Reverend Terrence Thomas Smith T.O.R., of the Third Order Regular Franciscans of the Province of the Immaculate Conception, USA died on Wednesday, 29 November 2023 in Altoona, PA.
Father Terrence was born on 21 July 1945 in Brooklyn, NY, the child of Frank and Julia (Dodd) Smith. He was given the name Thomas at Baptism.
Father Terrence entered the Franciscan Preparatory Seminary, Hollidaysburg, PA in 1959 and professed Solemn Vows on 27 June 1970. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 January 1973 at St. Thomas More House of Studies, Washington, DC.
Father Terrence served the Church and the Franciscan Community primarily in parochial ministry. In the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown he was Parochial Vicar at St. Anthony of Padua, Windber, at the former Church of St. Anthony, Johnstown, and as Parochial Vicar and Pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Altoona. In the Archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis he served the Church of St. Bridget of Kildare as Parochial Vicar and Pastor and at the Church of Saint Gerard Majella as Parochial Vicar. He also served in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Stonewood. He ministered to members of the Secular Franciscan Order as Spiritual Assistant in various places where he served. In recent years, he was in residence at St. Bernardine Monastery and, at the time of his death, at Garvey Manor, both in Hollidaysburg, PA.
Those who knew him and worked with him remember Father Terrence as a gentle and compassionate minister. He was soft-spoken and unassuming and always had a ready smile. Father Terrence was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease and, even after he no longer remembered names, he always seemed to recognize faces and greeted friars, friends, and staff with a hearty wave and broad smile.
Father Terrence was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Fred and Robert. He is survived by his brothers Frank and Paul, his sister Ann Smith and half-sisters Gayle Harris and Jan Herring, many nieces and nephews, dear friends, and his Franciscan Community.
Visitation, concluding with a Vigil Service, will be held on Sunday, 3 December from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Altoona, PA. On Monday, 4 December there will be a Funeral Mass at the church at 10:30 AM with the Very Reverend Father Frank Scornaienchi, T.O.R., Minister Provincial, as the principal celebrant. Interment will take place after Mass in the Community Cemetery at St. Bernardine Monastery, Hollidaysburg. A luncheon will follow at the Monastery.
