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By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
ATLANTA—At the annual jubilarian Mass held June 6, Archbishop
John F. Donoghue and priests of the archdiocese honored four brother priests
who marked a combined 100 years of service.
The silver jubilarians, all celebrating 25 years as priests in
2001, are Msgr. Stephen Churchwell, pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Atlanta;
Msgr. Hugh Marren, pastor of the Church of St. Benedict, Duluth; Father John C.
Druding, parochial vicar at St. Andrew Church, Roswell; and Father Walter
Foley, who is retired.
In his homily, the archbishop praised the works of the jubilarians
but reminded the priests of those who came before them.
“Let us also remember well on this occasion, all those who
gather with us in spirit, if not in body, and in our memories, if not at our
sides: all those priests of the Archdiocese, diocesan and religious, who have
passed to their reward, but whose names live in our daily remembrances, and in
the debts of gratitude which we owe them, for how they affected our lives, and
for how they contributed to the work we all share, the dispensation of
God’s good news to us, salvation, and the love of His Son Jesus
Christ,” he said. “Our God is indeed the God of the living, as the
Lord teaches us in today’s Gospel, and we proclaim this by remembering
first, those who have died to this life, but who now live eternally in His
peace.”
Archbishop Donoghue commented on the deep-rooted friendship
between brother priests and said that the jubilarians exemplified that
relationship.
“In these four, with whom we celebrate this morning, the
standard of such friendship is clearly seen, and our great blessing is that
they are representative of a hundred and several score more, who live to serve
among us, channeling to us, through dedication and love, the ever renewing
Spirit of God upon His people,” he said.
Archbishop Donoghue said that though the priests have faced
personal challenges, their vocations have proven their commitment to sharing
the Gospel with others.
“Behind these four successful — or perhaps enduring
would be the better word — behind these four enduring vocations, we
realize that there has been and continues to be a great depth of effort, of
challenge, of difficulty overcome, and of loyal alliance with the cross of
Christ, beyond the limit of the natural role assigned to men in the
world,” he said. “This is the nature of priesthood, but also its
glory — that by doing more to be like Christ, more of Christ can be
brought to the lives of others.”
Following the homily, the jubilarians and concelebrating priests
renewed their priestly vows and commitment to their vocation.
The silver jubilarians are:
Msgr. Stephen Churchwell
Msgr. Churchwell, a native of Carmi, Ill., was born on Oct. 4,
1949. A convert to Catholicism at the age of 17, Msgr. Churchwell was ordained
at the Cathedral of Christ the King May 1, 1976.
His first assignments were as a parochial vicar at Sts. Peter and
Paul Church, Decatur, and Sacred Heart Church, Atlanta. He served as a
parochial vicar at St. Anthony Church, Atlanta, for one year before beginning
graduate studies in canon law from 1979-82 at Catholic University in
Washington, D.C. He served as a parochial vicar at St. Andrew Church, Roswell,
from 1982-84.
Msgr. Churchwell was affiliated with the Metropolitan Tribunal
from 1978-2000. His positions included vice officialis from 1982-88 and
officialis from 1988-91. In 1984, Msgr. Churchwell began serving as a parochial
vicar at Sacred Heart Church until he was named pastor in 1994. He has served
on the priests’ retirement committee since 1998. In December 2000, he was
appointed a judge in the Provincial Court of Appeals, a position he still
maintains.
Msgr. Churchwell was one of 11 priests of the archdiocese invested
as a monsignor with the rank prelate of honor at a vespers service May 10.
Msgr. Hugh Marren
Ordained June 20, 1976, in his hometown of Tubbercurry, County
Sligo, Ireland, Msgr. Marren, like Msgr. Churchwell, was invested as a
monsignor on May 10.
Msgr. Marren served his first assignment as a parochial vicar at
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta from 1976-79. He then went on to
serve at St. Joseph Church, Athens, from 1979-83 and at St. Thomas More Church
in Decatur from 1983-85.
His first pastorate was from 1985-91 at Sacred Heart Church,
Milledgeville. He also served as pastor of St. Theresa Church, Douglasville,
from 1991-94, St. Anthony Church, Atlanta, from 1994-99 and St. Benedict
Church, Duluth, from 1999 to the present.
Msgr. Marren has been a charter member and chaplain since 1998 of
the Atlanta branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a Catholic fraternity
for Irish-Americans. He has also been chaplain to councils of the Knights of
Columbus and is completing his third term as state chaplain.
Father John C. Druding
Father Druding, a native of Philadelphia, was ordained on May 1,
1976, at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, by Archbishop Thomas A.
Donnellan.
His first assignment was as a parochial vicar at St. Mary Church
in Rome, where he served for a year before heading to St. John the Evangelist
Church in Hapeville for three years as a parochial vicar. He served as a
parochial vicar at St. Philip Benizi Church in Jonesboro from 1980-83. From
1983-85, Father Druding served as a parochial vicar at St. Joseph Church in
Athens and served his first pastorate at St. Mary Church in Toccoa from
1985-87. He was pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Peachtree City from 1987-91,
during which time he founded the interfaith airport chapel and began serving as
Catholic chaplain of the chapel at Hartsfield International Airport. From
1991-94, he served as a parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in
Atlanta, followed by service as a parochial vicar at All Saints Church in
Dunwoody from 1994-August 1996. He began serving as an advocate in the
Provincial Court of Appeals in 1995. During this time he also began serving as
the first priest at the All Saints’ Mission of Mary Our Queen in Norcross.
He began his most recent assignment as a parochial vicar at St. Andrew Church
in Roswell in August 1996. In August, Father Druding will begin his service as
a parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn.
Father Walter Foley
Father Foley, who was born in Princeton, N.J., was ordained on
Oct. 23, 1976 by Archbishop Donnellan.
He served his first assignment as a parochial vicar at Holy Family
Church in Marietta, and became a parochial vicar at St. Thomas More Church in
Decatur in 1978, serving there for two years. In 1980, Father Foley began his
four-year service as a parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Church, Lilburn. He
served his first pastorate from 1984-88 at St. Joseph Church in Dalton, during
which time he also served as the dean of the Northwest Rural Deanery. He became
pastor of St. John Neumann in 1988, and in 1991 became pastor at St. Anthony
Church in Blue Ridge. He served as a parochial vicar at St. Pius X Church in
Conyers from 1994-95. He was pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hartwell
from 1995 until his retirement in 1998. During this time, beginning in 1996,
Father Foley served as the dean of the Northeast Rural Deanery. |
