notre Dame.
At the age of 19, he began his life in Holy Cross at St. Joseph Hall as a candidate for the priesthood. He entered the Holy Cross Novitiate in Jordan, Minn. on August 15, 1960, professed first vows on August 16, 1961 and professed final vows on August 16, 1964.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, he began theology studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and graduated in 1969. He was ordained a Holy Cross priest on May 27, 1967 at St. Teresa Church in North Tarrytown, N.Y.
From 1969 to 1979, Father Elliott was assigned to the Formation Program at Moreau Seminary and also served as the Province Archivist, assisted at Holy Cross Parish in South Bend, Ind. and assisted at Fatima Retreat Center in Notre Dame, Ind. From 1980 to 1986, he was assigned as Associate Pastor at St. Stanislaus Parish in South Bend, Ind.
In 1986, he went to Boston, MA for training in Hospital Chaplaincy. He has served in various hospitals as chaplain, including Boston University Hospital in Boston, Mass. (1987-1990), O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, Calif. (1990-1991), Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago (1991-1995) and St. Vincent Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn. (1995-2001). He served as Chaplain for the School of Sisters of Notre Dame in Wilton, Conn. from 2001 to 2021.
In 2021, Father Elliott retired to Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Ind. He is preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Filomena Elliott. He is survived by his sister, Marianne (Bob) Morin, their six children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.
The Funeral Mass was celebrated on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Ind.. Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Mission Advancement, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org.
