The Holy Cross Mission Center is committed to sharing the stories of Holy Cross missionaries from the U.S. Province who dedicated their lives to Christ through their ministries in the missions. In honor of Rev. Francis D. Zagorc, C.S.C., 93, who passed away on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, we have provided the homily that was given at his Funeral Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, his alma mater.
Readers who are interested in sharing their own tributes to Holy Cross missionaries are invited to submit a tribute through this form.
Homily for Funeral Mass of Fr. Frank Zagorc, C.S.C.
By Rev. William Dorwart, C.S.C.
Father Frank lived at Fatima and he always applauded short homilies. So we’ll try to honor his wish.
“Do not take gold or silver. No sack. No second tunic or sandals or walking stick. Without cost you have received. Without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 10:9, 7b).
So there was this teenager from Ohio, headed West, setting out on a journey that would set a course for a lifetime of commitment, service, and devotion. Young Frank Zagorc stepped on to this campus, on the banks of St. Mary’s Lake, to learn, to deepen his relationship with God, and with the Church, to discover the congregation of Holy Cross, and in a big way, to respond to the Lord Jesus who called him, “Come, follow me.”
“Ah, Lord, I am too young. I do not know how to speak.”
You know as a seminarian, Fr. Frank studied at the Foreign Mission Seminary in Washington. He studied the Bengali language, preparing to go to Bengal. After ordination, travel plans were made, and his personal effects were put into a trunk, put on a ship, and sent across the ocean. A few days before he was to leave, he was called into the Superior’s office, where he was informed, “There’s a change of plan.” As a new mission was being formed in East Africa, he was to go to Uganda instead of Bengal. A new language to learn.
“Take nothing for the journey. To whomever I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”
So whether in Africa or America, whether in a parish, a classroom, a chaplaincy or in his own private rosary factory, Fr. Frank knew the mission. He knew the language. Love is the language. Love for God. Love for God’s people. Frank knew the language: Patient, persistent, prayerful devotion, trusting in God’s providential care.
Echoing Mary’s yes, he knew the language. A humble detachment, an obedience, reflecting a trusting dependence upon God, and a willing surrender to God.
Responding to the call across the globe and across the country, there was always a job to be done and he was ready and eager to do the job. In every move, Frank, responding to God’s call, went to work, aware that it is the Lord’s mission and so is the strength. It is the Lord’s strength for it.
However, over time, as we all know, his strength waned. Life transitioned, and ushered in new challenges as you know, personal, and physical limitations began to take their toll. Failing eyesight, aching bones and decreasing mobility gave new meaning to the mission, and kind of changed the language. “What work am I to do?”
At Fatima, his faithful presence and voice at our common prayer and common table set a tone that helped us stay anchored in who we are. His devotion to Mary and rosary making—that enterprise supported others in their efforts to remain diligent in prayer. With his sense of humor and storytelling ability, thankfully recalling the many ways God had blessed him throughout this journey, he invited us to count the abundant blessings we have known.
He would often say, “I am so grateful, but I’m ready to go home. I wonder why God is keeping me around here anyway.”
Well, Frank, once again, here on the shores of St. Mary’s Lake, where it all began, the journey brings us together with you. This special moment of prayer and thanksgiving. When, in this basilica, we can hear the refrain, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home.”
“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon him.”
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Readers who are interested in sharing their own tributes to Holy Cross missionaries are invited to email the Holy Cross Mission Center at hcmc@holycrossusa.org.
Provided by the Mission Center, October 2025
