In 1974, Livia Riley was a first-year teacher at St. Anthony of Padua School in Lancaster, welcoming 40 students into her classroom and wondering what God had in store for her.
“I’ll never forget that first day,” said Riley. “I was 21 years old. I stopped on the landing between the second and third floors, and stood there thinking, ‘I wonder where this will lead me.’”
Some time ago, while I was teaching in the Bronx, a Redemptorist priest from Japan who was staying in the rectory and studying in Fordham University came to the convent for Mass. It was the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Most feast days within the Church’s calendar are celebrated on a specific date each year. This feast day is always 19 days after Pentecost, which is dependent on Easter. This year, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is June 28.
Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg has announced the appointment of David K. Gardiner as president. He will assume this leadership role on July 1.
Gardiner was most recently served at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md.
Father Francis T. Menei, 80, died June 6 at Misericordia Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in York. He had been a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg since 2002.
He was a graduate of the Philadelphia Public School System and St. Charles Borromeo College and Seminary, Overbrook, and obtained his Masters Degree at the University of Notre Dame.
In his 22 years as Diocesan Secretary for Education, Father Edward J. Quinlan focused on a trifecta of criteria essential to the success of Catholic schools: that they be authentically Catholic in identity and mission; that they offer quality education; and that they are affordable for families.
“When we say that the human person is a composite of body and soul and has an eternal destiny, how can you possibly prepare someone for the rest of their life without reference to their spiritual dimension? Our Catholic education does that very well,” he said.
My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I recently returned from the General Assembly meeting for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and I am encouraged by the progress that was made during this meeting. Many topics were discussed, but at the forefront of our discussions were ways to hold bishops accountable for abuse and/or negligence in reporting abuse.
This past year has been a very difficult one for our Church and I wish to share some of the important steps that were taken during this meeting.
The Franciscan Friars who minister in Coal Township, Shamokin and Trevorton are undertaking a new ministry that will address sustainability in the Coal Region.
The Franciscan Center, located in a former rectory at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Coal Township, will serve as a meeting space and housing facility for groups and interns focusing on ways to address socio-economic and environmental issues in the area.
Father Joshua Weaver
Parochial Vicar, St. Catherine Labouré Parish, Harrisburg
Chaplain at Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg
From St. Joseph Parish in Mechanicsburg
Trinity High School
Mount St. Mary’s University
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
When did you first hear or consider the call to be a priest?
It really took off in college. I met this girl who was really awesome, and as I was going out with her, she was very involved in her faith. I knew that the best way to be the best boyfriend possible was that I would need to fall in love with Christ in order to be a better boyfriend and, if God willed it, a better husband for her. I committed myself to really try to grow in my faith. She and I went to daily Mass together, we prayed together, we talked about the faith together. We really pushed each other to grow in virtue and grow in relationship with Christ. It was through that relationship of growing closer to Christ – initially motivated by her – that when he eventually did call and started speaking to me to tell me that he wanted me to enter the seminary, I was actually able to hear it.
Father Andrew St. Hilaire
Parochial Vicar, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Gettysburg, and
Campus Minister at Gettysburg College
From St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Mechanicsburg
St. Benedict Academy, Manchester, N.H.
Cumberland Valley High School
Catholic University of America
St. John’s Seminary in Massachusetts
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary
When did you first hear or consider the call to be a priest?
When I was five, I wanted to be a priest, according to some of the stories given by my parents. My reason at the age of five was kind of comical, because I thought priests were really cool because they dressed up as wizards at Mass. Also at the age of five, I thought girls had “cooties,” so I thought “No cooties and I get to dress up like a wizard!” This whole thing sounded cool to a five year old!
Some time ago, a Sister in my congregation just didn’t feel right. She ached all over and was tired all the time. After a visit to the doctor and several tests, she was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer. The doctors told her that her kidneys were giving out as well. Dialysis would assist her kidneys in their function, but there was no cure and no treatment for her terminal cancer. Upon hearing the news, she whispered, “Fiat!” and signed medical papers for palliative care that would make her as comfortable as possible. When our religious community at large was given the news, several of us began to tear up and felt awe at Sister Margareta’s courage. She was called to her heavenly home a mere 10 days after diagnosis.
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