SERVICE & TWO PAULISTS 25 Years
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SPRING 2007 SERVICE & CELEBRAtION When I served YOU A as vocation director for our community, I formed an advisory board of both Paulists and laity. We PAULIST? met every few months at the Paulist residence next to our mother church of Saint Paul the Apostle in New York City. One evening the members of the board joined all of the men in the house for dinner. At the meeting afterward, one of the board members made an 11, 1957, by Bishop James him to the Paulist junior religious relations. seeing to the practical side observation that really struck me. A. Griffiths in the Paulist seminary in Baltimore at of Vatican II.” Since 1988, mother church, St. Paul the age 13. Helmich entered The church was taking its Jerusalem’s Tantur Institute “We have just encountered a first steps in enfleshing wonderful advertisement for the Apostle in New York City. the Army Air Corps when has been Stransky’s home, Paulists.” This person went on to McCabe and Pietrucha he graduated from high Vatican II when Stransky “and if it be God’s will, explain: “Many of the men at dinner was elected president of the tonight are in senior ministry status— also cite the vocations school in 1942. He found my home until death and ordained 40, 50 or more years. They pamphlet as their the Paulists in 1950. Paulists in 1970, bringing burial.” Rector of the are alive, they are smiling, they are introduction him back to North America. Ecumenical Institute for happy after so many years of serving Each of these priests He still grieves the loss of so as Paulist priests. They are proof of to the Paulists. Theological Studies until how worthwhile this life can be.” “You a And a lingering cites the impact of the many priests during those 1995, and now emeritus, Paulist?” astonishment still colors Second Vatican Council years, but at the same time Stransky has taught more Once again this May, we are honoring on his priesthood and he rejoices in the Paulists our Golden Jubilarians who total 250 Just a few words, printed their memories of the than 2,500 theology years of service to the church. The over 50 years ago in a vocations director, the on the church for which who remained, “zealously students. Continued on pg. 2 members of the class of 1957 have Paulist vocations pamphlet, late Paulist Father Francis he was ordained. None used their talents in so many different experienced Vatican II ways—promoting ecumenical but invested with the power Timothy McGough. “Father relations at the Second Vatican to change lives. “I became McGough didn’t waste more immediately than Council; welcoming Puerto Rican haunted by its question— Stransky who was studying and Cuban immigrants to the West time,” says Pietrucha. “I Side of Manhattan; directing Family What talents could you give went to the vocations office in Rome in 1959 when Life Ministry for an archdiocese; to the church as a Paulist?” for information and in half Pope John XXIII announced as president of the community, as his plan to convoke the novice master and as pastors. They Father Thomas Stransky, an hour I was signed up. I responded to the promptings of the CSP, remembers. Along never looked back.” Council. Stransky became Spirit to share in the work begun by with Stransky, Paulist an original staff member of Isaac Hecker and his companions 149 McKiernan grew up the Vatican Secretariat for years ago. And indeed they witness Fathers James McCabe, to how fulfilling this life is. We Ed Pietrucha, Vinny with the Paulists at Good Christian Unity, and helped congratulate them and the two who McKiernan and George Shepherd Parish in New to draft three of the final are celebrating their silver jubilee. York City. “They were the 16 Council documents: We sadly note that one of the men Helmich are celebrating ordained in 1982, Father Tom Jones, 50 years of priesthood. only priests I knew,” he on religious freedom, Father Thomas Stransky, CSP. went home to the Lord in January. A They were ordained May says. And his vocation took ecumenism and inter- pastor, former Paulist vice president and first consultor, may he now rest in peace. Yes, these jubilarians discerned TWO PAULISTS 25 YEARS where the Spirit was leading and in part their response was to carry on Celebrate the work of Isaac Hecker. We are now P aulist Fathers Paul Huesing and Eleven years later, with a Ph.D. “basic” experience of priesthood. students at UCLA was a highlight of approaching the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Paulists. I want to Frank Desiderio were ordained in psychology and experience He loved the city and its people. my priesthood,” he says. highlight two anniversary invitations. on May 22, 1982. They support in psychological research and Now Huesing is working out of the There will be two retreats offering the Paulist mission and serve the development, he entered the Paulist Paulist Center in Boston as part Desiderio worked in radio you the opportunity to reflect upon production with the late Paulist St. Paul, the legacy of Father Hecker church now on opposite coasts. novitiate. “I have been happy in all of the effort to build up regional and the presence of the Spirit in your my assignments,” he says. identity for the Paulists. His New Father Jack Mulhall while earning a own life and that of the Paulists. In Huesing was the newspaper editor graduate degree in communications addition, there will two chances to England outreach focuses on Paulist retrace the steps of Father Hecker at St. Thomas More College in Those assignments have been evangelization through young management at the Annenberg from his entrance into the church to Covington, Kentucky, when he mainly in two areas: information adult ministry. School at the University of Southern the beginnings of the Paulist Fathers. encountered the Paulists through centers in Grand Rapids and California. After his years in I encourage you to look at our newly designed Website: www.paulist.org an ad they placed in the paper. Toronto, and campus ministry at Desiderio grew up in the Washington, Desiderio returned and refer to the section entitled 150th the University Washington, DC, area and followed to California to work with Father Anniversary for more details. of Texas in an interest in media work to Bud Kieser at Paulist Productions Please join in thanking God for Austin and at the Paulists, linking up with the in Los Angeles. When Kieser died the years of service of our Paulist the University community at St. Paul’s College. in 2000, Desiderio followed him jubilarians. I do hope that you will be of Colorado Midway in his 25 Paulist years, as president. Paulist Productions able to join with us for some of the events as we celebrate 150 years of in Boulder. Desiderio returned to St. Paul’s is currently working on a feature Paulist mission to the church in Being pastor College for seven years to direct the documentary on forgiveness to North America. at St. Thomas formation of Paulist students. The be completed this spring. Paulist Father John Duffy, CSP Aquinas in rest of his ministry has taken place Productions is on the Internet at President Boulder was a in California. “Working with college www.paulistproductions.org. Father Paul Huesing, CSP. Father Frank Desiderio, CSP. Father George Helmich, CSP, left. 50TH ANNIVERSARIES con’t. from pg. 1 Father Vinny McKiernan, CSP. Father Ed Pietrucha, CSP. “Perhaps more fruitful,” he says, “has been the Tantur ministry of helping Homestead Air Force Base in Florida From his first Paulist assignment, Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, during the Cuban missile crisis; he working with the Puerto Rican Muslims and Christians to uncover was proud to have joined Cardinal community at St. Paul the Apostle the human face and heart in Francis Spellman during one of his in New York, to his current ministry each other.” Christmas visits to the troops in in Tucson, Pietrucha’s facility with Father James McCabe, CSP. Father Vinny McKiernan, who Korea. “He has a big heart,” says languages has served the Paulist was just a boy when he entered the Paulist Father Bill Cantwell. mission. His first pastorate, at St. Paulist seminary, spent 13 years as a “He has a deep understanding of Austin in Texas, he remembers as in Columbus. column in The Catholic Review. student and 17 more working with people’s suffering.” a big challenge. “It was during the Paulist students, first as a teacher and Father James McCabe also grew McCabe’s first experience as a pastor Vietnam War. People were unsettled. Helmich served in Austin with then as novice master from 1968 to up in New York City and met the came at St. Peter’s Church in Toronto. There were unrest and riots. But we his classmate Pietrucha and at 1976. McKiernan says, “The novices, Paulists at St. Paul the Apostle That was followed by two years as got through that,” he says. Then in Immaculate Conception in Knoxville with their unique personalities, where his parents were married. superior at the Boston Paulist Center Toronto, he was able to minister to the with Father Tom Connellan, CSP, enabled me to grow with them. I He remembers the vocations and seven years as pastor in Austin. Italian and Portuguese communities another colleague in Vero Beach. learned to trust their talents even if brochure—he gave his first one In 1998 he found himself back in in their own tongues. At Santa “When the first Vietnamese families they were not my own.” He notes away—and McGough.