Watch video of the Funeral Mass
Watch video from the vigil service for Father Bill Taylor
Father William “Bill” Taylor, 80, a senior priest of the Diocese of Saginaw died suddenly on Monday, July 13, 2020. He was born June 16, 1940 in Saginaw, Michigan to the late Richard and Eileen (Grant) Taylor.
Father Taylor generously served as a priest for 53 years. He was a beloved teacher of scripture, Church history, preaching, and ecclesiology for the Diocese of Saginaw and especially the Lay Ministry Formation Program since its beginning in 1978.
He graduated from St. Andrew High School in 1958. Father Taylor earned his associate’s degree from Jordan Seminary in Menominee, Michigan; his bachelor’s degree from St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland; and his Master of Divinity from St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. Father Taylor was ordained to the priesthood on June 3, 1967, by the Most Rev. Stephen S. Woznicki at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw.
Father Taylor’s pastoral assignments included Our Lady of Lake Huron, Harbor Beach; Holy Spirit, Shields; Ss. Peter & Paul, Saginaw; St. Michael, Wilmot; St. Joseph, Mayville; St. Christopher, Bridgeport; St. Maria Goretti, Bay City; Blessed Trinity, Frankenmuth and Holy Family, Saginaw. Father Taylor became a senior priest of the diocese in July 2007, and, since that time, has served as senior priest in residence at St. Dominic Parish in Saginaw.
In addition to pastoral ministry and teaching, Father Taylor served on the Diocese of Saginaw Clergy Personnel Board for 30 years. He was a member of Saginaw’s YMCA since 1967, and was a lifelong Detroit Tiger fan along with close friend and fellow priest, the late Father Jim Heller who died in May 2020.
In Father Taylor's own words, “I have no immediate family, only cousins whom I number by the dozens” (HMS Pinafor). Father Taylor is survived by god-children and close friends.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, July 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Dominic Parish, St. Stephen Catholic Church, 2711 Mackinaw St., Saginaw. The Most Rev. Robert D. Gruss, Bishop of Saginaw, will preside and Father Andrew Booms will be homilist. The priests of the Diocese of Saginaw will concelebrate the funeral Mass. A video of the Mass will be shared here as soon as it becomes available on Thursday evening.
Due to capacity restrictions, public seating for the funeral Mass may not be available. Private burial will follow in the family plot at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
Visitation will take place on Wednesday, July 15 from noon to 8 p.m. at St. Dominic Parish, St. Stephen Church, and on Thursday from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass at 11 a.m. A vigil service, led by Father Steven Gavit, will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Video of the vigil service also will be available here.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to St. Dominic Parish or to the Father Bill Taylor Endowment for Lay Ministries through the Catholic Community Foundation of Mid-Michigan.