By Thea Jarvis

Father Vincent Mulvin, pastor of St. Bernadette’s Church in Cedartown, died Sunday, March 20 of a massive heart attack.

The native of Edenderry, Ireland, was found in the rectory in rural Polk County and pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m. Sunday evening. He was 39 years old.

Father Mulvin came to the United States in August 1968 after his ordination at the Cathedral of the Assumption in County Carlow, Ireland. He had attended St. Finian’s College in Mullingar and completed his studies at St. Patrick’s College in Carlow.

His first assignment for the Archdiocese of Atlanta was at St. John the Evangelist Church in Hapeville. He was stationed there until 1971, when he became assistant pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Atlanta.

Father Mulvin joined the Metropolitan Tribunal in 1972 and went on to further studies at the School of Canon Law at Catholic University in 1973. He returned to Atlanta at the end of that year to serve as Assistant Chancellor, part-time.

Early in 1974, Father Mulvin became Vice-Officialis of the Archdiocesan Tribunal, a post he held until 1979, when he left the office for reasons of health.

During his years at the Tribunal and Chancery, Father Mulvin resided at Corpus Christi Church in Stone Mountain, the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Alpharetta and Sacred Heart Church in Atlanta.

Prior to his pastorship of St. Bernadette’s, Father Mulvin assisted at St. Oliver Plunkett Church in Snellville for six months. He was appointed to the Cedartown parish in 1981.

Father James Fennessey, pastor of St. John Vianney Church in Lithia Springs, was a classmate of Father Mulvin’s in Ireland. His feelings about his friend echo the thoughts of many who knew him.

“He was a very kind and gentle priest, always excited about his priesthood,” Father Fennessey said from St. Bernadette’s in Cedartown, where he had gone to finalize arrangements for Father Mulvin’s services.

“He was a great man to bring people together and to heal broken relationships – he did that very quietly and unobtrusively. I know, too, that he was a man of prayer.”

Father Gerard Gill, M.S.F.S., pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in Norcross, got to know Father Mulvin after his arrival in the States. The men were part of the “Tuesday Group” of priests who enjoyed a weekly round of golf at Chastain Park in Atlanta.

“He was a very well-balanced person, a quiet, agreeable companion,” Father Gill commented the day after Father Mulvin’s death. “He was a good priest – he’s going to be missed.”

Among those who knew Father Mulvin during his years at the Tribunal, Carmel Whitcomb spoke with affection of her fellow staff member and friend.

“He was one of the nicest priests,” she remembered, “a gentle, very gentle person, sympathetic and easy to talk to.”

Father Terry Kane, pastor of St. Oliver Plunkett Church in Snellville, was another close friend and classmate of Father Mulvin’s. Their relationship grew when the men lived together in the Snellville parish and Father Mulvin helped build the new church during his brief stay.

“Wherever he went, he was immediately loved by the people,” Father Kane reminisced. “He came across as very spiritual, very Christ-like in his nature. He was great with children – and a good hand at the golf.”

Father Kane attested to the priest’s careful spiritual discipline and his faithfulness to his prayer life. “To be with him was to feel you were with someone who was very spiritual,” he said.

Vincent Mulvin was the third of six children of James and Rita Mulvin of Edenderry, County Offaly. He is survived by his father and brothers, Patrick, Gerald, James and Dennis, and his sister, Evelyn, all of whom reside in Ireland.

Earlier this week, the Office of the Dead was prayed at St. Bernadette’s Monday night by parishioners and friends. On Tuesday evening, a Mass was celebrated for Father Mulvin at the Lester C. Litesey Funeral Home in Cedartown.

A Mass of Christian Burial was concelebrated Wednesday morning at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. Archbishop Thomas Donnellan was the principal celebrant. Fathers Terry Kane and James Fennessey accompanied the body on the flight home to Ireland for burial services.