Rev. Michael J. Furlan
Fr. Furlan is a native of the Chicago area. He attended St.
Gertrude Catholic grade school in Franklin Park and Holy Cross High
School in River Grove. He entered the Archdiocesan Seminary system and
received his B.A. from what is now Saint Joseph College
Seminary, then completed his studies for a Master of Divinity
degree at The
University of St. Mary of the Lake and was ordained
in 1975. His first assignment was St. Celestine parish in
Elmwood Park. While serving as Associate Pastor there, he began a
Sunday night call-in radio program on WIND and served as the station's
commentator on news about the Catholic Church including Pope John Paul
II's visit to Chicago in 1979. This ministry continued for
nearly seven years until the station was sold. In 1980 he was
assigned to St. Leo the Great parish on the South Side of Chicago as
Associate Pastor. After serving in various ministries there,
he was appointed Pastor of St. Leo the Great in 1991. When the parish
closed at the end of June, 2002, he came to St. Germaine as Associate
Pastor. After serving as Associate Pastor with Fr. William
Malloy, he was appointed Pastor in July of 2007 when Fr. Malloy became
Pastor of St. Barnabas parish. He is a member of the Association of
Chicago Priests, and once served on its Coordinating Board.
While at St. Leo, he was a member of the Presbyteral Council of the
Archdiocese of Chicago. Fr. Furlan also serves as one of the
Archdiocesan Spiritual Directors of the Chicago Catholic Cursillo
Movement.
In December of 2005 Fr. Furlan lost his canine companion of ten years, Sam. However, in March of 2006 he
adopted another canine companion named Junior.