Ordained just over five years ago at Holy Cross Cathedral by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, Father Corey Bassett-Tirrell died unexpectedly on Oct. 31, 2024, at St. Mark Rectory, Dorchester, where he had been living in residence.

Born in Barnstable on Sept. 16, 1980, into a Cape Cod Protestant family and raised on Cape Cod, Corey came slowly into communion with the Catholic Church. He was a son of Gary Tirrell and the late Donna Bassett, who died on May 20, 2024. He has one sibling, a brother named Jamie. He attended Chatham Elementary School and Chatham Middle and High School until the family moved to East Boston, where he graduated from East Boston High School.

He attended Mount Ida College from which he received a certificate in mortuary science.

His entry into the Church was not without some strings. One of his grandmothers, of whom he was extremely fond of telling stories about her salty and humorous take on life, was an Italian Catholic living in East Boston.

His real connection to the Church began when he brought his considerable musical talents to parishes in East Boston. He served as both organist and music director in several of them, while he was also on the staff of area funeral homes.

During years of searching, he came to know the Carmelite Friars at St. Therese Chapel in Peabody, and through them and their instructions, he was received at the chapel into the Catholic Church in 2005.

He told The Pilot at the time of his ordination that, in the ensuing years, he sensed he might have a vocation to the priesthood and sought the advice of several priest friends. Ultimately, he entered priestly formation at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, Weston.

During his seminary formation, he served in pastoral assignments, including a deacon assignment at St. Bridget Parish, Framingham.

Following his May 18, 2019, ordination at Holy Cross Cathedral, he received his first assignment, and it was to the two-parish collaborative of St. Mary and St. John the Evangelist, Chelmsford.

In 2021, he returned to familiar territory, St. Bridget, Framingham, now as a parochial vicar. From 2023 to 2024, he was a parochial vicar at Divine Mercy Parish, Quincy.

He had multiple medical issues, which required periodic health leaves almost from the time of his ordination.

In spite of this, he was always gregarious, outgoing, and ready with a story; some seemed to be a "bit" embellished but it was the details with the passion in the telling that caught the audience.

He possessed many talents musically and personally. As sometimes happens, he seemed not to appreciate them as much as others did. He was also an amateur master chef. During his seminary years and after, he would prepare Thanksgiving dinner, hosted by Father Francis Daly at Father Daly's Duxbury home for the seminarians from Pope St. John XXIII who could not make the trek home for the holiday.

Most recently, he was in residence at St. Mark Rectory, Dorchester, with his classmate and friend, Father Marcos Enrique. As mentioned, he had been struggling with multiple health issues.

Father Bassett-Tirrell's funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Adelaide Church, Peabody, on Nov. 7, 2024. It was in that church that, just over five years ago, he had celebrated his Mass of Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley celebrated the Reception of the Body at the beginning of the Vigil or Wake at St. Adelaide on Nov. 6, 2024.

Archbishop Richard G. Henning was the principal celebrant of the funeral Mass; a priest friend from the Diocese of Brooklyn, also an alumnus of Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, Father Ernesto Alonso-Aguila, presently parochial vicar at St. Leo Parish, Corona, N.Y., served as the homilist.

Among those indicating they would be concelebrating Father Bassett-Tirrell's funeral were Merrimack Regional Bishop Robert F. Hennessey; Auxiliary Bishop Mark O'Connell, vicar general and moderator of the curia; Central Regional Bishop Cristiano G. Borro Barbosa; Msgr. Kevin J. O'Leary, rector of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Cross; South Regional Vicar Father Robert L. Connors; St. Adelaide Parish pastor, Father David Lewis; Father Marcos Enrique; pastor, St. Mark, Dorchester; Father Robert E. Casey, pastor of Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid parishes, South Boston; Father Raymond Van De Moortell, senior priest at St. Adelaide; and Father David Brogan, pastor of Our Lady of Hope, Ipswich, and St. Paul, Hamilton.

Committal services for Father Bassett-Tirrell were private.