Active 95-year-old is listed as pastoral assistant in parish bulletin

Published: 2007-08-30

PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- At age 95, Joseph Martinelli is a regular at daily Mass at St. Colman Parish in Turtle Creek. In the parish bulletin he's listed as pastoral assistant, just hinting at the many roles he fills. "He's been active for many decades," said Father James Kunkel, pastor. "He serves liturgically as a eucharistic minister and reader, he takes Communion to the sick, does the prayers at funeral homes and goes to the cemetery." Martinelli also oversees the parish's money counters on Sunday mornings and helps with the parish festival. "He's very holy, spiritual and dedicated to the church. He's willing to help," Father Kunkel said. "We call him 'the monsignor.' He looks like an Italian monsignor." Priests who know him say he reflects how laypeople are called to assume new roles today in a church experiencing declining vocations to the priesthood. But Martinelli's extensive church involvement is nothing new. It started the day he retired from Westinghouse where he worked for 42 years as an electrical instrument calibrator. That day, his pastor told him he had something for him to do, and the work hasn't stopped since.

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .