Father John MulQueen was ordained a priest of the Youngstown Diocese on May 26, 1962, by Bishop Emmet Walsh in St. Columba Cathedral. He retired in 2005 after having served in a variety of ministries in the diocese and beyond. A Youngstown native, he graduated from St. Dominic School and Ursuline High School before studying for the priesthood at St. Gregory and Mount St. Mary of the West seminaries in Cincinnati, as well as Xavier University there. He earned a bachelor of arts and a master’s in divinity.
Following his ordination, Father MulQueen’s first assignment was as associate pastor of St. James in Warren (now St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish). He was transferred to St. Brendan Parish in Youngstown in 1967, with additional duties as a teacher at Ursuline High School. In 1970, he volunteered to become a Maryknoll Associate, studying in Bolivia and serving in Mexico for the next five years. When he returned to the diocese, he became director of the Ashtabula County Hispanic program with the Community Action Council. In June 1976, he became associate pastor of Assumption Parish in Geneva and a counselor with the Catholic Service League of Ashtabula County, and continued his graduate studies in counseling at Ashland.
In July 1980, he was named pastor of St. Mary in Newton Falls (now St. Mary and St. Joseph), where he served until being named pastor at Mother of Sorrows in January 1984 (now Our Lady of Peace Parish). In July 1995, he became pastor of St. Aloysius in East Liverpool (now Holy Trinity Parish). In July 2000, he was named a senior priest active at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Niles.
Father MulQueen retired on November 1, 2005. Following his retirement, he completed a doctorate in ministry at St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology near Cleveland.
Father MulQueen has also been an advocate for the diocesan Tribunal and served in the 1960s and early 1970s on the diocesan Ecumenical Commission. He was a member of the Priests Council and the College of Consultors and served as a chaplain to Knights of Columbus Council for Geneva/Ashtabula. In his retirement, he has assisted at parishes in Ashtabula County.
