Father Robert J. Kosty, who in May of this year marked the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, died Aug. 30 at Saint Ignatius Parish in Fort Washington, Maryland. He was 78 years old, and the cause of death was not reported.
He had moved to Saint Ignatius Parish when he retired last June after serving eight years as a senior priest at the Shrine of Saint Jude in Rockville, Maryland.
Parishioners at Saint Jude were able to post condolences and remembrances of the late priest on the parish Facebook page. “Father Bob was such a good, kind soul. Smart but humble, children adored him. He will be missed greatly,” one parishioner wrote.
“He was such a wonderful person and priest,” another parishioner wrote. “He made it so easy to go to him for Confession.”
Robert John Kosty was born Aug. 25, 1946 in Troy, New York to John and Rita Kosty. His father was a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Byzantine Rite.
In 1967, he entered Mater Christi Seminary in Albany, N.Y., and spent a year with the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. In 1968, he began studies at Resurrection College in Ontario, Canada, and two years later entered Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
He was ordained a priest for The Roman Archdiocese of Washington at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle on May 18, 1974.
His was first assigned as parochial vicar to Sacred Heart Parish, La Plata, Maryland, and then in 1977 to Mount Calvary Parish, Forestville, Maryland. In 1985, Father Kosty was assigned as parochial vicar to Holy Family Parish, Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, and then in 1993 to Saint John the Evangelist Parish, Silver Spring, Maryland.
In 1994, Father Kosty was appointed pastor of Our Lady’s Church, Medley’s Neck, Maryland, and served there until 2002 when he was named pastor of Saint Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Port Tobacco, Maryland, and Saint Ignatius of Loyola Parish, Port Tobacco, Maryland.
In a 2014 interview with the Catholic Standard when he was celebrating the 40th anniversary of his ordination, Father Kosty said that “it means a lot that I've been able to help a lot of people... The greatest blessing is bringing people together in their marriage, and baptizing their children.”
Among Father Kosty’s survivors is a brother, Michael, of Mechanicville, New York.
A viewing for Father Kosty will be held Sunday, Sept. 8, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Shrine of Saint Jude, 12701 Veirs Mill Road, Rockville. A vigil Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. by Father John Dillon.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory will celebrate a funeral Mass for Father Kosty on Monday, Sept. 9, at noon at Saint Jude. A wake will precede the Mass beginning at 10 a.m.
Burial will be in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, Maryland, immediately following the Mass. After the burial, there will be a reception in the Shrine of Saint Jude’s Thaddeus Hall.
