Beloved Detroit-Area Priest Hit, Killed By Car Outside Hospital: Officials

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI — A Detroit-area priest has died after he was hit by a car outside an Oakland County hospital last week, according to officials.

Fr. Tom Szura, a priest of the Marianhill Missionary Fathers in Dearborn Heights, was hit by a car in the parking lot of Corewell Health Farmington Hills last Wednesday afternoon, according to officials.

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He was rushed to the emergency room where he died, according to officials.

Officials with St. Sabina Catholic Church said Szura was visiting the hospital to pray for the sick.

"Fr. Tom was a beloved friend and dedicated weekend associate of both Our Lady of Grace and Saint Sabina parishes for nearly 50 years. His decades of kindness, spiritual guidance, and warmth, especially his knack for ending Mass with a joke, leaves an unforgettable mark on our faith communities. We will miss his presence dearly," St. Sabina officials said.

Farmington Hills Police Chief John Piggot told WDIV that one person was arrested in connection with the crash, as officials were still investigating.

Szura was ordained as a priest on Feb. 19, 1978, and became a member of the Mariannhill Missionary Society.

He died less than a month before his 76th birthday, according to an obituary.

"Father Tom was a man of God who enjoyed saying Mass and preaching and being a man who was loved and respected by the faithful. He will be greatly missed by his fellow Mariannhill confreres and by his parishioners. He was one of those who leaves his work in the hearts and souls of those who loved him," read the obituary.