Deacon Michael L. Puscas, a Permanent Deacon of the Diocese of Norwich assigned to the Guardian Angels Parish in Colchester and Lebanon and the Director of Permanent Deacon Personnel for the Diocese of Norwich died on Sunday, November 7, 2021.
A wake will be held on Thursday, November 11, 2021, from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at Guardian Angels Parish-Saint Andrew Church, 128 Norwich Avenue, Colchester, Connecticut. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Guardian Angels Parish-Saint Andrew Church, 128 Norwich Avenue, Colchester, Connecticut, on Friday, November 12, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. Burial will take place at a later date.
The Funeral Mass will be Live Streamed at 10:30 am, on Friday, November 12th. To access the Mass online please go to https://www.guardianangelsparishofcolchester.org/, then scroll down to the blue "Live-stream Masses" button.
The Aurora McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Road, Colchester, Connecticut, is in charge of arrangements.
Please remember Michael and his family in your prayers.
Obituary
REV. DR. MICHAEL L. PUSCAS, Ed.D.
Born May 2, 1953
Ordained June 11, 2005
Born to Eternal Life Nov. 7, 2021
COLCHESTER, CT – While enjoying a fitness swim as he often did, Deacon Michael Puscas closed his eyes upon this world for the last time the afternoon of Sunday, November 7th, 2021.
While we, his family announce his sudden yet peaceful passing with profound sorrow, we find greater comfort and consolation in words of the Homily he preached that same morning – on the importance of being ready to meet the Lord when He calls us. (see video below) Our shared faith tells us that Michael reopened his eyes in the real and true presence of God, gazing upon his new and eternal Heavenly home.
Born May 2, 1953 in Aurora, IL, and raised there, he was a son of Barbara (Buettgen) Puscas of Aurora, IL, and the late Victor Puscas. Michael was a graduate of Marmion (Military) Academy in Aurora; a Catholic-Benedictine college preparatory high school for young men dedicated to spiritual formation, academic excellence, and leadership development. He went on to earn his Master’s degree in Instructional Technology and his Doctorate degree in Education from Northern Illinois University.
Early on, Michael worked as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service, protecting Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, and in doing so, received a special award for achieving peaceful resolutions to potentially violent situations. The majority of his “secular” career was spent in the electric industry; he was currently a Standards Compliance Manager for ISO-New England in Holyoke, MA. A gifted visionary, Michael earned national recognition as a leader in his field.
Work paid the bills, but there were two great love affairs that truly enveloped Michael’s life – which he believed both divinely inspired. The first - for God and His Church – was fostered and nurtured from his birth; while the second began when he married his best friend and the love of his life, the former Colleen Metternich on Sept. 29, 1979. Their union and the family they would create was truly like a fairy tale! That story included countless God-given talents, which Michael always shared with humility.
Along with their young family, Colleen and Michael relocated to Colchester in the early 1990s and found their new spiritual home at St. Andrew Church in Colchester. Michael was a brother with Francis Cardinal Spellman Knights of Columbus Council 6107 and was active with the ACTS Men’s Retreat movement.
His final Homily can be viewed below