Bishop Malooly was the main celebrant of a 5 p.m. Mass to honor religious jubilarians on April 12 at the Church of the Holy Child in Wilmington.
The following religious are celebrating jubilees this year in the Diocese of Wilmington.
70 Years
Sister Marcella M. Missar, SNDdeN joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur after her 1945 graduation from Notre Dame High School in Moylan, Pa. She spent her early career as a teacher of theology and instrumental music at Notre Dame High School and Archbishop Ryan High School in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. This was followed by ministry as a director of religious education in six parishes in the Wilmington and Washington, D.C. dioceses. Before moving back to Wilmington nine years ago, she was a volunteer for Sisters Academy in Baltimore.
65 Years
Rev. James P. Byrne, OSFS, a native of the Philadelphia area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1950 and professed first vows a year later.
He was ordained in 1960 and served in the Diocese of Wilmington, Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., until 2012. He taught at Salesianum School in Wilmington and Father Judge High School in Philadelphia. He served briefly in the missions in Brazil and as parochial vicar and pastor in North Carolina and Philadelphia. Retired since 2012, he now resides in the Oblate community in Childs, Md.
Rev. Thomas J. Palko, OSFS, a native of the New York area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1950 and professed first vows a year later. He was ordained in 1959 and served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and dioceses of Arlington and Venice, Fla., until 2005, teaching at Northeast Catholic High School and Salesianum School. He served as parochial vicar and pastor in Philadelphia, Ft. Myers, Fla. and New Orleans. Retired since 2005, he now resides in the Oblate community in Childs.
60 Years
Reverend Eugene L. Kelly, OSFS, a native of the Philadelphia area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1954 and professed first vows in 1956.
He was ordained in 1965 and served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia until 2008, teaching for 34 years at Northeast Catholic and Father Judge high schools. Retired since 2008, he now resides in the Oblate community in Childs.
Sister Mary Vincent Kowaleski, OSFS, a native of Wilmington, is originally from St. Hedwig Parish. Sister left the DuPont Co. to join the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales in Childs in her younger years. She served as principal of Mount Aviat Academy when it was a high school, but is best known for the many years she taught kindergarten and preschool. Sister served in Tring, England, before returning to the United States where she ministered at St. Bernadette Parish, Drexel Hill, Pa., and St. Mary Parish in Fredericksburg, Va. Now retired, sister continues to minister at Mount Aviat Academy.
Sister Mary Lou Robino, OSB, a member of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Gertrude Monastery in Ridgely, Md., is a native of Wilmington. She is a
graduate of St. Elizabeth High School, Seton Hall University and the University of Maryland. She taught at Sacred Heart, St. Catherine of Siena, Our Lady of Fatima and St. Edmond’s in Rehoboth Beach, where she was the principal.
She worked as a clinical social worker at Catholic Charities for 26 years, as a school counselor at Holy Angels, and a classroom assistant at Holy Angels and St. Elizabeth. Sister Mary Lou now volunteers in the emergency department at St. Francis Hospital and is a member of the Junior Board of St. Francis. Sister is an active member of her community.
55 Years
Rev. William R. Gore, OSFS, a native of the Philadelphia area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1959 and professed first vows in 1961. He
was ordained in 1969 and served in the Diocese of Wilmington, Diocese of Arlington and Ukraine until 2005, teaching at Salesianum School and Bishop Ireton High School. He served as associate pastor and pastor at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church and as an Oblate missionary in the Ukraine. Retired since 2014, he now resides at St. Edmond in Rehoboth Beach.
Rev. Thomas J. McGee, OSFS, a native of the Philadelphia area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1959 and professed first vows in 1961. He was ordained in 1971 and served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the dioceses of Arlington, Wilmington, Allentown, Venice, Fla., Camden, N.J., and Raleigh, N.C., until 2013. He was a teacher and administrator at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va.; Bishop Verot High School in Ft. Myers, Fla.; and Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He served as principal at Holy Name High School and Salesianum School. He was pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Ahoskie, N.C., and parochial vicar at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna, Va., and Our Lady, Star of the Sea in Cape May, N.J. Retired since 2014, he now resides at the Salesianum Oblate community.
Rev. Frank J. Rinaldi, OSFS, a native of the Wilmington area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1960 and professed first vows in 1961. Hewas ordained in 1969 and served in the archdioceses of Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, and the dioceses of Arlington and Wilmington. He taught at Salesianum and Northeast Catholic high schools. In the Diocese of Wilmington, he served as parochial vicar at St. Catherine of Siena, St. Paul’s in Delaware City, and chaplain at St. Gertrude’s Monastery. He is currently the parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua.
50 Years
Rev. John P. Connery, OSFS, a native of the Philadelphia area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1964 and professed first vows in 1966. He
was ordained in 1971 and served in the dioceses of Arlington and Wilmington, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, teaching at Bishop Ireton High School, Father Judge High School and Salesianum School. He served as chief of chaplains at the VA/Medical Center in Wilmington and is currently a chaplain at St. Francis Medical Center in Wilmington.
Rev. Michael C. Connolly, OSFS, a native of the New York area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1964 and professed first vows in 1966. He was ordained in 1974 and served in the archdioceses of Philadelphia and Washington, and the Dioceses of Allentown, Wilmington and Raleigh, N.C., teaching at Father Judge High School, Salesianum School and DeSales University. He served as pastor at St. Brendan the Navigator in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., and was the judicial vicar, vice chancellor and diocesan consultor for the Archdiocese for the Military Services in Washington, D.C. He was also the novice master at the Oblate Novitiate in Brooklyn, Mich. He is currently on the faculty at Salesianum.
Sister Catherine Godfrey, OSB, was born and educated in the Bronx, N.Y. She professed first vows in October 1966 and had the privilege of caring for
the elderly and infirm across the country as a Little Sister of the Poor. Transferring to the Benedictine Sisters in 1991, sister worked for several years as a registered nurse in the Benedictine School for Exceptional Children and is now part of the administrative team of her Benedictine community in Ridgely.
Sister Ann Hughes, SSJ, is presently pastoral associate at Church of the Holy Child. Born in Wilmington, Sister entered her congregation in 1966. She taught in elementary school in Philadelphia, Schuylkill Haven, Pa., and Vienna, Va., from 1968-1988. She returned to Delaware to teach at Holy Rosary, Claymont, and then served the parish as director of religious education until 2000. In 2000, Sister Ann began her ministry at Church of the Holy Child in north Wilmington.
40 Years
Rev. Barry R. Strong, OSFS, a native of the Philadelphia area, was ordained in 1984 and holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Following studies, he taught graduate theology at DeSales School of Theology and the Catholic University of America, and worked in the Oblate formation program in Washington, D.C. He has served in the dioceses of Raleigh, N.C., and Venice, Fla., as pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Wilmington, N.C., and St. Ann Parish in Naples, Fla. He currently serves as director of province administration in Wilmington. He also serves on the congregation’s General Council as assistant superior general and general mission coordinator.
25 Years
Rev. Kevin M. Nadolski, OSFS, a native of the Philadelphia area, joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1989 and professed first vows in 1991. He
was ordained in 1997 by Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli at St. Anthony of Padua Church and served in the dioceses of Arlington and Wilmington and the Archdiocese of Washington. He was on the faculty and then principal at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va., and also served as a teacher and assistant principal at Salesianum School. He was the director of vocations for the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province and is currently director of development and communications.
