Fr. Hugh Hines, OFM, 94, passes away in New York

Fr. Hugh Hines, OFM, 94, passed away on Oct. 4, 2026, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, in Beacon, New York. A Franciscan friar for 72 years and a priest for 66, he served as the seventh president of Siena University in Loudonville, New York. His life was defined by a deep sense of humility, his love of scripture, a quick sense of humor and an abiding concern for those on the margins.

Visitation will be held Friday, Oct. 9, 9-10:30 a.m., at Siena University Chapel, Loudonville, New York, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. The Mass will be livestreamed on the YouTube channel of the Siena University Chaplain's Office. Minister Provincial Br. Michael Perry, OFM, will be the principal celebrant and Br. Kevin Mullen, OFM, will be the homilist. Burial will be immediately after at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, New York.

Born Charles Howard Hines to Charles and Anna Hines (née Hackert) on March 31, 1932, in Schenectady, New York, Fr. Hugh attended Lincoln Grammar School, Central Park Junior High and Mount Pleasant High School, all in Schenectady. He attended Siena College (now University) for one year, before continuing his studies at St. Joseph Seraphic Seminary in Callicoon, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure University in 1956, a master’s degree in education from Canisius College in 1967, and a master’s degree in theology from St. Bonaventure University in 1971.

Fr. Hugh was received into the Order of Friars Minor on Aug. 12, 1953, in Paterson, New Jersey, and made simple vows the following year. He professed solemn vows on Aug. 20, 1957, and continued his theological studies at Holy Name College in Washington, D.C. He was ordained to the priesthood on March 12, 1960, at Mt. St. Sepulchre in Washington.

After ordination, Fr. Hugh served a short time at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston and St. Bonaventure Parish in Allegany, New York, before embarking on a long ministry in education. He joined the faculty at Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo, New York, in 1963 and taught there for four years. In 1967, he returned to Siena College as an instructor and later an assistant professor teaching scripture, beginning nearly 20 years of service at the school where his Franciscan vocation first took shape.

At Siena, Fr. Hugh also served as assistant director of the pre-novitiate formation program and later as assistant to the president of the college. He served as Siena’s president from 1976 to 1989, ushering the college through a period of growth and transition. Throughout his presidency, he remained closely connected to students, explaining that he did not want to sit in his office and see students as “abstractions.” As president, he considered passing on Franciscan values to students a central responsibility.

After leaving Siena in 1989, Fr. Hugh took a sabbatical year before joining St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, where he served guests experiencing poverty from 1990 to 1991. He later reflected that the experience deepened his appreciation for the joy, faith and gratitude that accompany Franciscan life. He continued to serve on the Inn’s board after his assignment ended.

Fr. Hugh’s next appointment was in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he served as guardian, director of The Franciscan Center and pastor of a parish from 1991 to 1992. In 1993, he returned to St. Anthony Shrine, where he ministered for almost a decade. During that time, he was elected to the Provincial Council of the legacy Holy Name Province and served for six years. He moved to New York City in 2002, where he served as senior associate friar at Holy Name of Jesus Parish until 2008 and as parochial vicar at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi from 2008 to 2011.

He lived briefly at St. Anthony Friary in Butler, New Jersey, before returning to St. Anthony Shrine in 2012. He became a popular preacher in Boston, known for homilies that spoke to people in language they could understand. Adult education became another avenue for expressing his love of scripture, and he continued his outreach to people experiencing poverty at St. Francis House. Throughout his life, he was untiring in his service to the poor.

People who lived and ministered alongside Fr. Hugh described him as a humble, thoughtful friar with a quick wit who loved to laugh and make others laugh. Never one who sought “the first seat,” he preferred to direct attention toward others rather than himself. He routinely reached out to those who were grieving or needed support. Described as a “friar’s friar,” Fr. Hugh loved his vocation and his brother friars deeply. Having lost his father early in his life, he cared lovingly for his mother throughout her long life.

Fr. Hugh is survived by his first cousin Richard L. (Mary) Jones; second cousins Eileen M. Gross, Matthew R. Jones, Nancy Phillips, Margaret Eisert and Patrick Roberts; and his brother friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.