PATERSON Xaverian Missionaries, whose provincial house is in Wayne, honored priests in the Diocese, highlighting two bishops and 11 priests of the Diocese and from religious orders, who serve the Church of Paterson, during its Diocesan Priests Appreciation Dinner Nov. 10 at the Brownstone here.
The highlighted clergy included: Bishop Serratelli; Bishop Emeritus Rodimer; Vocationist Father Leo Antony, pastor of St. Gerard Majella Parish in Paterson; Xaverian Father Mark Marangone, provincial superior; Xaverian Father Michael Davitti, weekend assistant at St. Joseph Parish, Newton; Father Kevin Corcoran, diocesan vice chancellor and Bishop Serratelli’s priest-secretary; Father Michael Lombardo, pastor of Our Lady of Consolation Parish, Wayne; Father J. Patrick Ryan, pastor of St. James of the Marches Parish, Totowa; Father Peter VB Wells, pastor of Our Lady of the Valley and Holy Cross parishes, both in Wayne, and director of the diocesan Cemeteries Office; Msgr. John Demkovich, a retired priest, who continues as director of the diocesan Mission Office and associate judge of the diocesan Tribunal; Msgr. Raymond Kupke, pastor of St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne, and diocesan archivist; Father Daniel Kelly, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne; and Father Michael Lee, administrator of St. Michael Parish, Netcong.
The Xaverian Missionaries started the Nov. 10 dinner with a prayer to St. Francis Xavier and explained their mission, vision and charism. Father Lombardo made a toast to the Xaverians on behalf of his parishioners in gratitude for their ministry to the parish. Father Davitti replied by saying that the Xaverians are happy to serve and can contribute much in missionary awareness to the local Church.
The Xaverian Missionaries serve in Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, Philippines, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the U.S. They take their name and inspiration from St. Francis Xavier, a missionary in China. The Italian-born St. Guido Maria Conforti founded the Xaverian Missionaries in 1895.