Death of Reverend Monsignor Kenneth G. Morman
Reverend Monsignor Kenneth G. Morman, Senior Status Priest of the Diocese of Toledo, died on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Rev. Msgr. Kenneth G. Morman, age 79, of Norwalk, Ohio, a lifelong servant of the Lord, entered into eternal heavenly rest on Tuesday morning, July 28, 2026. He courageously battled cancer for three years, after being given an initial 6-month prognosis, a testament to his quiet strength and faith. Msgr. Ken was born on February 23, 1947, in Fostoria, Ohio, the oldest of six children of the late Adolph L. and Ethel E. (nee Kuhlman) Morman.
Msgr. Ken studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum, in Columbus, Ohio from 1961 to 1973; was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1969, and a Master of Arts in Theology in 1976. He was awarded the Jessing Alumnus of the Year in 2023.
Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Toledo in 1973, Msgr. Ken served from 1973 until 1977 as Associate Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, in Tiffin, Ohio, and sister parish, S. Pius X, in Sycamore, Ohio. During the summers, he was appointed by Bishop Donovan to chair the migrant apostolate in Seneca County. He also served on the faculty of Tiffin Calvert High School.
Msgr. Ken served from 1977 to 1981 as Secretary first to Bishop John A. Donovan and then to Bishop James R. Hoffman, as Vice-Chancellor of the Diocese, and as associate pastor of Rosary Cathedral.
Msgr. Ken taught courses in Scripture each cycle for the Permanent Deacon and Lay Ministries Programs of the Diocese of Toledo. He served as the Director of the Shelby Center in this program (1976-1977). At the request of the Office of Lay Ministries, he created a new Scripture curriculum for a refashioned five-year program in 1989 and again in 2014. He recently taught each cycle of the entire Scripture curriculum of this program.
He was released from Diocesan service in 1981 for graduate studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (the Biblicum) in Rome, which included seven months in Israel at the HebrewUniversity of Jerusalem, in a co-operative program between the Biblicum and the Rothberg School for Overseas Students of Hebrew University. He was awarded the Licentiate in Sacred Scripture, summa cum laude, in February 1985. He was able to work in the major languages of research in Scripture: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic; English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Latin.
After his return from Europe in 1985, Msgr. Ken served as advisor in Scripture curriculum to the diocesan Youth and Schools Services Office, produced an exegetical and homiletic commentary on the Sunday Gospels of the three-year lectionary cycle for priests and deacons. He taught numerous courses and gave presentations on the Scriptures in many parishes of the diocese; working on numerous initiatives in the continuing education of adults in Scripture, particularly under the auspices of the Diocesan Permanent Deacon and Lay Ministries programs, the Department of Catechetical Services, and the Catholic Youth and School Services and the Ministry of Adult Formation Departments.
From February 1985 to December 1997, Msgr. Ken served as an assistant to Bishop Hoffman in the Chancery of the Diocese of Toledo, and from October 1986 to December 1997, as Chairman of the Priests’ Personnel Board. He continued as a member of this body until assignment to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 2005.
After having served as temporary administrator and/or parish chaplain for many parishes during the twelve years that he served as chair of the Priests’ Personnel Board, in July of 1997 he was appointed to parochial ministry full-time as associate pastor of the parishes of the East Toledo North Cluster (Holy Rosary, St. Stephen, and Sacred Heart). He was appointed Chaplain and Campus Minister to St. Thomas More University Parish, Bowling Green in 2002. During that triennium he also served as Dean of the Southwest-Toledo Deanery.
On October 31, 2011, at the request of Bishop Blair, he was named Monsignor (Chaplain of Honor) by Pope Benedict XVI.
On the national Catholic Church level, Msgr. Ken served on the United States Bishops’ National Advisory Council from 1991 to 1995, and on its Executive Board for four of those five years, holding the office of Chair of that body for the 1993-1994 term. While serving in Toledo, he taught undergraduate students in the Religious Studies Department at Lourdes College, Sylvania (1994-2002); taught courses in Scripture on the bachelor-degree level for Toledo religious under the auspices of Notre Dame College of Cleveland (1986 – 1987), and for other students on the masters-degree level for the University of Dayton (1991 – 1993). He taught at St. Meinrad Seminary, in Indiana (1996), as well as a number of independent study courses, particularly in Biblical Greek, for students completing degree work at other colleges. From 1989 until its conclusion in 2017, he was part of the annual continuing seminar of the Catholic Biblical Association of America dealing with scriptural issues in Jewish-Christian relations.
In 2005, Msgr. Ken was released from the diocesan service for a three-year loan to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to serve as Dean of Men, member of the Formation Team and head of the Field Education program at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati. This appointment was extended in scope to include teaching Scripture to the seminary faculty, in the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program, and in the Archdiocesan Permanent Diaconate Formation Program,and extended in time until 2012, when he was called back to the Diocese of Toledo.
Upon return to the Diocese in 2012, he resumed other forms of Diocesan service including serving as Dean of the St. John Neumann Deanery; serving on the Priests’ Personnel Board; being a member of the Presbyteral Council and the Consultors of the Diocese; and serving on the Health Benefits Advisory Board of the Diocese until his retirement. He continued teaching Scripture in the Diocesan Permanent Deacon Formation Program after retirement.
Msgr. Ken served one year as Associate Pastor of St. Paul the Apostle parish, Norwalk, Ohio and Chaplain to Norwalk Catholic School. Then in 2013 he was made pastor of the parish, a position he held until retirement in July, 2022.
Msgr. Ken is survived by his siblings, Mary Elaine Westmeyer (Edwin), of Avon, OH; Rose Anne Conrad (Paul), of Maumee, OH; Thomas A. (Linda), of North Ridgeville, OH; Carol J. Hauser (Dr. David), of Holland, OH; and Daniel P. of Austin, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents, Doss and Ethel, all of his uncles and aunts including the priests and religious that influenced him so much: Fr. Ed, Fr. Dick, Fr. Willie, Sr. Damien, Sr. Anita, Sr. Gertrude and Sr. Jovita.
Among Ken’s many interests were bonsai trees, saltwater aquariums, and bird watching. He particularly enjoyed leading a series of annual pilgrimage/educational tours to Rome and the Holy Land.
The public visitation for Msgr. Ken Morman will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 91 East Main St., Norwalk, Ohio, 44857. There will be a visitation period again the following day, Friday, August 7, 2026, also at St. Paul Catholic Church, from 9 a.m. until just before the start of the funeral Mass, which will begin promptly at 10 a.m. The Most Reverend, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, will preside over the funeral Mass, with Fr. Herb Weber as homilist. Many other priests will also have a part in the funeral Mass and funeral ceremonies. A livestream feed of the funeral Mass is available on the church website (https://www.nationalwebcasts.c...).
Interment and a committal service will take place on Friday, August 7, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. at Resurrection Cemetery, 5725 Hill Ave., Toledo, 43615. A procession to the cemetery will not be held; rather, guests are invited to meet at the front gate of the cemetery prior to 3:30 p.m., where funeral home and cemetery staff will direct attendees to the gravesite.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to St. Paul the Apostle Parish, 91 E. Main St., Norwalk, OH 44857; FCEDO, 91 E. Main St., Norwalk, OH 44857; or the Diocese of Toledo, One SeaGate, Suite 2300, Toledo, OH 43604. Walker-Eastman-Heydinger Funeral Home, Norwalk is honored to assist with the care and services for Msgr. Ken. His influence, impact, legacy, and friendship really go beyond what words can eloquently express. Online condolences to the family may be made on the funeral home website at www.walkereastmanheydingerfh.c...
Please remember him in your prayers, commending him to the mercy of the Lord and praying for the repose of his soul.
Posted July 31, 2026 at 7:43 am