The Reverend Hugh Charles X. Mulholland

Born April 23, 1921

Ordained May 21, 1956

Died July 21, 2001

Father Charlie, as he was known to all as, was the oldest of seven brothers and sisters. He was born to immigrants from the Belfast area of Ireland.

He was born on April 26 1921 in the Bronx near Yankee Stadium, but after a short while the family moved to Ozone Park, Queens County, New York which borders Brooklyn and New York City. He grew up like the Bible says "subject to his family." He went to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Grammar School, then onto Bishop Loughlin High School followed by work in Todd's Shipyard which in the prewar years was already getting into a War mood.

While working in the shipyard he lunched with other workers and a guy showed him an application for Kings Point, a new Academy for seafarers. So he applied and was accepted. He applied for a Deck commission without the advice of his dad. When he was later visited by his dad and his brother John, they told him that there was more of a future as a land based engineer so he switched and went on to graduate during a World War II shortened term as an engine room engineer. On his first trip, his mom was actually praying for both Charlie and her husband's safety, when he phoned from Baltimore. He had been on a tug and had gone safely through War Waters where he was paid extra.

Father Charlie continued sailing through the war and he liked going on tankers. When asked why, since they would be an obvious target, he said that was true but that they were also turned around quickly and he could get back to the States and take the next licensing test. As a result, he rapidly became qualified in both steam and diesel as a Chief Engineer, a qualification shared by very few. When the war ended he continued to sail as a chief engineer and became like a duplicate seafaring dad for his brother. He always came back with loads of souvenirs and his brother was the only kid on the block with helmets from all the nations involved. He was on one ship where he was befriended by the radio operator Ed Lewis from North Carolina, who like Charlie was trying to figure out life. Charlie said that he wrote to the Bishop of North Carolina on Ed's advice (Ed went into the Trappists) who said he would get him an appointment to a seminary. When he came home from one of his trips he had a letter from Bishop Waters telling him to report to the seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas on a date that had already passed. He went anyway and started his seminary life. He later went on to Catholic University where he got his degree.

Father Charlie was ordained on May 26 1956, a date where the whole family went to accompany his very proud mother. He went on in North Carolina "where he grew in wisdom" also like the bible says, and was sent to Rome to also study and be out of the way of the Bishop.

His pastor assignments, from the early 60's included Brevard, Smithfield, Greenville, Washington, Garner. Greenville was the longest, 10 years. Either before or after Smithfield, he was briefly editor of the North Carolina Catholic.

Charlie's great interests were: the crusade against war, (especially the nuclear bomb) about which he demonstrated numberless times at the Pentagon;
sponsored the Peace Booth every year at the State Fair and recruited people to man it; preached every Sunday practically on Matthew 25; dashed out to the migrant camps every Sunday night to have Mass and show movies; tried to get everybody to join BREAD FOR THE WORLD; went yearly to protest at the School of the Americas, the infamous training school for South and Central American officers; supported every good cause that came in the mail with three dollars each;
tirelessly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ for the poor, the needy, the hungry, the homeless; took into his house anybody who came down the road and needed a bed; a chaplain to students at ECU for ten years; and fought for civil rights.

Charlie burnt out his life on every good cause, starting as a youth with Dorothy Day on Mott Street in NY and the House of Hospitality and followed by much more. He was once called "the conscience of our diocese." According to Father Byron, Father Charlie "was probably the best priest we ever had in North Carolina."

He retired as an outspoken priest doing what he thought was right. He moved into a private residence in Raleigh and with his mental and physical health failing (he had contracted diabetes) he eventually moved up to New York to be near his family. He died in a nursing home on July 21, 2001.

Thanks to Father Charlie's brother, Pete and Father Byron for providing historical information  

Additional Testimonials

News and Observer February 2001

Mr. Jean Koszulinski