Rev. David Hudgins
Deceased: 2022-01-03
Diocese: LANSING
CSM Graduation Year: 2017
The Very Reverend David Hudgins, 53, of Brooklyn, died unexpectedly on Monday, January 3, 2022 from injuries sustained in a car accident.
David William Hudgins was born on January 2, 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri, the elder son of David and Marguerite Hudgins. He was baptized on January 26, 1969 at the Church of the Immacolata in Richmond Heights, Missouri. Following high school, he went on to complete his bachelor’s degree at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. After achieving his bachelor’s degree, he entered seminary and began studying philosophy in Boston.
Following two years of prayer and study, he stepped away from seminary formation and pursued a career in Washington, DC. Later, David found himself at the University of Michigan, where he completed a Masters in Social Work. He then worked as a substance abuse counselor and later as a child and family therapist at Catholic Social Services in Adrian, Michigan.
The call to the sacred priesthood did not abate, however, and, so, in 1997 David entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit as a seminarian for the Diocese of Lansing. He was ordained a Priest of Jesus Christ on June 9, 2001 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Lansing by Bishop Carl E. Mengeling.
Following his ordination, Father Hudgins was assigned as a Parochial Vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas in East Lansing from June 2001 to June 2004. He served as Pastor of Saint Joseph in Adrian from June 2004 to June 2014, with the added responsibility of serving as the pastor of a second parish for the last four years of that assignment at Saint Joseph Shrine in Brooklyn.
Father Hudgins spent the next three years studying Canon Law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome from July 2014 to June 2017. Following the completion of his studies, he faithfully served the Diocese of Lansing as the Adjunct Judicial Vicar from July 2017 to June 2018 while also in residence at Saint Martha in Okemos from July 2017 to September 2019. He was then named Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Lansing in June of 2018, a position he currently held. In June of 2020, he was again assigned as pastor of Saint Joseph Shrine in addition to his canon law responsibilities on the Diocesan Tribunal.
Those who knew him remember Father David Hudgins as a humble man of prayer, intellect, fraternal charity, and a man possessing a wonderful sense of humor. His love for our Eucharistic Lord and His people will leave a lasting mark on all who knew him. His only request was that, when his time came, people would pray for the happy repose of his soul.
Left to cherish his memory is his mother, Marguerite; brother, Father James Hudgins of Ashburn, VA; sister, Nancy Godfrey (Ken) of Charlotte, NC; niece and nephew, Curtis and Lucy Godfrey; as well as his beloved brother priests from the Diocese of Lansing.
Preceding him in death is his father, David Albert.
Visitation will be held on Friday, January, 7, 2022 from 2 to 7PM at St. Joseph Shrine Church (8743 US-12, Brooklyn, MI 49230). Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Father Hudgins at 10am on Saturday, January 8, at Saint Mary Cathedral, 219 Seymour Avenue, Lansing, 48933. Principal celebrant, Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing. Homilist, Father James Hudgins, Diocese of Arlington. Burial will follow at Saint Joseph Shrine Cemetery (8743 US 12. Brooklyn, MI 49230) at 2:30PM. For those unable to attend the Requiem Mass in person, it will be livestreamed through the Diocese of Lansing Facebook page as well as their YouTube channel.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Saint Joseph Shrine Church or Catholic Social Services in Adrian. “Tu es sacerdos in aeternum, secundum ordinem Melchisedech” (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7:17)
View the video of the powerful Requiem Mass for the Repose of his Soul HERE
