Fr. Bernard Creighton, OFM, 86, passes away in New Jersey
The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is sad to share that Fr. Bernard Creighton, OFM, 86, of Butler, New Jersey, died on Oct. 7, 2026. For more than 60 years, he devoted his life to service, education and pastoral ministry. He spent decades supporting the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University in Western New York, an international center for research, publishing, and academia dedicated to the study of the Franciscan intellectual tradition, history and theology.
Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at St. Anthony Church, 65 Bartholdi Avenue, Butler, New Jersey. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 19, 2026, at St. Bonaventure University Chapel, 3261 W. State Street, St. Bonaventure, New York. Burial will follow at St. Bonaventure Cemetery.
Fr. Bernie was born on December 7, 1939, to Stanley and Helen Creighton (née Palizay) two months early and weighing only two pounds. He spent five months in the hospital until he was strong and healthy enough to be taken home.
He was an only child, and his family ran a milk processing and delivery business in Elmira, New York. He attended Catholic grade school and high school in Elmira and in 1961, he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from St. Bonaventure University, where he met the friars who inspired his vocation.
As a senior, Fr. Bernie was chosen to receive the 1961 Mark Hellinger Award, an annual recognition from St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication that honors outstanding academic achievement in journalism. However, Fr. Bernie declined the award for “up-and-coming journalists” since God was calling him to religious life. Then, in 1991, Fr. Bernie was retrospectively given the honor he had earned as a college student three decades earlier.
At the age of 23, Fr. Bernie entered the Franciscan Order, professing first vows on July 15, 1963, and solemn vows on Aug. 22, 1966. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 16, 1967.
He became a trusted source of knowledge about the history and traditions of the Franciscan community after serving from 1968-1972 as editor of the Provincial Annals, an archival periodical published by the legacy Holy Name Province.
From 1972 to 1994, he worked as librarian and executive secretary at the Franciscan Institute. In this role, he managed administrative operations, oversaw publications and printing projects, proofread scholarly works and welcomed visiting scholars from around the world.
From 1994 to 2026 he served as vicar of the St. Anthony Friary in Butler, New Jersey, where he faithfully handled the daily needs of the friary community.
Fr. Bernie is remembered for being approachable, detailed, humble, knowledgeable and deeply dedicated to others. He embraced the Franciscan ideals of simplicity, hospitality and service, believing that the best part of ministry was working with the people of God and helping them to live in the Spirit of the Lord. When Fr. Bernie celebrated his 50th anniversary of first profession in 2013, he shared that his philosophy of ministry was “to welcome the people of God.”
His warm personality, strong sense of duty, remarkable memory and willingness to assist others made him a respected friar, mentor and friend. Throughout his life, he demonstrated that leadership is often expressed through quiet faithfulness, kindness and a commitment to serving both his religious community and those around him.
Fr. Bernie is survived by his friar brothers of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, cousins Catherine Creighton Saal (Frank), Eugene Creighton (Patricia), James Creighton, Debbie Creighton, Tom Gilmore, Marilyn Lilly (Bill), James Ripley (Marilyn) and a cousin by marriage, Nancy Levanduski.