CHARLESTON—Father Francis Joseph Travis, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Camden and vicar of retired priests for the Diocese of Charleston, died Jan. 22. He was 60.
The Vigil for the Deceased will be held Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, located at 1709 Lyttleton St. in Camden. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, located at 120 Broad St. in Charleston. Visitation will be held at the Cathedral from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to Mass. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery on James Island.
Father Travis was born Aug. 9, 1953, in Wheeling, W.V., to James and Delores Schlick Travis. He was a graduate of Bishop England High School in Charleston and St. Mary College in St. Mary, Ky., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He attended St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and earned his Master of Divinity from St. Gregory’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He was ordained by Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Dec. 6, 1981. His pastoral assignments in the diocese included: associate pastor at St. Joseph in Anderson from 1981-82; associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament in Charleston from 1982-84; parochial vicar at St. Joseph in Columbia from 1984-86; parochial vicar at St. Mary in Greenville from 1986-88; pastor of McClellanville Mission and the Church of the Divine Teacher at The Citadel in Charleston, both from 1988-89; pastor of Holy Cross in Pickens and St. Luke Mission in Easley from 1994-2004; and pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help since 2004.
Father Travis also served as vicar for youth for the diocese, youth moderator for the Piedmont vicariate and chaplain to the Charleston Police Department.
He is survived by three brothers, Martin and his wife Leigh Travis of Charleston, James Travis of Summerville, and Joseph Travis of North Charleston, and an uncle, Father Regis Schlick of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Memorial donations may be made to: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 1709 Lyttleton St., Camden, SC 29020.