by Jessica Easthope
Father John McMillan is one of the last priests to enter 7:45 morning prayer at the Passionist Monastery in Jamaica Estates.
After all, you get a pass on your 100th birthday.
“I never expected to become a living legend,” Father McMillan said.
But it’s not Father McMillan’s age that’s legendary. It’s how he’s lived, as a priest, a drug and alcohol abuse counselor, a nursing student, and a WWII Air Force navigator.
Father McMillan said he doesn’t have any big secrets — making it to this age is purely God’s will, noting that he beat colon cancer at age 90.
“In that 10 years, as late as it seems to be, I’ve come closer to the Lord, learned about the Lord and gained more feeling about helping people than I did before,” Father McMillan said.
The day before his birthday, his family and his brother priests held a big celebration in his honor. So far, his 100th birthday has been his favorite.
“It was tremendous, all my relatives turned out, people I hadn’t seen in years, Father Bill set it up so beautifully.”
Monastery Rector Father Bill Murphy said it’s almost ironic that the oldest Passionist priest keeps everyone else up to date on the latest news.
Every day after breakfast, Father McMillan heads to the library to grab his favorite newspapers, among them the New York Times — and The Tablet.
“A great conversationalist, what’s going on in the news, the whole magazine and newspaper,” Father Murphy said. “He raises the level of our conversation frequently, I would say.”
In many ways, Father McMillan said, he still feels like an obedient soldier.
“We have a vow of obedience, so that’s added to loving God first and your neighbor and the commitment we make to be the best servant we could be,” Father McMillan said.
Looking at his life, you’d think he’s done it all but his only regret, he says, is that he didn’t do more.