950 years of priesthood

By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC

MIAMI | During the annual chrism Mass April 11 at St. Mary Cathedral, Archbishop Thomas Wenski, along with all the clergy of the archdiocese, recognized the following priests who are marking 25, 50, 60 and 65 years of ordination. Here are brief biographies of the jubilarians.

65 YEARS

Msgr. Emilio Martín

Born Nov. 23, 1928 in Zamora, Spain, Msgr. Martín attended the diocesan seminary in Tuy and was ordained Feb. 17, 1952. He served in Spain until 1959, when he moved to the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, to serve the Mexican and Spanish-speaking community. He came to the then-Diocese of Miami in 1961 and was incardinated June 3, 1969. His first assignments here were as parochial vicar at St. Charles Borromeo in Port Charlotte (1961-64); St. John the Apostle in Hialeah (1964-65 and 1968-70); St. Thomas the Apostle in Miami (1965-67); Immaculate Conception in Hialeah (1967-68); and St. Mary Star of the Sea in Key West (1970). From 1972 to 1992 he served as founding pastor of St. Joachim in South Miami Heights. He returned to St. John the Apostle as pastor in 1992, and remained there until his retirement in October 2012. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI granted him the title of monsignor.

Father José M. Paz

Born June 12, 1929 in la Coruña, Spain, Father Paz studied at the seminary in Santiago de Compostela and was ordained May 31, 1952 for the Diocese of Mondoñedo-El Ferrol. In September 1956, he joined the Obra de Cooperación Sacerdotal Hispano Americana (OSHA) and became a missionary in Cuba, serving as pastor of San Miguel de Manatí in Oriente province. Expelled from the island, he arrived in the then-Diocese of Miami in October 1962 and served as parochial vicar at Epiphany in South Miami (1962-63), St. John the Apostle in Hialeah (1963-64) and Corpus Christi in Miami (1964-69), until being named administrator of St. Ann Mission, Naranja. He served there until 1973, when he was recalled to his home diocese in Spain. Upon returning to Miami in 1975, he was named administrator of Corpus Christi. From 1978 until his retirement in 2008, he served as pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in Miami.

60 YEARS

 

Msgr. Martin Cassidy

Born Feb. 23, 1931, in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland, Msgr. Cassidy studied at St. Kieran’s Seminary in Kelkenny and was ordained June 2, 1957 for the Diocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. He served there until coming to South Florida in 1960. His first assignments here were as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception in Hialeah (1960); at St. Anthony in Fort Lauderdale (1962-63); at St. Monica in Opa-Locka (1963-64); and at St. Matthew in Hallandale (1964-65). He served as administrator of St. Catherine in Sebring (1965-67) and St. Kieran in Miami (1967-70) until being named pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Riviera Beach (1970-74). From 1974 to 1991, he served as pastor of St. Gregory in Plantation, where he built the church and expanded the school. Named pastor of Assumption in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea in 1991, he also built a church there. He was given the title of monsignor in 2008 and retired from fulltime ministry in 2010.

Father Hernando Villegas

Born Sept. 9, 1931 in Titiribí, Antioquía, Colombia, Father Villegas was ordained Sept. 8, 1957 for the Diocese of Manizales. He served in various parishes in Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador, and Bogotá, Colombia, until coming to the U.S. in 1978. He worked in Gary, Indiana until coming to the archdiocese in June 1980. Incardinated into the archdiocese Dec. 15, 1986, he served as parochial vicar at St. Brendan and St. Michael in Miami; Immaculate Conception in Hialeah; St. Catherine of Siena in Miami; and Little Flower, Coral Gables. He retired from fulltime ministry in January 2001.

50 YEARS

 

Father Joseph Angelini

Born Jan. 21, 1930, in Ipswich, Mass., Father Angelini studied at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst before entering St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, Mich. He was ordained June 3, 1967, for the Diocese of Lansing, Mich. He worked at two parishes there before coming to Miami, where he served as parochial vicar at St. Augustine, Coral Gables (1969-71), St. Joan of Arc, Boca Raton (1971); Holy Name of Jesus, West Palm Beach (1978-79); and St. Clare, North Palm Beach (1979-83). He served as director of Campus Ministry at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, from 1971 to 1978. From 1983 to 1989, he served as pastor at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Fort Lauderdale. He also served as chaplain of the Knights of Columbus in Riviera Beach and of the Catholic Daughters of America in Fort Lauderdale. After taking a sabbatical year (1989-90), he was named parochial vicar at St. Joachim in South Miami Heights. In 1990, he became pastor of Visitation Parish in North Miami, where he served until his retirement from fulltime ministry in 2002.

Father Pedro Cartaya, Jesuits

Born March 31, 1936 in Havana, Cuba, Father Cartaya graduated from el Colegio de Belén there in 1954 and entered the Jesuit Order that same year. He was ordained for the Antilles Province of the Jesuits on June 2, 1967 in Miami, by then-Bishop Coleman Carroll. He studied philosophy in Barcelona, Spain, and received a doctorate in literature from St. Louis University, Missouri. He has been a mainstay at Belen Jesuit in Miami � the exiled version of his alma mater � for over five decades, teaching literature, philosophy, and astronomy. His passion for astronomy inspired the class of 1972 to build the Father Benito Vieñes, SJ Observatory. He currently serves as director of the observatory and chaplain to Belen’s Alumni Association.

Msgr. Franklyn Casale

Born in Newark, N.J., March 28, 1941, Msgr. Casale studied at Seton Hall University, at the Catholic University in Washington D.C., and at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, New Jersey. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Newark on May 27, 1967 and served as parochial vicar and later pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish there until 1985, when he was appointed vicar general, chancellor and moderator of the curia for the Newark Archdiocese. In 1994, he came to Miami to serve as president of St. Thomas University. His 22-year tenure makes him the longest-serving president of that institution, as well as the longest-serving of any South Florida college or university president. He recently announced that he plans to retire as president of St. Thomas in January 2018.

Father Matthew Didoné, Scalabrinians

Born Jan. 21, 1942 in Rosá, Vicenza, Italy, Father Didoné attended Scalabrinian seminaries there until 1964, when he began studying theology at St. Charles Seminary in Staten Island, N.Y. Ordained Nov. 4, 1967 for the Scalabrinians (Society of St. Charles), he also obtained a master’s degree from Seton Hall University in New Jersey. He served as parochial vicar at churches in New Haven, Conn., and Thornhill, Ontario, Canada until 1974, when he became chaplain for the port and airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 1977 to 1984, he served as director of the Center for Migration Studies in Caracas, Venezuela. He returned to the U.S. in 1984 to serve as pastor of St. Columba in Newark, N.J. From 1990 to 1992 he taught at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. He then served as pastor at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Delray Beach until 2008, when he became provincial of the Scalabrinian Fathers, with residence in New York City. When his time as provincial ended in 2014, he assumed his current position as pastor of St. Vincent Parish in Margate.

Father Thomas Foudy

Born Sept. 19, 1941, in Inagh, County Clare, Ireland, Father Foudy was ordained June 10, 1967, in Thurles, Ireland. He came to South Florida that same year and served as parochial vicar at St. Timothy, Miami (1967-69), St. Margaret, Clewiston (1969-70); and St. Anthony, Fort Lauderdale (1970-71). He studied in Rome from 1971 to 1974 and upon returning joined the faculty at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. He was named pastor of St. Coleman, Pompano Beach, in 1989, and remained there until his retirement in June 2015.

Father Nelson García-Rosales, Jesuits

Born May 1, 1935, Father García-Rosales entered the Jesuit Order Aug. 21, 1954 and was ordained June 2, 1967 in Miami. He served for many years in the Dominican Republic: as rector at the Colegio Loyola in Santo Domingo (1968-76 and 1989-96); rector at Colegio Agrícola San Ignacio de Loyola in Dajabón (1977-79); rector at Instituto Politécnico Loyola, San Cristobal, (1979-83); provincial of the Jesuits’ Antilles Province (1983-89); and superior at Loyola y Manresa Altagracia (1996-2003). Since 2004, he has served as spiritual counselor at Belen Jesuit in Miami.

Father Anthony Mulderry

Born Jan. 20, 1943, in Mulligan, County Westmeath, Ireland, Father Mulderry studied at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained there June 18, 1967. His first assignments in South Florida were as parochial vicar at St. Michael, Miami (1967-69); St. Anthony, Fort Lauderdale (1969-74); Little Flower, Coral Gables (1974-76); and St. Patrick, Miami Beach (1976-77). He served as pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Key West, from 1977 to 1982, when he was named founding pastor of All Saints in Sunrise. In January 2004 he moved to his current assignment as pastor of St. Gabriel, Pompano Beach.

Father John O’Leary

Born Sept. 21, 1944 in Woodford, County Galway, Ireland, Father O’Leary was ordained June 10, 1967 in Thurles, Ireland for the Archdiocese of Miami. He served as parochial vicar at Epiphany, Miami (1967-69), spiritual director for Our Lady of Lourdes Academy next door (1968-69), and parochial vicar at St. Rose of Lima, Miami Shores (1969-71). From 1971 to 1976, he took a leave of absence to work in South America as a member of the Missionary Society of St. James. He returned to South Florida as served as parochial vicar at St. Edward, Palm Beach (1976-77); pastor at San Isidro, Pompano Beach (1977-82); pastor at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Key West (1982-87); and on the faculty of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach (1987-90). He went to work in the missions in Peru in 1990, where he remains today although he retired from fulltime ministry in 2012.

Father Patrick O’Neill

Born Jan. 20, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pa., Father O’Neill was ordained to the priesthood for the Augustinian Order on June 1, 1967. He began his ministry in the newly-created Diocese of Orlando in 1968, where he established Newman Centers on 12 college campuses. While there, he developed a new model of lay-run, interfaith campus ministry which was replicated nationwide. In 1974, he was appointed to the U.S. bishops’ conference as national director for campus, higher education and young adult ministry � the latter unheard of at the time.

In 1980, he was appointed president of Miami’s Biscayne College, and quickly moved to changed its name to St. Thomas University, to more closely connect it with its Cuban roots. He also established St. Thomas’ now nationally-recognized law school in 1984. When his tenure there ended in 1988, he was named coordinator of special projects for the Archdiocese of Miami. In addition, he served as chairman of the archdiocesan Commission for Catholic-Jewish Relations (1996-2010), and later director of the Office of Ecumenism and Interfaith. Although he retired from active ministry in July 2010, he continues to assist the archdiocese with special projects, ecumenical and interfaith relations, and by serving on myriad church and civic committees and boards.

Father James A. Quinn

Born Sept. 1, 1941 in Moymore, Tulla, County Clare, Ireland, Father Quinn was ordained June 10, 1967 in Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. After coming to South Florida, he served as parochial vicar at Sacred Heart, Lake Worth (1967-69); Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Cutler Bay (1969-72); and Visitation, North Miami (1972-73), where he also served as temporary administrator from 1973 to 1976. He served as pastor at St. Bernadette, Hollywood (1976-86); St. Andrew, Coral Springs, (1986-96); and St. Matthew in Hallandale (1997-2015), from where he retired. He also has served as spiritual director of the Legion of Mary, chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, member of the Archdiocesan Health Panel on Chemical Dependency, chaplain of the Coral Springs Police Dept. and chaplain to the Miami office of the FBI.

Msgr. John Vaughan

Born April 1, 1933 in Moughna, Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Ireland, Msgr. Vaughan was ordained at St. Patrick’s College, Carlow, Ireland, June 10, 1967. Arriving in South Florida that same year, he served as parochial vicar at Annunciation, West Park (1967-70); St. Matthew, Hallandale (1970-72); St. Rose of Lima, Miami Shores (1972-74); and Little Flower, Coral Gables (1974-78). From 1970 to 1974 he also served as regional coordinator of Religious Education for Broward County, and from 1974 to 1978 he was on the staff of the Catholic Service Bureau (now Catholic Charities) in Miami. He was named management assistant to Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy in 1978, and continued working in the archdiocesan offices of building and finance, as financial administrator, coordinator of insurance and legal affairs, director of property acquisitions and sales, and as executive director of the Ministry of Temporalities from December 1984 to December 2007. Concurrent with those duties, he served as pastor at St. Hugh, Coconut Grove from 1982 to 1996, and pastor of St. Patrick, Miami Beach, from 1996 until his retirement in July 2012. He was named a monsignor in September 1995.

 

25 YEARS

 

Father Jesús Arias

Born in Cuba, July 1, 1960, Father Arias was ordained June 7, 1992 for the Archdiocese of Miami. He has served as parochial vicar at St. John the Apostle, Hialeah (1992-94), St. Timothy, Miami (1994-97), and Epiphany, South Miami (1997-2001). In July 2001 he was named pastor of St. Joachim in South Miami Heights, where he began a pre-school and programs for low-income families. In October 2010, he took up his current assignment as pastor of Good Shepherd in Miami.

Father José Roberto Gomez

Father Gomez was born Dec. 20, 1966 in El Salvador. From 1986 to 1992 he studied philosophy and theology at San Jose de la Montana Seminary in San Salvador. On Nov. 21, 1992, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Vicente in El Salvador, in his native town of Sensuntepeque. He served for a decade in various churches in that diocese until 2002, when he began working in the dioceses of Ponce and Fajardo Humacao, in Puerto Rico. While there, he also earned a master’s degree in school psychology from the Pontifical Catholic University in Ponce. In 2010, he moved to the Archdiocese of New Orleans and served there until 2013. He worked in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, from 2014 to 2016, when he came to the Archdiocese of Miami. Since July 3, 2016, he has been working as parochial vicar at Little Flower in Hollywood.

Father Arnulfo Gómez-Beltrán, Paulines

Father Gómez-Beltrán was born Nov. 2, 1956 in Monterrey, Mexico. He joined the Paulines (Society of St. Paul) in 1985 and was ordained Aug. 30, 1992. He is currently working at their bookstore and distribution center, Librería San Pablo, 5800 S.W. Eighth St., Miami.

Father Curtis Kiddy

Born Dec. 12, 1962 in Pittsburgh, Pa., Father Kiddy studied philosophy at Duquesne University there before moving to South Florida. He entered St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami May 16, 1992. He served as parochial vicar at St. Clement, Fort Lauderdale (1992-95), St. Timothy, Miami (1995-98); and St. John Neumann, Palmetto Bay (2004-08). He also served as chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Committee on Scouting and Courage ministry. In July 2008 he was named pastor of Visitation Church, North Miami. On July 1, 2014, he began his current assignment as pastor of St. Jerome, Fort Lauderdale. He also serves as chaplain of the Marian Center, a school for the intellectually disabled, in Miami Gardens.

Father Kidney M. Saint-Jean

Father Saint-Jean was born Sept. 12, 1960 in Grande Riviere du Nord, Haiti. He studied for the priesthood at the seminary in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Miami May 16, 1992. He served as parochial vicar at Notre Dame d’Haiti, Miami (1992-98); and administrator of St. Joseph Mission, Pompano Beach (1998-2004). In June 2004, he was named pastor of Holy Family, North Miami; and in January 2006 he took up his current assignment as pastor of Our Lady Queen of Heaven, North Lauderdale.

Father Raúl Soutuyo

Born May 24, 1942 in Havana, Cuba, Father Soutuyo came to South Florida in 1986 and was ordained May 16, 1992 for the Archdiocese of Miami. He has served as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception, Hialeah (1992-93); Our Lady of Divine Providence, Miami (1993-96); St. Brendan, Miami (1996-2005); and at St. Agatha, Miami, since June 2005.