Date of death taken from gravestone.

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Priest reached out to prisoners, Catholic Leader, 10 March 2002, p 5:

A former Brisbane archdiocesan prisons chaplain, Fr Brian Horton, died at his home near Lowood in the Lockyer Valley last Saturday at the age of 46.

Fr Horton was ordained in his home town, Gympie, on June 29, 1982 and served in the parishes of Beenleigh, Inala, Ipswich, St Lucia and Gordon Park before becoming prisons chaplain in 1993, a position he held for eight years.

Because of ill health he was serving as a supply priest for South Country Deanery when he died.

Archbishop John Bathersby offered sympathy to Fr Horton's family, the priests of the archdiocese, "and the multitude of people who regarded Fr Brian with the deepest admiration and affection".

A friend, Fr Kevin Ryan of Gatton, said that in his years as a priest Fr Horton distinguished himself by his care for the underprivileged.

"He reached out to the most needy in society, providing food, accommodation and holidays," Fr Ryan said.

"As a chaplain in prisons in southern Queensland his kindness and Christ-like compassion extended to prison staff, inmates, their families and their victims.

"Ill health forced his withdrawal from this work. Since then he had been trying to regain his health.

"Status and money meant nothing to Brian Horton. He prided himself on being with those on the outer limits of society.

"Prisoners appreciated his approach, which was often unorthodox. Last Christmas he received cards from 50 former prison inmates.

"A few weeks ago, a young man took his life in custody. Fr Horton helped pay for his funeral, one of his many kind acts," he said.

In his last few months, Fr Horton was negotiating to bring American Sr Helen Perjean [Prejean] on a lecture tour of Queensland. She is the chaplain to death row made famous by her book and movie Dead Man Walking.

A vigil liturgy will be held in St Mark's Church, Inala, at 7pm today (Sunday).

Fr Horton's funeral will be at St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane at 10am tomorrow (Monday).

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Funeral brochure, 11 March 2002:
Reverend Father Brian Anthony Horton
Brian Anthony Horton was born on 4 December 1955 in Gympie, one of four children born to Charles William Horton [Dec'd] and Bridie Veronica [Eagers]. Brian is survived by his brothers Denis and Michael and his sister Patricia McGrory. His education was at St. Patrick's Primary and Christian Brothers College, Gympie. His seminary education was at Pius XII Seminary, Banyo. Brian was ordained to the Priesthood on 29 June 1982 in St. Patrick's Church, Gympie. He served as an assistant priest in Beenleigh [1982-1985], Inala Pastoral Team [1986-1991], Ipswich [1991] and as Administrator of St. Lucia for three months [1991-1992]. After study leave in 1992 he began an eight year appointment as Prisons Chaplain [1993-2000]. In 2001 Brian went on Sabbatical Leave for six months and then was appointed as Relief Priest in the South Country Deanery. He died at his residence at Lockrose, Lowood on Saturday evening 2 March 2002. May he experience forever the joy and eternal peace of the Risen Lord.

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Priest always saw good in people, Catholic Leader, 17 March 2002, p 5:

Fr Brian Horton was "supreme proof of the fact 'God's ways are not our ways'", Archbishop John Bathersby said at the priest's funeral Mass.

Preaching in St Stephen's Cathedral on March 11, Archbishop Bathersby said that the former prison chaplain "reinforced the truth that the one certainty about God after his existence is his extraordinary extravagance".

"We see it in his act of creation ... We see it again with the arrival of the kingdom in Jesus Christ and the extravagance of his miracles ... Perhaps most powerfully we see it in the variety of the apostles, the fearful and vacillating Peter, the direct and boastful Paul, the avaricious Judas, the ambitious sons of Zebedee ... "

"Into the midst of all that enormous variety and richness of God strode Brian Horton whom we honour today, a most singular person who achieved works of grace that few of us will ever achieve ourselves."

"Not only was he singular in his dress and appearance, both of which ranked very low on his scale of importance, but above all, his singularity was most manifest in his amazing capacity to see good in all people, especially in those people whom others, for a variety of reasons, found difficulty to accept."

Archbishop Bathersby said Fr Horton had "deeply loved the pulsating tide of humanity with a passion and the lives of thousands were better because he was able to recognise their God-given dignity and see their potential for goodness as children of God's well beloved family".

"A regular army of people who he regarded as friends came to rely upon his contact by presence or phone for their well-being," Archbishop Bathersby said. They would appear sometimes at the most unexpected times, but Fr Horton was "always kind, compassionate and often challenging".

"This extraordinary love of people was evident in the parishes where he worked, In Beenleigh, in Inala, in Ipswich, in St Lucia, and above all, in his prison ministry.

"There would be a multitude of residents and former residents of correctional centres and their families who must have been enormously saddened by news of his death."

Archbishop Bathersby offered his deepest sympathy to Fr Horton's mother Bridie, his sister Patricia and his brothers Denis and Michael and their extended families. Fr Horton's father predeceased him.

Archbishop Bathersby also extended his sympathy to "the whole cohort of friends from all walks of life who have gathered here today".

Fr Horton died at his home near Lowood in the Lockyer Valley on March 2. He was 46 and had been ordained in Gympie, his home town, on June 29, 1982.