Reverend Joseph Francis Hanley, Jr.

Msgr. Joseph Francis Hanley, Jr., retired pastor of Holy Family Church on Hilton Head Island, entered into eternal rest Thursday, November 2, 2017 in Charleston, SC. He was 75. The relatives and friends of Msgr. Joseph Francis Hanley, Jr. are invited to attend his Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 AM Monday, November 6, 2017 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 5. St. Teresa Drive, Charleston. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Visitation will be held between 5:00 and 7:00 PM Sunday at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Hwy, Charleston. A Vigil Service will follow the visitation, beginning at 7:00 PM. Online Condolences may be offered at www.CharlestonFunerals.com.Msgr. Hanley was born in Charleston, SC on February 14, 1942, to Joseph Francis and Marion Smith Hanley. He was a graduate of Bishop England High School in Charleston. He attended Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, and was a graduate of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor’s in Mathematics. Msgr. Hanley also attended Seminary at the Theological College at Catholic University of America, where he earned a Master’s in Religion and Religious Education. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Charleston on May 25, 1968, by Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.Msgr. Hanley served at many parishes in the Diocese of Charleston from 1968 to 2017, including St. Peter's Church in Columbia, St. Paul the Apostle in Spartanburg, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Edgefield, St. Thomas the Apostle in North Charleston, Holy Spirit on Johns Island, St. Michael's in Garden City, St. Joseph's in Charleston, Blessed Sacrament in Charleston, and Holy Family Church on Hilton Head Island, from which he retired in February of this year. His longest assignment was as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and School, where he served as pastor for 18 years.Msgr. Hanley also had administrative assignments as a Chaplain at Wofford, Converse, and Spartanburg Junior Colleges, and served as Moderator of the Greenville Deanery Catholic Youth Organization.He held numerous other pastoral responsibilities over the years, serving on the Priests' Senate, the Diocesan Personnel Board, the Diocesan Presbyteral Council, the College of Consultors, and in the Bishop’s Curia. He also was Vicar Forane of the Coastal Deanery.Msgr. Hanley is survived by several cousins.Messages of condolence may be sent to: Mr. and Mrs. John Brechko, 4037 Gift Blvd., Johns Island, SC, 29455.Donations in memory of Msgr. Hanley may be sent to: Catholic Charities, 901 Orange Grove Road, Charleston, SC, 29407. Arrangements by James A. McAlister, (843) 766-1365.