“Oh my God!” Reverend Robert J. Lord (Father Bob), 83, would exclaim any moment there was news or surprise – a favorite utterance nearly everyone came to expect when interacting with one of Connecticut’s greatest spiritual guides. Father Bob, of Milford, CT, and Singer Island, FL, met his God on December 30, 2017 after passing away from natural causes at Masonicare Hospice in Wallingford, CT.  

Robert was born to James A. and Mary F. (Hayes) Lord in Waterbury, CT, on March 9, 1934. One of 7 children, Robert attended the Kingsbury Grammar School until 1948, graduating from Crosby High School in 1952. Robert then entered St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT, to begin his studies, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from St. Bonaventure University in 1956, and then going on to earn a master’s in Divinity from Christ the King Seminary at St. Bonaventure in 1960. 

Father Bob was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Hartford by The Most Reverend Henry J. O’Brien at Saint Lawrence O’Toole Church on May 26, 1960. He served temporarily as an assistant at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Harwinton, from June through September, 1960, then Saint Augustine Church in North Branford from September 1960 through September of 1962. He assisted at Saint Vincent de Paul Church in East Haven from September of 1962 through September of 1967, then Saint Paul Church in Kensington from September 1967 through December of 1973, when he was appointed Co-Pastor and Administrator of Saint Rita Church in Hamden, where he ministered eight years. He also served as temporary assistant pastor at Saint Gabriel Church in Milford (1981) and Saint Francis Church in Torrington (1982). During the time that Father Lord was ministering at Saint Rita’s in Hamden, he completed a doctoral degree, receiving a Doctor of Ministry from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA. In September of 1982, he was appointed Catholic Campus Minister at Central Connecticut State University, where he served for 12 years. Students and faculty saw Father Bob as their trusted friend, mentor and spiritual guiding light….He was appointed parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Woodbridge in July of 1996. He retired in May of 2004 and resided at his home in Milford. 

In his later years, Father Bob was active on numerous boards including the American Red Cross, Easter Seal Goodwill Industries Rehab Center, United Way, Notre Dame High School, Friedsam Memorial Library, and the Seagrape Tower Condo Association; he also served as Chair of the National Catholic Campus Ministry Association. Valuing education and philanthropy, Father Bob embraced numerous philanthropic pursuits, setting up multiple educational scholarships and trusts, in addition to his support of charities including the Rose Hill Center and the Be Like Brit Orphanage Foundation, where the “Father Bob Lord Chapel” in Grand Goave, Haiti is named in his honor.  

A world traveler, Father Bob held dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland and frequently traveled to Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, where in 2009 he traveled to Malta to be awarded a “Grand Cross of Merit” from the American Association of the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta.   

Father Bob is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Jim and George; he is survived by his brother, Dr. Jerome Lord; his sisters, Mary Dooley, Patricia O'Hara, and Helen Lord; many nieces and nephews; and countless, friends, neighbors, classmates, students, and parishioners across many nations who will miss Father Bob for his generous mentorship, friendship, and wisdom. 

As the life of every party with a particular fondness for celebrating all occasions with family and friends, let us celebrate the life of Reverend Robert J. Lord together. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 81 Center Rd., Woodbridge, CT. Interment will be private. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 5, 2018 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the CODY-WHITE FUNERAL HOME, 107 Broad St., Milford, CT. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Father Bob’s name can be made to the Be Like Brit Orphanage, 66 Pullman Street, Worcester, MA 01606, The Rose Hill Center, 5130 Rose Hill Boulevard, Holly, MI 48442, or the charity of your choice.