Priests celebrate jubilees

Priests of the Albany Diocese are noting significant anniversaries this spring. Four who were ordained in 1982 are celebrating their silver jubilees:

* REV. PATRICK BUTLER, a native of Troy, has been an associate pastor at Corpus Christi, Round Lake; Annunciation, Ilion; and St. Edward's, Clifton Park.

As a pastor, he has served at Christ the King, Westmere, and his current parish: St. Edward's, Clifton Park.

Father Butler plans to celebrate his anniversary privately.

QUOTE: "The most positive experience in these 25 years has been the opportunity to grow in my appreciation and understanding of my faith and life in this world through the support and challenge that so many members of my communities have offered me. I have grown in gratitude, thanks to their constant understanding and support."

* REV. EDWARD KACERGUIS, a native of Waterbury, Conn., has ministered at Our Lady of Victory, St. Michael's and St. Joseph's, all in Troy; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Amsterdam; St. Anthony's, Schenectady; and Christ Sun of Justice on the campus of RPI in Troy, where he is now pastor.

Father Kacerguis has not finalized plans to mark his jubilee.

QUOTE: "God has given me gifts beyond measure, through the people I have had the privilege to minister to and with. Because of God's people, I have grown -- and hopefully will continue to -- as a person and a priest. I recommend every young Catholic consider a vocation in either ordained ministry or ministry as a religious brother or sister."

* REV. GORDON POLENZ, a native of Schenectady, has served as chaplain at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, and in the following parishes: St. Mary's, Granville; St. Teresa of Avila, Albany; St. Helen's, Niskayuna; and Sacred Heart, Sidney, where he has been pastor for 21 years.

A parish reception will be held after the 10:30 a.m. Mass on July 29 at Sacred Heart.

QUOTE: "I have had so many rewarding experiences in my life, but nothing can compare to the joy that I have received from the priesthood. I only wish that I began earlier instead of waiting to begin at 40."

* REV. RICHARD SEVERSON, a native of Hoosick Falls, has served as associate pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Hudson Falls, as a chaplain at Washington Correctional Facility and as coordinating chaplain at Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility.

Father Severson will mark his anniversary with a Mass on June 10, 2 p.m., at St. Mary/St. Paul's Church in Hudson Falls.

QUOTE: "Aside from celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Peter, the most memorable moments have been watching the tears of joy flowing from inmates who feel the forgiveness of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The priesthood is walking the walk with God. Reaching out to help others is key to the priesthood, and rewarding in this life and in the world to come."

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Three priests ordained in 1967 are noting their 40th jubilees:

* REV. JOHN BRADLEY, a native of Albany, has served as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart, Albany; as a chaplain at Memorial Hospital and its School of Nursing, Albany; and as associate pastor at St. Luke's, Schenectady.

He has been pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish in Albany since 1976. He is also dean of the City of Albany.

Father Bradley will mark his jubilee at his parish with a noon Mass of Thanksgiving on May 20. A reception will follow.

QUOTE: "I am grateful for the call to priesthood and for being able to serve these 40 years in the Diocese. My life has been enriched beyond my imagining by the people I have been called to serve and by those I have worked with in my ministry. These have been exciting, fulfilling and fast-moving years."

* REV. ERWIN SCHWEIGARDT, a native of Albany, served at Our Lady of Victory, Troy, and St. John the Evangelist, Rensselaer, before going to The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., to obtain a doctorate.

Upon his return, he became director of educational research and a district superintendent for the diocesan Catholic School Office. He was also chaplain at Union College in Schenectady.

As a pastor, Father Schweigardt ministered at St. Patrick's, Watervliet, for 25 years. He is now pastor of St. Margaret Mary's Church in Albany.

He will offer a Mass of Thanksgiving at his parish on May 19 at 4 p.m. A reception will follow.

QUOTE: "Being a priest has been most challenging and exciting during these 40 years. Much has changed in the Church and world during these years."

* REV. WILLIAM TURNBULL, who grew up in Rensselaer, has been an educator at Cardinal McCloskey High in Albany and Catholic Central High in Troy. He also worked in the diocesan Catholic School Office.

His parish ministries have been at Sacred Heart, Berlin; St. Joseph's, Stephentown; St. Teresa of Avila, Albany; Nativity/St. Mary's, Stuyvesant Falls; and St. Peter's, Stillwater. He has also been a chaplain at St. Mary's Hospital, Troy. Although retired, he continues to serve as sacramental minister at Schuyler Ridge Nursing Home in Clifton Park.

Father Turnbull, who recently had a celebration to mark his retirement, has no plans for a jubilee event.

QUOTE: "The core of my priesthood has been celebration of the Eucharist. It is the central experience that gives meaning to everything else."

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Six priests ordained in 1957 are noting their golden jubilees:

* REV. ROBERT BUCKLEY, a native of South Glens Falls, was an assistant pastor at Our Lady of Mercy, Colonie, and St. Mary's, Albany, before becoming pastor of St. Joseph's, Rensselaer; St. Anne's, Waterford; and Notre Dame/Visitation, Schuylerville.

He was also assistant director and then director of the Albany diocesan Cemeteries Office.

Father Buckley has not announced plans to mark his jubilee.

* REV. THEODORE GERKEN, a native of Whitney Point, N.Y., served in Rhode Island, Nebraska, the Fiji Islands and Syracuse before being incardinated into the Albany Diocese.

Here, he has been an associate at St. Joseph/St. Michael/Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Amsterdam; Assumption, Schenectady; and St. Mary's, Ballston Spa. In 1988, he was named pastor of Resurrection parish in Germantown. He is now retired.

Father Gerken has not set plans to mark his jubilee.

* REV. ANTONE KANDRAC, OFM CONV., a native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has served his order in friaries, hospitals, schools and parishes in Trenton, Boston, and throughout New York State: Syracuse, Endicott, Lake Pleasant, Wells and Utica.

He has been pastor of St. Mary's parish in Nassau since 1994.

Father Kandrac will mark his anniversary with a noon Mass at St. Mary's on June 10.

* REV. JOHN MURPHY, a native of Troy, served at St. Peter's, Delhi, and St. James, Albany, before becoming pastor of St. Patrick's parish in Catskill, where he ministered for 34 years. He retired in 2005.

He will celebrate an anniversary liturgy at noon on June 2 at St. Patrick's.

* REV. JAMES O'NEILL, a native of Lancaster, N.Y., has been an assistant at St. Patrick's, Albany; administrator of St. Mary's, Stuyvesant Falls; and assistant at St. Joseph's, Rensselaer, and St. Patrick's, Johnstown.

He was founding pastor of St. Bonaventure's parish in Speigletown, where he served for 16 years. He was also pastor of St. Joseph's, Green Island, and St. Peter's, Stillwater.

Father O'Neill will offer a jubilee Mass June 2, 4 p.m., at St. Bonaventure's, and June 3, 11 a.m., at St. Joseph's, Cohoes.

* REV. MARC TOUCHETTE, a native of Whitehall, has served at St. James, North Creek; St. Francis de Sales, Troy; St. Francis de Sales, Gloversville; St. Marie's, Cohoes; St. John the Baptist, Albany; Blessed Sacrament, Albany; Sacred Heart, Watervliet; St. Monica's, Johnsonville; and St. Bernard's, Cohoes, where he was stationed for 25 years.

Father Touchette will offer a Mass of Thanksgiving June 3 at St. Bernard's. He invites priests who want to concelebrate to contact him (237-2721). A reception will follow.

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Two priests of the Albany Diocese are marking their 60th anniversaries:

* REV. RAYMOND PIECHOCKI, a native of Amsterdam, has served at St. Adalbert's, Schenectady; St. Stanislaus, Amsterdam; St. Mary's, Schenectady; St. John the Baptist, Amsterdam; and Sacred Heart, Hudson (as administrator).

As a pastor, Father Piechocki ministered at Sacred Heart, Little Falls, and St. Stanislaus, Amsterdam. He was also a chaplain at Mt. Loretto Nursing Home in Amsterdam.

He plans to mark his anniversary "quietly and gratefully, reflecting on the blessings of my priesthood."

QUOTE: "The greatest experience of my priesthood is the celebration of the Eucharist, realizing, as I stand at the altar, that I bring the presence of God into my life and the lives of others."

* REV. EDWARD RYAN, born in Troy and raised in Rensselaer, served at St. Mary's Hospital and St. Mary's parish, both in Troy, before being named pastor of St. Peter's, Delhi, where he was stationed from 1964 to 1996.

Father Ryan will mark his jubilee on May 6 with an 11:15 a.m. Mass at St. Peter's Church. A luncheon will follow at SUNY-Delhi.

QUOTE: "The easiest way to talk about the priesthood is to talk about a fellow priest who worked in Walton: Father Eugene Willis. He was the personification of the Beatitudes. I also give credit to the marvelous Daughters of Charity at St. Mary's School in Troy who had such an influence on my life."

Jubilees trigger memories

In comments to The Evangelist on the occasion of their 50th anniversaries of ordination, several priests offered many insights into the meaning of their vocations and their time as clergy.

Rev. Marc Touchette said that "my experience of priesthood has been that life is all about relationships: first with the persons of God and second with the person of our neighbor, our brothers and sisters. Each relationship affects the other, and our joy is being part of each other's lives."

He added, "This you can only experience and cannot express in words because it comes from the heart."

Father Touchette called the work of being a priest "helping people become better persons by the grace of God. The better person we are, the better our relationships, which brings peace and joy."

He concluded by noting that "every day is a good day when I can offer Mass for the glory of God and the welfare of His people."

One more time

"I'd do the same thing again," declared Rev. James O'Neill as he thought about his half-century as a priest.

He called his most memorable moment "the day I was appointed to go to Speigletown to evaluate and then found St. Bonaventure's parish."

Rev. John Murphy said, "I loved and cherished all the parishioners and school children."

Rev. Theodore Gerken said his priestly time has been "a fantastic experience I could never have had otherwise. I will be eternally grateful."

First Mass

Rev. Antone Kandrac, OFM Conv., chose his first Mass as his most memorable moment from the past five decades.

He cherishes being "in the presence of my family -- eight brothers and one sister, relatives, parishioners and former teachers -- and hearing them call me 'Father.'"

He told his oldest brother, "I'm your kid brother; call me 'Danny.'" His brother replied, "Yes, Father."

Father Kandrac said he enjoys being a priest and a Franciscan. "I try to recommend either as often as I can," he noted.

(4/26/07) [[In-content Ad]]