Priests celebrating jubilees honored for joyful service

Dedication of 11 retired priests also highlighted during Mass at Cathedral June 19

Published: June 30, 2012

By Phyllis Hemann
Associate Editor

Phyllis Hemann

Five of the priests celebrating 60-year, 50-year or 25-year ordination anniversaries in 2012 gather around Bishop Anthony B. Taylor as he raises the Communion chalice during Mass June 19 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. See more photos at arkansas-catholic.org.

Phyllis Hemann

The service of 11 priests serving 60, 50 and 25 years in the Diocese of Little Rock was celebrated by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor June 19 at a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock.

"Today we honor our jubilarians. It reminds us that as priests, we share in Jesus' great work, salvation … principally by touching their hearts with our good deeds, and with our helpful words and with our persistent prayer," Bishop Taylor said during the homily at the Mass.

The priests honored for jubilees were:

Father Milton R. Lange, 60 years

Father Venantius Preske, 60 years

Father Peter Sharum, OSB, 60 years

Father Robert Dienert, 50 years

Father Sam Morello, OCD, 50 years

Father Michael Bass, 25 years

Msgr. Scott Friend, 25 years

Father John Marconi, 25 years

Father John Magdalene Suenram, OCD, 25 years

Father Mark Wood, 25 years

Father Ryszard Zawadzki, SVD, 25 years

Eleven retired priests in the diocese were also honored at the Mass: Msgr. John Kordsmeier, Msgr. Bernard Malone, Msgr. John O'Donnell, Father Raymond Rossi, Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, Father John Oswald, Father Joseph Pallo, Father Richard Strock, Msgr. James Mancini, Father Dominic Nho and Father Ralph Esposito.

Bishop Taylor highlighted the importance of the work over the years of priests that kept the people, the diocese and themselves on the path of faith laid by Jesus.

"One of the nicest things about our diocese is how united our priests are and these jubilarians deserve some of the credit. They have been priests in our diocese for 25, 50 and 60 years and have seen the Church in Arkansas weather some pretty tough storms over the years … but because you and your brother priests love and respect each other, and have fought these challenges with prayer, these adversities have strengthened our brotherhood — uniting us rather than dividing us," Bishop Taylor said.

In an interview with Arkansas Catholic, Father Dienert said he was grateful that God gave him "the grace to stick it out," as he loved his work in the priesthood.

"I was at the mission once at Searcy from Fairfield Bay. Off the cuff, I told them how I appreciated the gift of the priesthood. Someone came up to me later and said I never heard a priest say that publicly, that he was happy in the priesthood," Father Dienert said. "Maybe people need to hear that more. It's a beautiful thing."