Born in Fall River on Aug. 16, 1922, Father Daniel F. Moran was the oldest and sole surviving of the three sons of the late Louis and Sarah (Shea) Moran. His family moved to Dorchester and he grew up in St. William Parish attending the parish grammar school and Cathedral High School in Boston’s South End. He was graduated from Boston College in the Class of 1943 and entered St. John’s Seminary, Brighton.

Archbishop Richard Cushing ordained him to the priesthood at Holy Cross Cathedral on May 1, 1947. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he told The Pilot that he had been greatly influenced in his choice of vocation by his family’s faith and “the example of parish priests and the Sisters of St. Joseph”; the sisters taught at both St. William and Cathedral.

His first assignment was to St. Ann Parish in Somerville where he was an assistant for just over six years. The next seven years saw him serving a similar assignment at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Melrose.

At age 38 with 13 years of parish experience behind him, he was assigned a new and different ministry -- chaplain and athletic director of Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree. For the next 11 years he saw the expansion of the school on religious, academic and athletic levels. One of his accomplishments certainly was witnessing an increased number of vocations to the archdiocesan and religious priesthood as well as to the religious life. While chaplain he was in residence at St. John the Baptist Parish in Quincy.

From 1971 to 1973 he was and associate pastor at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish in Scituate, and it was from there on July 17, 1973 that he was named pastor of Sts. Martha and Mary Parish in Lakeville. He was briefly the administrator of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Rochester and also served as episcopal vicar of the Plymouth Vicariate in the Brockton Region from 1978 to 1985.

Cardinal Bernard Law granted him senior priest/retirement status in July 1999. Filled with enthusiasm and zeal as he approached 77 years of age he served as senior priest in residence at Sacred Heart Parish in Middleborough from his retirement until declining health required greater care and he moved to Brockton’s St. Joseph Manor in June 2007.

He had been an avid golfer and passionate sports fan especially of his alma mater, Boston College’s football team. Parishioners from Lakeville and Middleborough remember him as a devout and compassionate priest with an understanding heart who was ever ready to help in any way he could.

His funeral Mass was celebrated on April 15 at Sacred Heart Church in Middleborough with burial following in New Calvary Cemetery, Boston. South Regional Bishop John Dooher was the principal celebrant of the Mass; among those indicating that they would be concelebrants were Central Regional Bishop Robert F. Hennessey; archdiocesan vicar general, Father Richard Erikson; archdiocesan secretary for parish life and leadership, Father Thomas Foley; classmates Msgr. William Glynn and Fathers Francis Goss and William O’Connor; with Father Daniel Crowley, pastor of Sacred Heart, Middleborough serving as the homilist.