Father Bill Moore, SS.CC., died October 18, 2020, after 45 years of service as a priest and arts minister in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Born September 18, 1949, Father Bill attended Damien High School in La Verne. He admired the Sacred Heart priests who taught there so much that he followed in their footsteps, beginning formation for religious life at the Sacred Hearts Novitiate in Massachusetts. While studying for the priesthood, he also received a BA in Art from St. Theresa College in Minnesota.
Father Bill Moore, SS.CC. (Courtesy Sacred Hearts Community)
After his ordination in 1975, Father Bill returned to Damien High School to teach art, religion, and geography, and then moved to Bishop Alemany High School to teach art and religion.
Father Bill spent several years at Holy Name of Mary Church in San Dimas, before a sabbatical year in 1997 showed him a new path of ministry. Father Bill received permission the following year to begin the Ministry of the Arts, opening a storefront gallery on Second Street in Pomona.
Father Bill continued to minister to the young men in detention camps near Holy Name of Mary on Sundays, and brought the Gospel to the streets of Pomona, where he said he felt most at home.
In March 2017, Father Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and his doctors gave him a year to live. Father Bill continued his focus on his ministry and his art, and in March 2020, when his cancer had spread, he committed himself to one last exhibition of his paintings. On September 12, 2020, he hosted “My Last Art Beat,” an evening for his friends and family to see his art and say their goodbyes.
