Photo Courtesy of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart

ATLANTA—Father John T. Howren, pastor of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Atlanta, died Monday, Jan. 12, from complications of influenza. He was 61 years old.

Father John T. Howren was born to John B. and Annette M. Howren (Westerman) on Sept. 12, 1964, in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, he grew up with his sister Angela, his mother and father, and later his stepfather, Dave Dorries. The family moved to Jacksonville, Florida, for a short time, and then to Atlanta in 1980. Father John graduated from Redan High School in 1982.

In the mid-1980s, after studies at West Georgia College and Georgia State University and serving as an active member of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Father Howren applied to and was accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, attending Saint Meinrad College Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana. A violin player from an early age, he became interested in liturgical music. Father Howren also played piano, guitar and led choirs, planning the music for the transitional diaconate ordinations of some of his classmates.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John F. Donoghue on June 1, 1996, at Holy Spirit Church.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue anoints Father John Howren, left, with oil during his 1996 ordination at Holy Spirit Church in Atlanta. Father Howren, who served many parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, died Jan. 12. Georgia Bulletin Photo

Father Howren’s early assignments included St. James the Apostle in McDonough and its mission, Mary Mother of God Church in Jackson. He then served as pastor at St. Gerard Majella in Ft. Oglethorpe, St. Augustine of Hippo in Covington, St. Brendan the Navigator in Cumming and at St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn. After assisting at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, he was named pastor of St. Lawrence Church in Lawrenceville in 2015, serving the parish community for five years.

In 2020, Father Howren was appointed rector and pastor of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where he led the parish through the complete interior redecoration of the historic church, which was rededicated last November.

Father Howren served as vicar forane of the Central Deanery of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and as a member of the Council of Priests.

On Jan. 14, Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III and Bishop John N. Tran celebrated a Mass at the basilica for the repose of the soul of Father Howren. Bishop Shlesinger said those gathered could contemplate a beautiful church and a beautiful person— “a gift from God to all of us.” 

It’s hard to know what to say after the loss of someone so dear, said the bishop.  

“Perhaps the best way is to let the Lord speak to us in the Scripture and to speak to our hearts about hope, about life and eternity,” he offered. 

Speaking at the beginning of Mass, Bishop Shlesinger recalled Father Howren as a “beloved friend, a priest, a son, a brother and the child of God.” 

Father Bryan Small, who attended the same seminary as Father Howren, remembered his friend in a moving homily.  

“John’s legacy was a priest who loved the Lord,” he said.  

Father Small described his brother priest as a “mainstay” showing the spirit of “slow and steady wins the race.” 

Father John Howren sings as he enters the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the dedication Mass for its new altar and redecorated sanctuary Nov. 16, 2025. The priest had a love of sacred music. Photo by Jackie Holcombe

He remembered Father Howren’s humor, smile, diligence and attention to detail, his love of liturgy and God’s people. 

Father Small recalled the question Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” “John answered that question with his life,” said the priest. “Jesus was his friend and his brother. 

He encouraged those gathered to continue to be the hands and feet of Christ and to love God.  

“That’s what he taught us to do,” he said of Father Howren. 

On his ordination day, Father Howren told The Georgia Bulletin that to be an effective priest, one must be both a leader and a member of the community they serve.  

“Regardless of our role in the Church, we all have to work together as we grow in our relationship with God and one another,” he said. 

He is survived by his mother, Annette Dorries; his stepfather, Dave Dorries; his father, John Howren (Susan) and his sister Angela Baldonado (Bob); niece Olivia Walsh, nephew Vince Walsh, half-brother Ed Powell (Stacey); and countless brother priests and loving parishioners and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana or to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Atlanta.

Reception of the body and a rosary will take place at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Tuesday, January 27, at 5 p.m. Visitation will last until 6:55 p.m. with Evensong beginning at 7 p.m. The church is located at 353 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta.

The funeral Mass for Father Howren will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 28, at the basilica. The burial will will be after Mass, at Arlington Memorial Park, 201 Mount Vernon Hwy. in Sandy Springs.