A Somerville native, Father Brian F. McMahon was born July 31, 1946, a son of the late Robert and Mary (Keane) McMahon. He is one of seven siblings, the others being a brother, Robert, and five sisters: Barbara Davidson, Eileen Bowe, Joan Marathas, Judith, and Mary O'Brien.

The family lived in St. Catherine of Geona Parish and were parishioners there. Following high school, Brian completed undergraduate studies at Northeastern University, Boston.

Entering Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, Weston, as a member of the Class of 1980, he completed his seminary formation, and Humberto Cardinal Medeiros ordained him to the priesthood on Dec. 20, 1980.

In the intervening 45 years of active priestly ministry, he served in several parishes in various capacities, and in several area hospitals as chaplain.

His parish assignments have included his first assignment at St. Margaret of Scotland, Lowell, as an associate (1980-1986); St. Francis of Assisi, Medford, pastor (1995-1997); Assumption, Bellingham, pastor (1997-2004); St. Blaise, Bellingham, administrator (2001-2004), pastor (2004-2005); St. Mary, Randolph, pastor (2006-2007).

He served as hospital chaplain at three hospitals all in Boston: St. Elizabeth Medical Center (1986-1994); Children's Hospital (1995); and Carney Hospital (2007-2024). Hospital chaplaincy is as time consuming, often more so, than parish ministry. Chaplains are on call constantly. While certainly they are there for the hospital's patients, they inevitably also are chaplains to the families of the patients, to the medical professionals, and to the support staff. They're really pastors of hospital "parishes."

Two of Father McMahon's hospital chaplaincies were in hospitals that were previously parts of the archdiocese's hospital system; each was a large hospital, St. Elizabeth, Brighton, certainly being the larger of the two, and Carney coming in second. His eight years at St. Elizabeth, and 17 years at Carney combine to a quarter century of hospital chaplaincy and well over half of his active priestly ministry.

Hospital chaplains are much appreciated by brother priests, first for their dedication to this very challenging ministry. Then, because their presence and availability somewhat relieves the parishes for hospital duty, and especially for emergency calls.

Thanks to Father McMahon for his priestly service, not only in the hospitals and to their "parishioners" but also at the parishes where he has also served.