NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Rev. Francis Donald Zagorc, C.S.C., 93, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Indiana, on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
Rev. Francis D. Zagorc, C.S.C., was born on October 7, 1931, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Martin and Francis (Vidmar) and is the middle child of eleven children.
Fr. Zagorc attended St. Mary Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio, and entered Holy Cross Seminary in 1947 at Notre Dame, Indiana, as a high school junior. He entered the Holy Cross Sacred Heart Novitiate in Jordan, Minnesota, on August 15, 1949, and professed final vows on August 16, After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1954, with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, he studied theology for four years at the Foreign Mission Seminary in Washington, D.C. and was ordained a Holy Cross priest on June 4, 1958.
After his ordination in 1958, Fr. Zagorc spent the next eighteen years in Uganda, assisting the Diocese of Fort Portal and District of Uganda. From 1977-1984, he served at St. Pius Parish as an associate pastor and then pastor. In 1985, he served as associate pastor for one year at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Burbank, California, before he served as associate pastor at Holy Cross Parish in South Bend, Indiana. From 1987-1991, he served as pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in South Bend, Indiana. In 1991, he was appointed as chaplain at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, before serving the El Cristo Rey Parish located in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, from 1993-2000. In 2000, Fr. Zagorc returned to St. Edward High School as Chaplain until 2002. From 2002-2004, he again assisted at El Cristo Rey Parish before returning to South Bend, Indiana. From 2004-2006, Fr. Zagorc served as chaplain at St. Paul Retirement Community before residing at Our Lady of Fatima House in Notre Dame, Indiana, beginning in 2006.
He is preceded in death by his parents and siblings: Martin Zagorc, Edward Zagorc, Therese Young, Sr. Mary Zagorc, O.S.U., Mercedes Nemec, Bernadette Zagorc, Marian Zagorc, Clare Bazzichi, Thomas Zagorc, and Dennis Zagorc. He is survived by many beloved nieces and nephews.
A Wake Service will be held on Sunday, July 20, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Sacred Heart Parish Center, Notre Dame, Ind. A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, July 21, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. ET at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Ind. You may join us via livestream at https://funerals.holycrossusa.org.
Burial will be in the community cemetery at Notre Dame. Kaniewski Funeral Home, South Bend is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org
