In the church where Msgr. Charles J. Bourque presided as pastor for 28 years, a funeral Mass was held for the retired pastor on Thursday, August 31, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Cardinal Sean O’Malley presided in the presence of a large gathering of priests and parishioners. Declining in health, Msgr. Bourque died on August 23. He was 86.
He was born on September 14, 1936, the son of Joseph E. and Mary (Meuse) Bourque and was the oldest of two boys. After graduating from Brockton High School in 1954, he entered St. John Seminary. He was ordained on February 2, 1962 at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Norwood.
His first assignment as parochial vicar was to St. Pius X Parish in Milton. In 1963, he returned to the seminary teaching languages. In 1979, he came to Our Lady of Lourdes parish. He succeeded as pastor on October 28, 1980. Two major events during his pastorate was the 75th anniversary of the parish in 1983 and a fire in the parish center in April, 1985. Thanks to a quick response from the fire department, the building was saved from destruction and repaired within a year. In April, 1998, he was one of 32 priests honored with the title monsignor.
In 2008, the parish celebrated its centennial year with numerous events and a change in pastors. Msgr. Bourque bid farewell at a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday July 13, 2008.
In retirement, Msgr. Bourque kept active helping out with weekend Masses and lived for a time in Canton and at the rectory at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Jamaica Plain. The 50th anniversary of his ordination was a happy time for parishioners as he celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, April 15, 2012. A luncheon in his honor followed in the parish hall. He entered Regina Cleri in 2018.
Following the funeral Mass, Msgr. Bourque was laid to rest with his parents at Calvary Cemetery in Brockton. He is survived by a sister-in-law Gail Bourque and two nephews, Matthew of Chicago, IL and Michael of Brick, NJ. He was predeceased by his brother James who died in 2020.