Retirements, Senior Priest Appointments Announced

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Sixteen priests of the archdiocese have retired, and eight priests have received appointments as senior priests, the Cardinal’s Office has announced.

 

The priests who retired are Father Karl Bauer, pastor of St. Anthony’s, Yonkers; Msgr. Neil Connolly, senior priest administrator of St. Mary’s, Grand St., Manhattan; Father Edmund Connors, pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption, Katonah; Msgr. James Dorney, senior priest administrator of St. Peter’s, Staten Island, and co-vicar of Staten Island; Father George Kuhn, pastor of St. Joseph’s, Yonkers; Father Arthur Leone, senior priest at St. Peter’s, Manhattan; Msgr. Joseph Martin, senior priest administrator of St. Mary, Mother of the Church, Fishkill; Msgr. Louis  Mazza, senior priest administrator at Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow; Msgr. Thomas Modugno, pastor of St. Monica’s, Manhattan; Msgr. John Mulligan, senior priest administrator of St. John’s, Piermont; Father Robert Panek, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, Gardiner; Father John F. Quinn, pastor of St. Patrick’s, Armonk; Father Raymond Rafferty, pastor of Corpus Christi, Manhattan; Father Gerard Travers, pastor of St. Patrick’s, Highland Mills; Msgr. Desmond Vella, senior priest at the Metropolitan Tribunal; and Father John Vondras, senior priest administrator of St. Francis of Assisi, Newburgh.

 

Eight of the priests (Msgr. Connolly, Msgr. Dorney, Father Leone, Msgr. Martin, Msgr. Mazza, Msgr. Mulligan, Msgr. Vella and Father Vondras) had previously reached the normal priest retirement age of 75.

 

Three priests retired for health reasons: Father Kuhn, Father Panek and Father Quinn.

 

The announcements of three other priest retirements were made in CNY’s June 27 issue. They were: Msgr. William Bradley, senior priest administrator of Blessed Sacrament parish, New Rochelle; Msgr. James Doyle, senior priest administrator of St. Joseph’s, Bronxville; and Msgr. Hilary Franco, senior priest administrator of St. Augustine’s, Ossining.

 

The eight new senior priests include seven who will serve as senior priest administrators of their parishes and one who will serve as a senior priest faculty member. They are: Msgr. Francis Bellew, St. Mary’s parish, Wappingers Falls; Father Victor Buebendorf, St. Mary’s, St. Joseph’s and Immaculate Conception parishes, Staten Island; Father Edward Byrne, St. Ann’s, Ossining; Msgr. Hugh Corrigan, Immaculate Conception, Yonkers; Father Frank Damis, St. Joseph’s, Kingston; Msgr. Peter Finn, Blessed Sacrament, Staten Island; Father Frederick Kempfirl, St. James, Milton; and Father John Monaghan, Cardinal Spellman High School, the Bronx.  

 

The appointments became effective July 1, except for those of Msgr. Mazza and Father Vondras, which will take effect on Sept. 1.

 

 

Retired Priests

Father Karl Bauer had served as pastor of St. Anthony’s, Yonkers, since 1999. He was pastor of St. Frances of Rome, the Bronx, 1987-1999. He was a member of the Metropolitan Tribunal in Poughkeepsie, 1984-1987. He served at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Shrub Oak, 1976-1984; St. Mary’s, Wappingers Falls, 1967-1976; and St. Aloysius, Livingston Manor, 1967. He was ordained in 1967.

 

Msgr. Neil Connolly had served as pastor of St. Mary’s, Grand Street, since 1985. He was pastor of Our Lady of Victory, the Bronx, 1981-1985, and St. Athanasius, 1976-1981, where he was parochial vicar, 1958-1975. He also served as vicar of the South Bronx, 1976-1985. He was ordained in 1958 and named a monsignor in 1995.

 

Father Edmund Connors had served as pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption, Katonah, since 2003. He served as pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians, Staten Island, 1997-2003, and on the faculty of Moore Catholic High School, Staten Island, 1981-1997. He was ordained for the Piarist Fathers in 1966, and incardinated into the archdiocese in 1981.

 

Msgr. James Dorney had served since 1986 as pastor of St. Peter’s, Staten Island, where was administrator, 1983-1986. Since 1998, he has served as co-regional vicar or regional vicar of Staten Island. He was parochial vicar of St. Margaret Mary, Staten Island, 1976-1983; St. Paul’s, Congers, 1974-1976; St. Elizabeth’s, Manhattan, 1966-1974; St. Agnes, Manhattan, 1965-1966; and Our Saviour, the Bronx, 1958-1965. He was ordained in 1958 and named a monsignor in 1995.

 

Father George Kuhn had served as pastor of St. Joseph’s, Yonkers, since 2001. He was pastor of Good Shepherd, Rhinebeck, 1995-2001, and St. Brigid’s, Manhattan, 1980-1995, where he was administrator, 1986-1989. He served as parochial vicar at St. Columba’s, Manhattan, 1977-1983; St. Augustine’s, Larchmont, 1968-1975; and Sacred Heart, Barrytown, 1964-1965. He served as a campus minister at Manhattanville College, Purchase, 1975-1977. He was ordained in 1964.

 

Father Arthur Leone had served as senior priest of St. Peter’s in Manhattan since 2006. He served as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Manhattan, 1990-2006. Before that he served at St. Monica’s, Manhattan, 1976-1990; Immaculate Conception, Yonkers, 1973-1976; St. Joseph’s, New Rochelle, 1963-1964; St. Dominic’s, the Bronx, 1962; St. Thomas of Canterbury, 1961-1962; Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Manhattan, 1958-1961; St. Rita’s, Staten Island, 1956-1958; and St. John’s, Clove, 1956. He served on the faculty of Msgr. Farrell High School on Staten Island, 1962-1963. He was ordained in 1956.

 

Msgr. Joseph Martin had served as senior priest administrator since 2009 at St. Mary, Mother of the Church, Fishkill, where he had served as pastor since 1994. He was director of the Parish Mission Team, 1988-1994. He was spiritual director at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, 1982-1988. He was director of vocations for the archdiocese, 1977-1982. He served as parochial vicar of St. Patrick’s, Yorktown Heights, 1967-1977. He was ordained in 1967 and named a monsignor in 1995.

 

Msgr. Louis Mazza had been senior priest administrator since 2009 at Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, where he served as pastor since 1986. He served as parochial vicar at St. Christopher’s, Red Hook, 1980-1986; St. Christopher’s, Buchanan, 1975-1980; St. Bernard’s, Manhattan, 1969-1975; St. Francis of Assisi, Mount Vernon, 1966-1969; Holy Family, Manhattan, 1965-1966; St. Ann’s, Yonkers, 1964-1965; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Bronx, 1955-1964; St. Joseph’s, New Rochelle, 1954-1955; and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Poughkeepsie, 1953-1954. He was ordained in 1953 and made a monsignor in 2006.

 

Msgr. Thomas Modugno had been pastor of St. Monica’s in Manhattan since 1992. He was named regional vicar for East Manhattan in 2007. He was archdiocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, 1980-1992. He served as parochial vicar at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 1977-1980; Blessed Sacrament, Staten Island, 1970-1977; Assumption, Staten Island, 1966-1969; and St. Joseph’s, Croton Falls, 1966. He was assistant chaplain at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, 1969-1970. He was ordained in 1966 and made a monsignor in 1990.

 

Msgr. John Mulligan had been senior priest administrator of St. John’s, Piermont, since 2009. He was pastor there from 1998 to 2009. He served as parochial vicar at Our Saviour, Manhattan, 1997-1998. He was on the faculty of Cardinal Hayes High School, the Bronx, 1978-1997; and Cardinal Spellman, the Bronx, 1970-1978. He was parochial vicar at St. Anthony’s, White Plains, 1967-1970, and St. Joseph’s, Kingston, 1964-1967. He was ordained in 1964 and made a monsignor in 1999.

 

Father Robert Panek had been pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, Gardiner, since 2001. He served as parochial vicar at St. Catherine Laboure, Lake Katrine, 2001; St. Casimir’s, Yonkers, 1989-1992 and 1980-1986; and Sacred Heart, Mount Vernon, 1970-1980. He was a U.S. Navy chaplain, 1992-2001 and 1986-1989. He was ordained in 1970.

 

Father John F. Quinn had been pastor at St. Patrick’s, Armonk, since 1994. He was parochial vicar at Our Lady of Sorrows, White Plains, 1990-1994, and St. Joseph’s, Spring Valley, 1971-1973. He served as campus minister at Maria Regina High School, Hartsdale, 1985-1990. He served on the faculty at Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, 1973-1985. He was ordained in 1971.

 

Father Raymond Rafferty had been pastor of Corpus Christi, Manhattan, since 1998. He served as pastor of St. Gregory the Great, Manhattan, 1989-1994. He also served as pastor of a parish in the Hague, Netherlands, 1994-1998. He was chaplain at New York University, 1981-1989. He was parochial vicar at St. Joseph’s, Yorkville, Manhattan, 1989; St. Augustine’s, New City, 1974-1981; and Blessed Sacrament, the Bronx, 1966-1974. He was ordained in 1966.

 

Father Gerard Travers had been pastor of St. Patrick’s, Highland Mills, since 1993. He served as pastor of St. Lawrence O’Toole, Brewster, 1986-1992. He was parochial vicar of St. Catharine’s, Blauvelt, 1979-1986; Holy Family, the Bronx, 1976-1979; Our Lady of Mercy, the Bronx, 1971-1976; St. Thomas of Canterbury, Cornwall-on-Hudson, 1966-1971; St. Clement-St. Michael’s, Staten Island, 1965-1966; and St. Lawrence O’Toole, Brewster, 1965. He was ordained in 1965.

 

Msgr. Desmond Vella had served since 2010 as a senior priest of the Metropolitan Tribunal, which he previously served as judicial vicar, 1986-2008, and vice officialis, 1977-1986. He began his service to the Tribunal in 1962. He also served the archdiocese as vice chancellor, 1972-1977, and assistant chancellor, 1971-1972. He was parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mercy, the Bronx, 1959. He was ordained in 1958 and made a monsignor in 1973.

 

Father John Vondras had been senior priest administrator since 2011 at St. Francis of Assisi in Newburgh, where he was pastor, 1997-2011. He also served as administrator there, 1996-1997. He served as associate director for pro-life programs of the archdiocesan Family Life/Respect Life Office, 1992-1996.  He was parochial vicar at St. Joseph’s, Bronxville, 1994-1996; St. Aedan’s, 1990-1992; and St. Ann’s, Nyack, 1985-1990. He was ordained in 1985.

 

 

Senior Priests

 

Msgr. Francis Bellew had served since 1993 as pastor of St. Mary’s parish, Wappingers Falls. He has served as regional vicar of Dutchess County since 2007. He was principal of Our Lady of Lourdes High School, Poughkeepsie, 1986-1993. He was on the faculty and served as dean of students at Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, 1970-1986. He served as parochial vicar of St. Angela Merici parish, the Bronx, 1966-1970. He was ordained in 1966 and named a monsignor in 1990. 

 

Father Victor Buebendorf had served since 1991 as pastor of St. Mary’s parish in the Rosebank section of Staten Island, where he briefly was administrator previously. He also was administrator of Blessed Sacrament, Staten Island, 1990-1991. He served as parochial vicar of Holy Child, 1985-1990, and St. Charles, 1971-1985, both Staten Island, and St. Joseph of the Holy Family, Harlem, 1964-1971. He was ordained in 1964.

 

Father Edward Byrne had served since 1995 as pastor of St. Ann’s parish, Ossining. Before that, he was coordinator of Maryknoll’s priest-associate program, 1991-1995, and served as a priest-associate of Maryknoll in Ojo de Agua, outside of Caracas, Venezuela, and in the Cochabamba Valley of Bolivia, 1985-1990. In 1991, he was temporary administrator of Immaculate Conception, Staten Island, and St. Emeric’s, Manhattan. He served for many years at St. Mary’s, Grand Street, Manhattan, first as parochial vicar, 1964-1978, and then as pastor, 1978-1985. He was ordained in 1964. 

 

Msgr. Hugh Corrigan had served since 1987 as pastor of Immaculate Conception parish, Yonkers. He also was regional vicar of Yonkers, 1993-2011. He served as chairman of the sociology department at Cathedral College, Douglaston, where he was a faculty member, 1973-1987. He served as parochial vicar of St. Charles Borromeo parish, Harlem, 1964-1973, and was assistant chaplain of Willowbrook State School, Staten Island, summer 1964. He was ordained in 1963 and named a monsignor in 1995.

 

Father Frank Damis had served since 1994 as pastor of St. Joseph’s parish, Kingston. He also was parochial vicar of St. Joseph’s from his ordination in 1984 to 1994.  

 

Msgr. Peter Finn had served since 2007 as pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish, Staten Island. He also has served as co-regional vicar of Staten Island during that period. He was rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, 2001-2007. Before that, he was pastor of St. Joseph and St. Thomas parish, Staten Island, 1989-2001, and was also co-regional vicar of Staten Island, 1998-2001. From 1983 to 1989, he was director of the archdiocesan Office of Communications. He was principal of Msgr. Farrell High School, Staten Island, 1977-1983, where he previously served on the faculty. He earlier was associate superintendent of schools in the archdiocese and district superintendent of schools on Staten Island. He was a parochial vicar at St. Catherine’s, Pelham, and St. Mary’s, Rosebank, Staten Island. He was ordained in 1965 and named a monsignor in 1986.

 

Father Frederick Kempfirl had served as administrator of St. James, Milton, since 2006. He served as pastor there, 1987-2006. He was parochial vicar of St. Denis, Hopewell Junction, 1982-1987, and Our Lady of Lourdes, Manhattan, 1965-1969. He served as chaplain at Fishkill Correctional Institute, 1979-1982, and Montefiore Hospital, the Bronx, 1973-1979. He was on the faculty of Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, 1969-1973. He was ordained in 1965.

 

Father John Monaghan had served since 1964 as a faculty member at Cardinal Spellman High School, the Bronx. He has taught religion, Latin, English, communications arts, film, photography and television production; directed the audio/visual center and overseen the computer education program. He was administrator of Holy Name of Mary parish, Croton-on-Hudson, for five months in 1986. He also served a summer assignment at Sacred Heart, Barrytown, after his ordination in 1963.