Msgr. Michael J. Wrenn

Msgr. Michael J. Wrenn, pastor emeritus of St. John the Evangelist parish in Manhattan and founder of what is now St. Joseph's Seminary Institute of Religious Studies in Dunwoodie, died Oct. 26 at the Northeast Center for Special Care in Lake Katrine. He was 72.

Auxiliary Bishop Robert A. Brucato, retired vicar general, celebrated the Funeral Mass Oct. 31 at St. John the Evangelist Church. The homilist was Msgr. Thomas J. Bergin, pastor of St. Charles parish on Staten Island and former vicar for education.

A specialist in catechetics, Msgr. Wrenn founded the Archdiocesan Catechetical Institute, now the Institute of Religious Studies, in 1977 under the guidance of Cardinal Terence Cooke and was its director for 10 years.

"He has to be credited with its initial and ongoing success," Msgr. Bergin said in his homily. "He had great vision here, and the present Institute of Religious Studies owes him a great debt of gratitude."

Referring to Msgr. Wrenn's years at St. John the Evangelist, from 1987 to 2001, he said, "He was very solicitous about the sick and the lonely. He made many good friends here who relied on him as priest, pastor and friend." He added that Msgr. Wrenn had the ability to bring calm to people who were upset by grief or trouble.

Msgr. Wrenn presented lectures and seminars on catechetics, including one in St. Lucia in the 1990s. On Dec. 31, 2000, attackers invaded the cathedral in Castries, St. Lucia, killed a nun and severely burned and injured others. Msgr. Wrenn arranged for four victims to be flown to Manhattan for treatment. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sponsored the flight, and Msgr. Wrenn launched a fund-raising campaign to help defray medical expenses. He visited the victims almost daily at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center and brought them the Eucharist.

In 2001 he returned to the Institute of Religious Studies, where he was dean until his retirement in 2005. The institute offers master's degree programs and post-master's study and enrolls predominantly lay students.

Msgr. Ferdinando Berardi, pastor of Holy Family parish in New Rochelle and a concelebrant at the Funeral Mass, succeeded Msgr. Wrenn as dean of the Institute.

"He was very easy to succeed," he told CNY. "He was very thorough. Everything was in great shape, ready to expand." He added, "Starting an enterprise like that from whole cloth was a real endeavor. It was beautifully laid out...and it was easy to build on his beginnings."

Msgr. Wrenn served as Cardinal John O'Connor's special consultant for religious education. He was the author of the book "Catechisms and Controversies: Religious Education in the Postconciliar Years," (Ignatius Press, 1991), a critical examination of developments-and shortcomings-in catechesis in the years following the Second Vatican Council. He also was the author, with Kenneth D. Whitehead, of "Flawed Expectations: The Reception of the Catechism of the Catholic Church" (Ignatius Press, 1997). He translated 13 books on theology from the French.

Born in the Bronx, he studied at St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, and was ordained May 27, 1961. He held master's degrees in theology from Manhattan College and in education from Fordham University. He was named a monsignor in 1986 and was a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

He received the first honorary doctorate from the International Theological Institute for studies on Marriage and the Family in Gaming, Austria, in 2000.

He is survived by a brother, Sean Wrenn.

Burial took place at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne.