Local News Archive

Print Issue: October 31, 2002

Irish Memories Remain As Father Walsh Reflects Upon 25 Years In The Priesthood

(Photo by Kathi Stearns)

By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer

PEACHTREE CITY - Father John Walsh can weave the tale of his childhood like an old Irish folk song.

Full of imagery, as he tells his stories of his youth in a small railroad town in West Ireland, listeners can almost hear the sounds of the train whistles and smell the rainy Irish air.

As Father Walsh celebrates his 25th anniversary of ordination, those to whom he has ministered appreciate his storytelling, but most of all the compassion, sensitivity and prayerful discernment that have made him one of the most beloved priests in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Renee Montesanti, parish secretary at Holy Trinity Church, where Father Walsh has been pastor since 1996, said that he always "puts others' needs first."

"He's just so genuine," she said. "He's very caring in his words and his actions. He's just sweet. I don't know another word to use - there's nice, there's pleasant - but he's just very sweet."

Montesanti's words are echoed by many in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, but it was the strong Catholic foundation Father Walsh received in Ireland that led to his successful ministry as a priest.

Father John Walsh, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Peachtree City, fifth from left, and Father Fabio Sotelo Peña, fourth from left, parochial vicar at the parish, join the band Mariachi Juveniles of America during a performance for Father Walsh's 25th anniversary as a priest. It was also a surprise party for the priest who turned 50 on June 12. The mariachi band was a gift from the Hispanic ministry. (Photos by Michael Alexander)

As the oldest of six children, Father Walsh was raised in Claremorris, in the west of Ireland, "a nice, small little town to grow up in," he said.

His father worked on the railroad while his mother stayed at home with her children and later worked for the post office. His home was within walking distance to the local parish and it was while serving as an altar boy at St. Coleman's Church that he first began to think about the priesthood.

"I would always serve the 8:30 morning Mass and I used to sit and think 'I wonder what it would be like,'" he said. "It was a time for my mind to drift and I would go into my own little dream world."

When he was 12 years old, he had an experience from which he would later draw strength. At the end of elementary school, he won a scholarship to study the Gaelic language away from home for three months in a town called Connemara.

"It was my first time away from home," he said. "And I think it kind of helped me later on when I was thinking of leaving home for the priesthood."

He attended high school, then St. Coleman's College. The church was in an upheaval when he graduated in 1970, but by that time, Father Walsh was seriously discerning the priesthood.

"With the Second Vatican Council, some of the priests were leaving and it caused a fair bit of uproar in our town," he said. "I remember talking to my dad and telling him I was thinking of the priesthood and he said, 'are you sure that's what you want to do?'"

So Father Walsh considered working on the railroad, like his father, and even took the exam for the post office, where his mother worked.

Father John Walsh extends a personal thanks to each parishioner of Holy Trinity Church, Peachtree City, who came out to celebrate his silver jubilee as a priest, May 25.

But the idea of the priesthood stayed with him. He was especially inspired by the priests in his town who served in missions in Africa and came back to Claremorris during the summer.

"I felt that Ireland had enough priests. There were 10 priests at my high school," he said. "The knights in armor to me were the guys coming back from Nigeria . . . That to me was real dedication."

In the fall of 1970, Atlanta Archbishop Thomas Donnellan traveled to Father Walsh's school and made a plea for Irish priests to come to America and serve the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He told the young men that there were few churches in Atlanta, and some were more than an hour away from each other.

"I thought, 'God, there must be a real need,'" he said.

He kept correspondence with the vocations director in Atlanta, and was nervous to tell his father what he was thinking.

"He used to start work at 4 a.m. so he would come in around 10-11 a.m. from work and would go right to bed," he said. "When I told him, it was a real shaker for him. He went to bed for a while and got up 20 minutes later. He said he couldn't sleep and went up to the church to talk to the pastor and pray a bit."

After that, his father was more at peace, but still worried for his young son. But Father Walsh persevered. After his second year in his seminary studies at Maynooth College, Father Walsh journeyed to Atlanta for the first time.

"It was July 1972," he said. "I just remember it was very hot. I thought the red clay was just awful different and at first the crickets at night really kept me awake."

He spent that first Southern summer as a janitor, cleaning Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and School in Atlanta. It was during that time that he began his bond with the many Irish priests in Atlanta, playing golf with them each Tuesday.

Upon returning to the much cooler climate of Ireland, Father Walsh continued his studies and received his arts degree in Gaelic. He then went on to study theology, spending his summer painting railroad bridges. Two years before ordination, he returned to Atlanta and worked at Sacred Heart Church in Atlanta. It was there that he served at the old St. Joseph's Hospital downtown.

"I really got to like that hospital ministry," he said. "It was the first time I had been exposed to that close up."

Father Walsh was ordained on his 25th birthday, June 12, 1977 at his home parish by Archbishop Donnellan. Though he was confident in his vocation, he admits leaving his home was difficult.

"I never thought it would be as hard leaving as it was, getting that one way ticket to Atlanta," he said.

His first assignment as a parochial vicar at Corpus Christi Church, Stone Mountain, helped to combat his homesickness.

"It was a big parish and there was so much to do and so many different programs," he said. "I got involved and got caught up in the activities. For the first few months I didn't have time to be homesick."

Father John Walsh, fourth from left, joins his relatives for a family photo. At his side are (l-r) his brothers, Martin and Willie Walsh, his sisters-in-law Betty and Bernadette, his youngest brother Michael, his aunt Ellen Mahoney and cousin Gary Bonomo. Father Walsh's brothers and their wives came from Ireland to celebrate with him, while his aunt and cousin came from Syracuse, N.Y.

He spent two years at Corpus Christi and was then transferred to St. John the Evangelist Church in Hapeville. After four years at St. John's, he was transferred to St. Jude's Church, Atlanta, where he became involved in the Engaged Encounter ministry and worked with the St. Jude School students, and then after three years, moved to St. Thomas More Church in Decatur.

After serving there only a year, Father Walsh was assigned pastor of St. Pius X Church in Conyers. Actor Carroll O'Connor attended the installation, along with Father Walsh's family. He spent nine years at the parish, and with the Olympics it was an exciting time. However, it was the alleged apparitions happening at Nancy Fowler's farm nearby that became the biggest challenge.

"I have lots of very good memories there - being near the monastery (of the Holy Spirit) was good, but when the pilgrims were coming on the 13th of the month by the busload, it was sometimes hard to manage," he said. "If the 13th happened on a weekend, it was compounded and we'd have to have 15-20 Masses a weekend."

While at St. Pius, Father Walsh made plans for expansion, building an education facility and parish hall. He enjoyed the city and the people he worked with.

"I really enjoyed my time in Conyers. I got to know a lot of people in the town - not just parishioners but local officials, like the commissioners," he said.

Barb Garvin, former youth minister of St. Pius and now archdiocesan director of youth and children's ministry, said the best word to describe Father Walsh is "approachable."

"He is a pastor you can go talk to and he is a pastor who listens," she said.

Garvin served eight years under Father Walsh and said that the kids "loved him."

"He is an excellent pastor," she said. "He is a very compassionate, caring individual who truly cares about the people he ministers to. He was very supportive of the youth . . . He's the reason we started Life Teen. There were many occasions where he went to bat for things the kids needed."

Father Walsh was an ideal boss, Garvin recalled.

"His leadership style is very empowering, laid back and relaxed," she said. "He doesn't stand over your shoulder making sure you do your job. He hired people that he trusted and he let them do their jobs."

In 1996, Father Walsh became pastor of Holy Trinity. He enjoys the pace of life in Peachtree City, a town that boasts as many golf carts as cars.

"I really like the town," he said. "There are a lot of places to walk and I have always been a walker. We have a lot of airline folk and they're usually friendly because they travel so much. I've had the blessing of really being able to station myself in any parish I'm in."

Looking back on his life, Father Walsh is a bit incredulous.

"It's hard to believe I've been a priest for 25 years," he said. "It's hard to believe I'm 50."

A true Irishman, Father Walsh loves to tell a story, but it is the basics of his vocation that are his heart.

"The Mass is the outstanding part of the priesthood," he said. "I do get a great joy as a pastor, celebrating Mass for the congregation."

Michelle Daniels, a Holy Trinity parishioner, is grateful for the supportive pastor.

"He is very, very prudent in the way he deals with his parish," she said. "He listens to us with a father's loving care. When you ask him for something, he takes it all in and very prayerfully discerns God's will for his church."

Daniels was instrumental in starting Holy Trinity's "Christ Renews His Parish" program and said that it took a while for Father Walsh to agree to the group.

"He may not say yes right away, but that is because he is discerning if it's the right time," she said. "When he does decide, he puts 100 percent of his heart, mind and soul into it and he is generous in every way with his time, talent and treasure."

She said, most importantly, Father Walsh is compassionate and sensitive to each parishioner's needs.

"There's not a soul who doesn't like Father Walsh," she said. "He reaches you where you are . . . He would never try to convert you at any other level than the one where you are."

Fellow archdiocesan priests also have a great respect for Father Walsh. Father Frank McNamee, pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell, served as a deacon under Father Walsh at St. Pius and, later, his first assignment as a parochial vicar at Holy Trinity.

"He's a very kind and compassionate man," he said. "He has a great sensitivity toward people's needs. He was one of those people who made the rectory a pleasant place to live. He's a great guy."

A fellow Irishman, Father McNamee grew up about 40 miles from Father Walsh's hometown. The secret to Father Walsh's success as a priest, Father McNamee said, is simple.

"Of course it's because he's Irish, and not only that, but he's from the west of Ireland," he jokes.