Funeral brochure, 13 July 2000:
Thomas Anthony Hegerty was born on 23 March 1929 at Brisbane, the eldest of three children born to Arthur Stanislaus and Mary Getrude [McCormack]. Surviving family members are his brother Leo and sister Marie Thornton. He attended St. Brendan's School, Moorooka and St. Laurence's College, South Brisbane. His seminary education was at Pius XII Seminary, Banyo. Tom was ordained to the Priesthood on 30 June 1952 in St. Stephen's Cathedral. He served at St. Brendan's, Moorooka as an Assistant Priest until November 1961 when he was appointed Parish Priest of Sunnybank. Since 1988 he has been the Dean of the Brisbane South Deanery. He died at the QEII Hospital on Monday 10 July 2000 after collapsing during the celebration of the morning Mass.
May he experience forever the joy and eternal peace of the Risen Lord.

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Parish priest dies after collapsing during Mass, Catholic Leader, Brisbane, 16 July 2000, p 5:

Sunnybank parish priest for 39 years, Fr Tom Hegerty died in QEII Hospital last Monday after he collapsed while celebrating morning Mass in the parish church.

The exact cause of death was still unclear last Tuesday.

Fr Hegerty was born on March 23, 1929 in Brisbane, the eldest of the three children of Stan and Gert (nee McCormack).

The family lived in Moorooka and were very active parishioners.

Fr Hegerty attended St Brendan's Convent School in Moorooka and then went to St Laurence's College in South Brisbane.

He completed his senior studies at Banyo Seminary before beginning his priestly studies there.

He was ordained by Archbishop James Duhig on June 30, 1952 in St Stephen's Cathedral.

Fr Hegerty began his priestly ministry as associate pastor at St Brendan's parish, Moorooka, remaining there for nine years.

His second - and last – appointment was as parish priest at Sunnybank on November 14, 1961.

Fr Hegerty was chaplain to the Young Christian Workers for almost a decade, valuing workers and understanding their problems and hopes.

He was especially sensitive to wayward youth, who had no one else to turn to. They were among many people he helped in a variety of ways.

Fr Hegerty and a group of other priests made an important contribution to the development of parish councils in the archdiocese. They saw these as a way for laity to be more involved in the Church, in the spirit of Vatican II.

He also made a major contribution to setting up the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

His other contributions were to ecumenism and education. Fr Hegerty was a member of the archdiocese's first Commission for Ecumenism in 1969. He also served on the education planning committee.

He was dean of Brisbane South from 1988.

At Sunnybank he built a strong parish community and infrastructure which included a new church, reception centre, offices and swimming complex.

Fr Hegerty also played a key role in the life of the parish school, preschool and after-school and vacation care programs.

He laid the foundation for the many ministries which are part of the parish today.

But he said recently in a parish publication, expressing his pride in what Our Lady of Lourdes had achieved: "It has come about because of teamwork, a Christian community sharing a vision and working to realise that vision with dedication, generosity, compassion and tireless energy".

Archbishop John Bathersby was the principal celebrant at Fr Hegerty's funeral Mass in St Stephen's Cathedral on Thursday. Fr Hegerty was buried at Nudgee Cemetery.