Fr. Anthony Bannon, LC, was born in the “Old Sod,” Dublin Ireland, on April 25, 1947. His Mom and Dad had six children: Fr. Anthony and his five sisters. One of his sisters, Patricia Bannon, is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi currently serving in Chile. Fr. Anthony felt the Lord’s call to be a Missionary in Latin America and joined the Legionaries of Christ’s novitiate in his sunny-cloudy hometown of Dublin on September 14, 1964.
Fr. Anthony made his first religious profession on September 15, 1966, and his perpetual profession on April 2, 1972. He was ordained a priest on December 24, 1975, by Cardinal Eduardo F. Pironio, then Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for Religious Life and Secular Institutes, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Rome, Italy.
Fr. Anthony obtained a MA (Licentiate) in philosophy from the Gregorian University in 1970 and his BA in Theology at the Angelicum University in 1975. As an intern he served as a dean of students at the Cumbres Institute School and at the Irish Institute school, both in Mexico City.
Just after ordination on December 24 1975, he returned to Mexico for 3 months, but was soon called to an extraordinary mission by his superiors and traveled to the Unites States of America, on April 1, 1976, to serve as the Apostolate Director for the Legionaries in the United States and the rector of the Novitiate for the Legionaries of Christ in Orange, CT. At the time, Legionaries had foundations in New York, NY, Hamden, NJ, Washington DC, and Detroit, MI, which Fr. Anthony helped direct.
On June 4, 1982, the Legionaries of Christ in formation moved from Orange, CT to their current location in Cheshire, CT. On Easter Sunday 1988, Fr. Anthony was named Territorial Director (Provincial) for the Legionaries of Christ in the United States and Canada. Time was on his side, and the fruit of his faith and hard work helped the Legionaries of Christ to flourish in North America. Fr. Anthony also helped to start the foundations for the Legionaries of Christ in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and South Korea. While in the United States, he helped guide many young men in vocational discernment to the priesthood and religious life as well as to future holy marriages.
After many years of service, on Dec 8, 2004, the Legionaries of Christ appointed a new Territorial Director for the United States and Canada. Fr. Anthony had served as the territorial director of North America from 1988 to 2004, and the territorial director’s assistant for religious life in North America from 2005 to 2008. He was the superior for the apostolate community in Dublin, Ireland, from 2011 to 2013 and went to Mexico City in 2014 to be the men’s section director for lay members of Regnum Christi until March 2019.
Fr. Anthony participated in all the General Chapters of the Legionaries of Christ from 1990 to 2021. He was also a member of the Central Commission for the Revision of the Constitutions since its inception in 2010.
He is the author of the Three, published by Circle Press:
- Peter on the Shore: Vocation in Scripture and in the Real life. 1996.
- Vocation: Questions and Answers.2001.
- Launch into the Deep: Scriptural Retreat. 2005.
We invite you to commend him in your prayers so that God our Lord will grant him eternal rest and perpetual light shine on him.
Here you can express your condolences or share a memory of Fr. Anthony.
Rest in peace!
If you want to express your condolences or share a personal memory of him:
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Fr. Anthony Bannon Memorial Endowment to provide scholarships for Legionaries of Christ seminarians.
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I am indebted to Fr. Anthony for his quiet, clear example of what it truly means to be a real man and a man of Christ. He helped me greatly in my role as the Legion’s Advancement Director, 2004 to 2011. He gave great advice – clear, specific, intentional, and Christ-centered. Two of my sons met him at Cheshire in 2008, and they remember that one meeting to this day. He made a beautiful lasting impression on anyone he met. More than his professional help, I am indebted to him for showing me the true meaning of humility; kindness, and sacrifice.
Thank you Fr. Anthony Bannon for introducing me to the joy of Regnum Christi in Australia and the joy of your faith in Christ. Remember to pray for us here please as I will pray for you.
❤
Thank you for this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to an extraordinary man. Fr Anthony Bannon was a role model for me when I worked in the US as a Legionary brother, and he was a true father when in 1993 he had the tough task of telling me this wasn’t my call. I had the grace of meeting him again in 2017 when I was on my way to work at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Tribunal. We shared unforgettable memories of the foundation in Dallas and his not using the elevator so he could exercise walking up and down the stairs, hehe. Fr Anthony, it was too soon to leave us! I’m sure you have already started to build a heavenly Cheshire and I beg you to intercede for me.
To all of Father Anthony’s family and loved ones, our deepest condolence. We know the work Father Anthony did for so many is a true reflection of his love for others. May he rest in peace with our Lord.
Thank you very much Fr Bannon for the living testimony of personal love for Christ which you gave us. Thank you for inspiring us with your life to love the Church and to love the Legion and the Movement; to accept and to live the charism that God gave us with self-giving, joy and generosity. Thank you for pointing out to us to believe in the power of God and in the Holy Spirit, as to try to be humble cooperatoros in the mission of helping Christ to save souls. Rest now in peace Fr Anthony. May the Blessed Mother have your soul on her arms, and please dont forget to pleade for us!!!
Looking back over 30 years ago (Novitiate 1988-90),I realize how much the words and example of Fr. Bannon have stayed with me as an enduring positive influence. The best confessor I can think of, his quiet but forceful advice still guides me. A leader through and through. God bless Fr. Bannon, his family, and all good Legionaries who carry on the work.
The prayers of the Dalys are with you, the friends and family of Fr. Bannon. Fr. Bannon’s kindness and gentleness are how I will remember him and as a faithful servant bringing souls to Christ while continuing to build the Legionaries of Christ. I can only imagine his joyful moments as he meets Our Lord. May his soul rest in the peace of Christ.
Fr Bannon was the most memorable and impactful Legionary I met. Thinking of the priesthood in 1990, I contacted the Legion. With in a short time a priest flew into Denver and went for a walk with me; it was Fr Bannon. I entered the candidacy and novitiate that year mostly because of the impression he made on me; I wanted to be what I saw in him. Whenever I was around him I would observe him. There was just something about him; quietly intense; organized and focused but not anxious. We are all praying for him but I hope he remembers me when he talks with Jesus. God’s eternal rest Fr Bannon.
We were first introduced to Fr. Bannon at the 1995 Youth and Family Conference in Chicago. His love for Christ and desire to spread the Kingdom of Christ has had a profound on us ever since. He was very personable and he had the ability to take a complicated topic and explain it clearly in simple words. We have fond memories of him and realize we were blessed to have known him. May his soul rest in peace. Dan and Barb Schepers
God bless Fr. Bannon. Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
We thank Fr. Anthony for being part of the Religious Community of prayer, charity, good works, and to advance the call to the Religious life. Thank you Fr. Bannon for all the good graces God has blessed us through you.
May the Lord remember Fr Anthony in His Kingdom! I consider it a tremendous blessing to have gotten to know Father over the years. What an apostle, and how many hearts won for Christ through him! And now he is with our Lord who he loved all his life. Farewell Fr Anthony, until we meet again in His Kingdom!
“May I receive a double portion of your spirit.” (2 Kgs 2:9). Thank you, Fr Anthony.
Fr. Bannon is one of the few in this world that so clearly embodied a living saint, a tireless apostle. Class, finesse, a sense of sobriety, a true gentleman, an excellent sense of humor, a kind & deep heart, a tireless work ethic and love for Christ. There are so many memories that come flooding back of his distinctive, calming presence and charm. Through his preaching he brought to life the Gospel passages and challenged us to step forth in faith and courage. I will be eternally grateful for his life and witness. May God grant him eternal rest! Thank you, Fr. Bannon, may you continue to intercede for us!
The unique depth and strength of Fr. Anthony’s Faith was unparalleled in the many brothers I encountered during my sojourn of twenty-four grace-filled years in the Legion. He was truly a man of God who, while despising the structures of sin and evil created by the elite powers of the world, worked tirelessly in word and deed to preach the transforming message of Jesus to everyone who crossed his path.
Fr Anthony Bannon was serving as our territorial director the year I entered the Legionaries of Christ. He truly modeled for me what it means to be “alter Christus,” another Christ. He radiated humility and charity in his words and actions. Even though he had great responsibilities on his shoulders, he always seemed to have the time to dedicate to his fellow Legionaries, the Regnum Christi members, and so many other people that he encountered in his daily life. Thank you, Fr Anthony, for you great witness!
The death of Fr. Anthony brings back so many beautiful memories. I met Father in February 1973 at Magdalen College. Father had just started his vocational work in the US, and a lay leader recommended that he visit Magdalen College and Thomas Aquinas College. Both schools were just getting started, and Father came across, in both schools, his first recruits for the novitiate. Historically, I am his first ordained from his efforts. Growing up in the middle of the post Vatican II crisis in the US, Father Anthony was a shinning example of what a Catholic priest is and should be. When I joined the Candidacy in the summer of 1978, having just graduated college, we were two candidates in Orange, CT. As novices there were 8 of us the first year, and then there were 12 of us. At some point in our first months of novitiate, Father was able to start his vocational work full time. He was constantly on the road, traveling many, many miles all across the US. As novices, we assisted Father by helping with the inquiries and organizing the visits from the perspective vocations. For the summer of 1980, Father had gathered together the largest group of vocations at that time. Earlier, during the summer of 1979, I was walking the Orange property with Father, one evening after dinner, and Father Anthony told me that we have three options: build a new seminary on the Orange property, move, or turn guys away. The third choice, in his mind, was not an option. The move to the Cheshire property was exciting, but rather daunting. And yet, like everything else, Father handled everything with serenity and resolved. After my first year of Philosophy in Rome, I came back to direct the first Candidacy program in Cheshire. Fr. Eugene Gormley helped me when he could, and I was basically on my own, usually sleeping about 5 hours a night for the entire summer. Many of the candidates from that group are priests today – all great men. After my ordination on December 24, 1987, I came back to the US in March of 1988 for a brief family visit. I celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at my home parish in Ridgefield, CT, on Saturday, March 19, 1988. Father Anthony, along with a group of brothers, assisted at the Mass. It was amazing. Early the next morning, Father and I drove up to Magdalen College for a Mass of Thanksgiving there. While we were driving up from Cheshire, Father told me: “I wouldn’t miss this for anything in the world.” After lunch at the college, we then drove up to Center Harbor for another Mass that evening. Not only am I grateful that God used Father to recruit me for the novitiate, I am very grateful for all of the help that Father gave to my family that was going through numerous challenges at that time. Father always helped my family with great kindness and clear direction. During the later years when I was stationed in Organge and in Cheshire, Father Anthony always loved to hear the stories of the “old days.” Along with other Legionaries who were there at that time, Father Anthony, being an good Irishman, always enjoyed a good story and a good laugh. Father Anthony was a great priest and a man of his times. Like Father Anthony, many of us our on our last laps as we journey towards eternal life. What is important for all of us who remain, is to carry on and to always work with the utmost dedication for the salvation of souls. Father Anthony, following the footsteps of St. Patrick, was always a great missionary. May he Rest In Peace.
1977 in Orange CT, Fr Anthony took my 1st Profession at the end of the Noviciate (2nd year). Spent a number of years in youth ministry and vocational work with him and other extraordinary men. I was ordained a Deacon in Cheshire in 87. Followed with a number of years in the formation of candidates to the priesthood. Always impressed by Fr Anthony’s diligent and unrelenting zeal. Quiet but determined. Early early riser to drive to different cities. Working late into the night when necessary. Always surrounded with very dedicated Brothers in the Noviciate and teams of hard working religious throughout the country. Blessed in so many ways. He inspired so many to live passionately for the Church and one another. So many memories, goodness and yes naturally sad moments .
Rest in Peace and many many thanks!
I knew Fr Anthony from the time I joined the novitiate. Without him I certainly would not be in the Legion since he was instrumental in “throwing out the nets” at the time that i joined. In my formation, he challenged me as a man and a Legionary through his words and example. I thank God for his “perseverance until death on the battlefield.” May God grant him eternal rest!
Father Anthony Bannon was the first Legionary that I ever met (at a silent retreat in the Seattle area in 1998). Among other things, his warm humanity, passionate love for Christ in the Eucharist and his authenticity moved me to continue considering a vocation to consecrated life…Years later he ended up being the chaplain of my candidacy and at the mass of my consecration to Christ in August of 2001. Thank you Father Anthony for being Christ’s priestly presence among us and for helping His Kingdom of love and mercy to extend into my heart and into the hearts of countless others. Please continue to shepherd us with your prayers!
Fr Anthony Bannon has been a source of inspiration to me. Once, before mobile phones were common, he stopped what he was doing in Thornwood to get a message to my sister in the airport to say I was on my way to fetch her. At the WYD in Sydney he asked the LC Team to clear part of their stand to allow me to promote a school that had nothing to do with the Legionaries. I am still using a hair brush he gave me when we met on the Isle of Man to see how to connect with benefactors. And when in Mexico he tried to find my letter of incorporation into Regnum Christi in order that I could celebrate my actual anniversary of incorporation. The advice that most impressed me was: if you meet a person who is holier and better than you then hang on to their shirt tails. Let them carry you forward. He forgot nothing that was important for others. He never tired of doing good. I shall miss him. I would have liked to have done more for him. Thank you Fr Anthony. RIP. I will pray for you!
Spiritual father, I was blessed to be his secretary for three years, living, working and learning under his patient care. Hours in the car alone with him focused on his work in the back seat or relaxing with a friendly conversation. I am who I am today due to his example. All my Irish jokes are hand-me-downs from him. May he rest in the peace of the God he served with all he had. Well done good and faithful servant.
During my early years in RC, Fr. Bannon’s tireless work in the US was remembered. The Lord called him to help make his presence more known through Regnum Christi and so many have benefitted from the Movement, the Legion and the Consecrated. May He Rest In Peace. Father was my intention for today’s daily Mass.
When I spent two years in Rhode Island as a consecrated lay woman Fr. Bannon was a frequent visitor to our formation centre in Wakefield. My many memories of his homilies and talks and retreats bring my heart nothing but joy and gratitude for his deep and beautiful faith. I had the privilege of having his sister, Patricia, as a spiritual directress for my last year in Rhode Island and I send her and all the family and the Legion my deepest condolences.
I pray God granted him final perseverance. May he rest in peace and may the perpetual light shine upon him.
Fr Bannon is a priest who inspired me early on in my vocation, and then continually throughout the years of my consecration. A few moments I remember were of him sharing how he made the most of the time shining his shoes to learn a new language so as to reach people of other cultures, and also of how Don Marmion was one of his favorite authors (as of just a few years ago).
May He Rest In Peace, and the Lord welcome him home as a good and faithful servant!!!
What a great Legionary has left us to go to his eternal reward! Since we began the novitiate together in 1964, never in the initial six years of formation that I was privileged to share with him, or in 16 years in the USA when he was my director, did I ever see in him anything other than a man and a priest gifted with exceptional qualities of inteligente, leadership and deep spirituality all placed at he service of his love for Christ, with unfailing dedication and work ethic. He lived 74 years but worked 150! I just hope I live long enough to see his Cause introduced so that I can testify to a very Legionary holiness. Thank you, Fr. Anthony, for a life lived with such integrity and fruitfulness
Fr. Anthony received my perpetual profession in St. Bridget’s, Cheshire, on August 31, 2002, the very church where his funeral will be, and a year later, he spontaneously took the role of “assistant priest” during my first Mass as a priest on Christmas Day in Rome. These are the two most special memories I have of him besides so many others. What a blessing it was having him in our Cheshire community during this past year (see photo)!
His legacy in the territory, the Legion, and Regnum Christi as a whole is cannot be adequately appreciated but will, with God’s grace, result in abundant fruits. May Fr. Anthony intercede for us now in a powerful way, especially in the area of vocations, which always was such a high priority for him to better serve the Church and people. And may the younger generations always look up to the example he set of priestly fervor, humble service, human dignity, heroic self-sacrifice for the mission, and especially love for the Lord and the Church.
Just the best of the best! What a shepherd and the ultimate representative of Christ Himself. So proud to have known this remarkable giving Man and Priest
Thank you Lord Jesus for such a holy Priest! May his soul Rest In Peace ♥️
Qué alegría haber conocido al P. Bannon, L.C. Fuente de paz, de virtudes, y de sacrificio por Amor a Dios. Gracias Jesús por tus sacerdotes Santos. Descanse en paz entre Tus brazos.
Fr. Anthony Bannon was one of the first priests of the Legion that I met and one of the finest and most dedicated and hard working. God bless you in your eternal home. Peace.
I was saddened when I heard of Fr. Bannon’s passing, but happy for him in his journey on to eternal glory! I am at my holy hour offering it for the repose of his soul and for God’s comfort to Patricia and all of the Bannon family. Fr. Bannon came to Kearney, Nebraska many years ago (where I live), and it was a huge blessing to have him in our presence. What love of life and love of Christ he carried with him and shared with others. One of our daughters is a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi. Our family thanks Fr. Anthony for his “yes” to Christ and the Church!
Man of God
good, strong, happy and pure
faithful friend
speaking Your words
doing Your work.
Man of prayer
valiant soldier
father to many
leading other leaders
brother to all.
We thank you, Lord,
for showing Yourself
present in him
felt in his strong warm hands
audible in his voice
near in his goodness
trustworthy in his dependability.
We rejoice, good Jesus,
in You having him at Your side
sharing your hearts forever
as both shared here on earth
life and being and mission
in Your Legion
working for the Kingdom.
Thanks, good Jesus,
for sharing with us
so much of Yourself
in him.
Thanks, good Jesus
for holding back no longer
and showing him now
how much
You’ve loved him forever.
Fr Anthony started visiting Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s. My family and many other Aussies and Kiwis felt very privileged to have meet Father as he spoke to us of his love for Christ and the Church. His enthusiasm for Regnum Christi excited so many of us. Rest in peace good friend.
May he rest in peace. Our paths intersected many times in the Legion.
Fr. Anthony taught us all so much in his gentle yet brilliant ways. His love for Christ and His church drew others to that same love. His life touched so many, we will be forever grateful for all he did.
We will miss this amazing man, humble priest, spiritual father, hard worker, kind boss, and for me the best testimony of a servant leader. Thank you so much Fr. Anthony for giving your life for Christ, and always speak of his love in such a special way.
Thank you Fr. Bannon for the many Masses you have said for my intentions.
I pray for you everyday and will now pray for the repose of your soul.
Requiescat in pace.
I never met Fr. Bannon in person, but as a young girl in Challenge and ECYD and a little sister to a brother in Conquest, I got to know about the Legionnaires.
I wrote Fr Bannon a letter, and he sent me a postcard back! It was so special! Bless his heart.
This is a sad day for so many of us who have had the grace to have known Fr. Bannon. He was the first Legionary I met and the course of my life and that of my family was forever changed for the better because of that day. We send our prayers and best wishes to his family and to the LC/RC family for this loss.
I never met Fr. Anthony in person, but I met him through a video call on February 27th, 2019. Rest in peace Fr. Anthony
God bless Fr Bannon, LC, his sister Patricia and all the Bannon family, who have been instrumental in drawing our Kim family at large closer to Our Lord. Our lives are forever better thanks to his persevering love for God’s will. Per Regnum Christi ad Gloria Dei!
Upon hearing of the passing of Fr. Anthony, I made a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and prayed the litany of the saints and prayers of commendation after Death. To the Eucharistic Heart of our Lord we entrust our Brother Priest. Saints of God, come to his aid! Come and meet Fr. Anthony, Angels of the Lord! Requiescat in Pace!
May Fr. Anthony rest in the peace and love of the Lord. He left us a wonderful example of a holy priest dedicated totally to the mission of evangelizing this world with the message of Christ. May Our Lord bless him for his heroic spirit of sacrifice and surrender.
Our RC Hong Kong team has such fond memories of Fr Anthony from our visit to Mexico in 2016. Prayers for Fr Anthony’s soul. May he rest in peace with the Lord.
In am in the Legion thanks to this amazing priest. I did not know any LC before my visit to Cheshire back in 1989. From what I had seen in the LeCristo and other promotional material I was ready to join. We talked for three hours. Since I had some debt, he allowed me to work for a year at Oaklawn Academy and then I joined in 1990. He believed in me and here I am.
Great memories of a great man and priest, he will be missed!
I can remember very well meeting Father Anthony at an Indiana truck stop in 1982. That conversation about my vocation and the Legion was a huge milestone for me. How inspiring he was for all of us Legionaries. We will miss him and his tremendous example of love for the Church, the Legion and Regnum Christi!
May the Lord grant rest to his soul and the reward for a life lived fully in his service.
Fr Bannon was a man I greatly admired. I learned a tremendous amount from him and I am deeply grateful for his life, priestly vocation, and tenacity in the mission.
Great man, and better priest! i had the honor to have him as Superior in Dublin during those years he was there… My admiration and gratitude for his perseverance and fidelity during the most troublesome years in our history… that was a huge example for me. May God bless him and trough him, all of us!