Reverend John J. Cosmic, age 94, passed away on Sunday, May 7, 2017 at the Vianney Hall of the St. Joseph Motherhouse in Watertown, New York. The reception of the body will be at 5:00 pm on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at St. James Minor Church in Carthage, New York. Calling hours will follow until Evening Prayer at 7:30 pm. Calling hours will resume at 9:30 am on Friday until the Funeral Mass at 11:00 am. Most Reverend Terry R. LaValley, D.D., J.C.L. will celebrate the Mass with the priests of the Diocese. Reverend Douglas J. Lucia will deliver the homily. Interment is planned for Saturday, May 13 at 11:00 am at St. Mary Our Mother Cemetery in Horseheads, New York.
Fr. Cosmic was born in Deferiet, New York on April 15, 1923, the son of the late Frank and Katherine Wojtorowicz Cosmic. He graduated in 1940 from Augustinian Academy in nearby Carthage. He studied at the Watertown School of Commerce and Wadhams Hall Seminary before attending Le Moyne College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1955. In addition to nearly three decades working at IBM, Fr. Cosmic also worked at Remington Rand Corporation of Elmira and Swift and Company in Syracuse. He served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946.
In 1979, he began studies for the diaconate at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester, New York. After his retirement from IBM in 1983, he assumed fulltime duties as a deacon at St. Mary Our Mother parish in Horsehead, New York. During this time, Fr. Cosmic served as chaplain for the Southern Tier Legion Mary Curia and spiritual director for the Legion of Mary Praesidium of St. Mary Our Mother. He returned to college studies for the priesthood at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut and graduated with a Masters of Divinity.
Most Reverend Stanislaus J. Brzana, S.T.D., LL.D. ordained Fr. Cosmic to the priesthood at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg New York on May 26, 1990. He celebrated his first Mass the following day at St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown, New York. Fr. Cosmic returned to Ogdensburg to serve as parochial vicar for St. Mary’s Cathedral and part-time chaplain at the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility. In June of 1993, he was named pastor of St. Martin’s Church in Port Leyden and the nearby mission St. John’s Church in Lyons Falls. In 1995, he became pastor of All Saints Church in Chaumont. Upon his 1998 retirement, Fr. Cosmic remained at All Saints as Pastor Emeritus. He continued serving parishes as administrator during retirement including St. Francis Solanus Church of Harrisville and St. Henry’s Church of Natural Bridge in 2000 and in 2002 St. Paul’s Church in Black River and, the parish of his youth, St. Rita’s Church in Deferiet. From 2005 to 2011, Fr. Cosmic served as special parochial vicar at St. James Minor Church in Carthage. In 2013, he moved to Vianney Hall at the Motherhouse in Watertown.
Father Cosmic is predeceased by his brothers Edward and Joseph and his sisters Vickie, Stella and Mary and survived by nieces and nephews and their children as well as numerous cousins. Memorial donations may be made to Augustinian Academy in Carthage, New York or the Sisters of St. Joseph of Watertown, New York.
