Bishop recognizes priests marking their ordination anniversaries

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney honored priests who serve the diocese for marking milestone ordination anniversaries this year — 25, 40, 50, 60, 65, and 70 years — during a Mass on June 6 in Corpus Christi Church in Chatham Township. These jubilarians — priests of the diocese and religious orders — were praised for being “spiritual first responders” to God’s people.

“It is wonderful to celebrate and give thanks to God for the gift of the priesthood. We also give thanks for the countless years of service represented by the priests gathered here today, especially our jubilarians,” said Bishop Sweeney, the main celebrant of the Mass.

Concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney were the jubilarian priests in attendance and Father Kevin Corcoran, pastor of Corpus Christi. Delivering the homily was Msgr. James Mahoney, one of the jubilarians, who is a retired diocesan priest, pastor emeritus of Corpus Christi, and former diocesan vicar general and moderator of the Curia. The honored priests were accompanied by many well-wishers, including fellow priests, parishioners and staff, and family.

“To be a priest is to fall in love with God and the people we serve. It’s a privilege to put our people in touch with God,” said Msgr. Mahoney, who also called priests “spiritual first responders,” who are there at times of great pain and contagious joy of their flock. “If people have experienced joy, had their burdens lifted, and feel better and more at peace because of our service, then the struggles of our priesthood were worth it.”

The following are biographies of the honored priests:

70 Years

Father Edward M. Davey was ordained on April 22, 1953, in St. Mary Church, Newark. He graduated from Seton Hall University, South Orange, and St. Mary Abbey, Morristown. He previously served the Newark Arch­dio­cese. In Paterson, Father Davey served Our Lady of Consolation, Wayne; Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne; Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township; and St. Joseph, Newton, where he was the pastor for 20 years until his retirement in 1999.

65 Years

Father Richard Rento was ordained on May 31, 1958. He graduated from Seton Hall University, Immaculate Conception Sem­in­ary, and the Catholic University of Ameri­ca in Washington, D.C., where he earned a licentiate in sacred theology. He served St. Mary Hospital, Passaic, as a chaplain. In 1964, he was named as diocesan director of the Confraternity of Chris­tian Doctrine (now known as religious education). Four years later, he began serving as presider and homilist for a weekly radio program, “The Sunday Mass,” on WPAT-AM. In the early 1970s, he established the diocesan Office of Continuing Education for priests until being assigned to St. Brendan, Clifton, where he served as coordinator of the pastoral team. He served there for 20 years until retiring in 1998.

60 Years

Msgr. Robert B. Carroll was ordained on May 25, 1963, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He graduated from Seton Hall University and the former Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington. He served Our Lady Queen of Peace, Branch­ville; St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover; St. Brendan, Clifton; and St. Gerard Majella, Paterson. He also was assistant director of the diocesan Religious Vocations Apostolate and a guidance counselor at the former Neumann Prep, Wayne. He served as pastor of St. Nicholas, Passaic; parochial vicar of St. Anthony, Haw­thorne; and pastor of Our Lady of Fatima in the Highland Lakes neighborhood of Vernon from 2000 until his retirement.

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Father Frank B. Grappoli was born near Brescia, Italy. He joined the Xaverian Missionaries, influenced by his brother Pietro, also a member of the religious order. Father Grappoli served in Rome, Indonesia as the secretary to the nuncio, Sierra Leone, and finally in the United States. He spent several years in the Xaverian House in Franklin, Wis. Later, Father Grappoli was assigned to the Provincial House in Wayne to serve as provincial treasurer. He retired in 2017 and resides in the Provincial House.

50 Years

Msgr. Joseph J. Goode was ordained on May 5, 1973, at St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at Father Judge Mission Seminary in Monroe, Va.; Seton Hall University; the former Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington; and Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he studied canon law. He served Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wayne; the diocesan Marriage Tribunal as defender of the bond and vice officialis; and as diocesan vice chancellor and director of the Catholic Deaf Society. He also served St. Paul, Clifton; Sacred Heart, Rockaway, as pastor; Our Lady of the Magnificat, Kinnelon; and St. Mark and Our Lady of the Mountain, both in the Long Valley neighborhood of Washington Township, before his retirement in 2017.

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Father Gilberto Gutierrez was ordained to the priesthood as a Claretian priest on Jan. 5, 1973, in his native Colombia. He served as a missionary in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Panama, and Spain. In 1993, he came to the Paterson Diocese, where he served the Cathedral of St. John, Paterson. He was incardinated into the diocese in 1996. In 2000, he became pastor of Our Lady of Fatima, Passaic, where he served until his retirement in 2015.

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Msgr. Raymond J. Kupke was ordained on May 26, 1973, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at Seton Hall University; the former Immaculate Con­cep­tion Seminary, Darlington; and the Catholic University of America, where he earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. He served St. Philip the Apostle, Clifton; the former Paterson Catholic High School, Paterson; and the former Paul VI High School, Clifton. The diocesan archivist, he wrote “Living Stones,” a history of the diocese, writes a column on diocesan history in The Beacon, and co-hosts a new podcast called Coffee with Kupke. He served St. Thomas the Apostle, Ogdens­burg as temporary administrator, and Holy Family, Florham Park, as pastor. He serves as pastor of St. Anthony, Haw­thorne, and as an adjunct professor of Church history at Immaculate Concep­tion School of Theology.

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Msgr. James T. Mahoney was ordained on May 5, 1973, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at Lewis University, Lockport, Ill.; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore; and Fordham University, the Bronx, N.Y., where he earned a doctorate in church leadership. He served the former Bayley-Ellard High School, Madison, where he chaired the religion department. He was assistant superintendent of diocesan schools, director of diocesan pastoral research, and diocesan vicar for planning and priorities. Msgr. Mahoney was the administrator of St. Vincent Martyr, Madison, and pastor of Corpus Christi, Chatham Township. He was named diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia in 2005. He retired from active ministry in 2020.

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Father Daniel W. Murphy was ordained on May 26, 1973, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at the College of Holy Cross, Worchester, Mass., and the former Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington. He served Annunciation, Wayne; Resurrection, Randolph; St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta, as founding pastor; Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne, as pastor; and St. Matthew, Randolph, where he served as pastor from 2009 until his retirement. During his priesthood, he also was elected to the former Priests Senate, was appointed to a five-year term on the clergy personnel board, and served as chairman of the diocesan Vocations Awareness Committee.

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Father Joseph J. Orlandi was ordained on May 26, 1973, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at Pontifico Collegio Leoniano in his native Rome, Italy. In 1970, he was invited to study at the former Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington. He served Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Boonton, and St. Brendan, Clifton. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve as a chaplain in 1980 and was awarded a medal for his service during the Gulf War. He was named pastor of St. Michael, Paterson, in 1990. Father Orlandi served as a chaplain with the Army’s 78th Division and was awarded an Army Commendation Medal in 1999. He was called to active duty in 2005 and served at an Army base in Iraq. He returned a year later and continued to serve at St. Michael’s until 2008 when he was assigned to St. Jude in the Budd Lake neighborhood of Mount Olive Township. He was named pastor there in 2011 and served until his retirement in 2013.

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Father Salvatore J. Panagia entered the Capuchin order and made his first vows in 1969. He was ordained on June 9, 1973, at Immaculate Conception Church, the Bronx, N.Y. He studied at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Father Panagia served Our Lady of Lourdes, Paterson, and the former St. Francis Preparatory Seminary, Lafayette, as a teacher. He was incardinated as a Paterson diocesan priest in February 1988. Father Panagia served as parochial vicar at St. Paul, Prospect Park. In 1994, he was named pastor of Our Lady of Pompei, Paterson, where is served until his retirement in 2011.

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Father Louis J. Scurti was ordained on Dec. 8, 1973, in St. Margaret Church, Morristown. He studied at St. Mary Seminary and University, Baltimore; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Montclair State University; Seton Hall University, where he earned an educational specialty degree in marriage and family therapy; and LaSalle University, Philadelphia, where he earned a doctorate in family mediation. He is a licensed N.J. marriage and family therapist. For many years, he was director of the Catholic Campus Ministry Center at William Paterson University. He hosted “The Word: Alive and Well,” a cable television program that aired on networks around the U.S. He taught at DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne; William Paterson; and St. Peter’s College, Jersey City.

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Msgr. William P. Stober was ordained on May 5, 1973, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at Resurrection College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and Mount St. Mary College in Emmits­burg, Md. He served Our Lady of Fatima in Highland Lakes, part of Vernon; Annunciation, Wayne; St. Vincent DePaul in Stirling, part of Long Hill Township; and Our Lady of the Mountain in Long Valley, part of Washington Township. In 1989, Msgr. Stober was named pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Branchville, where he served until his retirement in 2015. He also served as diocesan vicar for pastoral administration.

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Father Zbigniew Tyburski was ordained on June 12, 1973, in his native Lublin Diocese in Poland, after his studies at the Catholic University in Lublin. In 1989, he came to the U.S. to participate in a symposium on Christian-Jewish relations. He stayed in the U.S. and served at Our Lady of Consolation, Brooklyn, N.Y. After two years of post-doctoral studies, he went to Our Lady of Consolation, Wayne, in 1994. He also served St. Joseph, Newton, and Our Lady of Fatima, Highland Lakes. Father Tyburski has written several books. In 2003, he became pastor of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Boonton, where he served until his retirement in 2017.

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Father Charles J. Waller was ordained on May 26, 1973, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at St. Bernard College in St. Bernard, Ala., and the former Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington. He served as parochial vicar of Holy Spirit, Pequannock, and as chaplain at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Paterson, and Beth Israel Hospital, Passaic. He also served as parochial vicar of Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne; Blessed Sacrament, Paterson; St. Vincent Martyr, Madison; and St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover. Father Waller also served as pastor of St. Therese and St. Gerard Majella, both in Paterson. He also served as director of pastoral care at Straight and Narrow, Paterson.

40 Years

Father Joseph J. Garbarino was ordained to the priesthood on Nov. 12, 1983, in St. John Cathedral, Paterson. He studied at Seton Hall University and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Darlington. He served Sacred Heart, Clifton; St. Catherine of Siena, Mountain Lakes; and Holy Family, Florham Park. He also served as pastor of St. Pius X, Montville, and St. Philip Parish, Clifton, before being named pastor of St. Ann, Parsippany, in 2021.

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Franciscan Father Joseph Juracek entered the Franciscan order in 1978, made final vows in 1982, and was ordained in 1983. He pursued graduate studies at Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. He served at St. Joseph, East Rutherford; St. Francis of Assisi, Manhattan, N.Y., as vicar of the friary; Fordham University, as a student and a member of the counseling center and ministry staff; St. Stephen of Hungary, Manhattan; and St. Francis of Assisi, Brant Beach, N.J. In the Diocese of Paterson, Father Juracek served St. Mary, Pompton Lakes, where he was named a parochial vicar in 2014, and is now pastor of St. Anthony, Butler, where he was named in 2017. He also is deacon of the North Passaic Deanery.

25 Years

Father Francis Kelly is a non-incardinated priest of the Boston Archdiocese who is currently serving in the Paterson Diocese with the Franciscan Sisters of St. Eliza­beth. The sisters have a novitiate, Montessori school, and nursery school in Parsippany.