"Before All Else"
Rev. Patrick J. Keane, O.S.A., December 11, 2011
On December 11th Rev. Patarijck J. Keane, O.S.A.died at St. Augustine Monastery in San Diego after long bouts of pulmonary and post- polio complications. Pat was born in San Diego, California on March 14, 1926 to Patrick Keane, a native of Ireland, and Leona Karrels. His sisters Rita Wyckoff and Sister Helen Keane SCL predecease him. Fr. Keane professed vows in the Order of St. Augustine on September 10, 1946. He graduated from Villanova University in 1949, obtained a Masters Degree from Catholic University in mathematics, and was ordained a priest on May 31, 1952. In 1953, Fr. Keane was missioned to his first priestly assignment, as a teacher at St. Augustine High School in San Diego. In 1962 he became principal of St. Augustine and served there until he was elected prior provincial (superior) of the California province in 1975. Whenever he led, he always did so by example. While provincial he participated in marches with Cesar Chavez in support of the United Farm Workers. In 1983, after serving two terms as provincial, he was assigned to St. Mary’s High School in Medford, Oregon. While there only a few weeks, he was called to Rome to be an Assistant General of the Order of St. Augustine. During much of this time, he was also on the formation team for the Augustinian novitiate in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1989 he became the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Ojai. From 2005 to 2009 he served that parish as pastor emeritus. In 2009 he returned to the place where he started --- the St. Augustine’s community in San Diego. Despite all his accomplishments, nothing was as significant as his role of witness to Christ’s suffering. In 1954, while still very much a new priest, Fr. Pat was on vacation in Mexico. While there he became paralyzed and was soon in a Texas hospital in the grip of polio. For the rest of his life Fr. Pat had effects of the debilitating disease. With all his pain, his difficulty in seating, standing and walking, Fr. Pat never complained, and accepted his cross with grace. Now, as with Christ, his cross has led to a joyful resurrection. Fr. Pat was a leader who was not known for making quick decisions. But when decisions needed to be made, Pat always made the right ones, and never doing so before turning it over to prayer. Outwardly, he never seemed to let too many things bother him. When he was principal of St. Augustine, he would often end a challenging day ---and there were many of them --- by inviting others to join him at the beach. He was a pied-piper who never chose to be one. He simply did God’s will and people followed him. He loved being an Augustinian priest and his students, parishioners and other Augustinians basked in the warmth of his gentility, sense of humor, and his displayed interiority |
Rev. Anthony J. Wasko, O.S.A., January 26, 2011
It is with no small blend of sadness mixed with gratitude and joy that the Augustinian Province of St. Augustine in the West announces the death of our brother, Rev. Anthony J. Wasko O.S.A. On January 26th he died at home suddenly of a combination of illnesses, including a bad heart. Only a few days before, he used his inimitable charm by turning a mundane restaurant dinner into a memorable social evening. Tony was born in Shamokin Pennsylvania on May 16, 1931 to Joseph Wasko and Elizabeth DeConcini. When Tony was a small boy, his father died in a coal mining accident. His mother later married George Price. His brothers Edward Wasko and Jacob Price survive Fr. Tony. His parents and his brother George Price predecease him. Fr. Wasko professed vows in the Order of St. Augustine September 10, 1951. He graduated from Villanova University in 1955, and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1958. In 1959, Fr. Wasko was assigned to his first priestly assignment, and arrived at the San Diego train station wearing a straw hat, not typical for the locale. His east coast sensibilities were at first challenged by perceived west coast impropriety; but soon Fr. Wasko fell in love with California, and particularly Catholic high school education. Fr. Tony taught for ten years at St. Augustine High School in San Diego. He was the headmaster of Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, California from 1969 to1975. In 1975 he became the principal of St. Augustine High School. He was a most effective administrator. On September 25, 1978 his leadership was challenged as principal in a way that no one could ever imagine. PSA flight 182 crashed over North Park and the school gym became a triage and command and control center. Fr. Wasko proved to be the most effective of school ministers and civic leaders. In 1984, Fr. Wasko became the Director of Development for St. Augustine’s. In 1989 Fr. Tony proved himself wrong when he discovered that his gifts in ministry weren’t restricted to education. For the next eighteen years Fr. Wasko was a most effective and loved parish priest, serving at both Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Angeles, and St. Patrick’s Church in San Diego. Since 2001, he was the archivist for the Augustinians. Intermittently, over many years, Fr. Wasko celebrated the Sunday mass at St. Augustine’s High School Chapel. Fr. Tony multi-tasked before it was a word in the lexicon. While still a teacher, he created what is now called “the Augustinian Guild,” an instrument for raising money for the education of seminarians. As ASB moderator of St. Augustine’s in the 60’s, he organized and chaperoned dances that took place in the gym twice a month. In recent years, he has been the animator of frequent class reunions for the school. As if this weren’t enough, he was an orator. He had a master’s degree in drama and made use of it at will. This made him the most effective of preachers and his humanity allowed him to bask in that glory. |
Rev. John P. Pejza, O.S.A., December 12, 2009
Rev. John Philip Pejza O.S.A. suffered a heart attack in San Diego on December 12th and died shortly thereafter. At a time when the Christian church is preparing to welcome the Savior, “Fr. Jack” is being welcomed into heaven. This is the reward for which he lived his entire life. Jack was born in Neshkoro, Wisconsin on August 5, 1934. In 1947, his family, including parents Philip and Regina Pejza and sister Mary Jean (a member of the Sisters of St Joseph of Orange who survives him,) moved with Jack to San Diego when Jack was almost a teenager. He first attended St. Didacus junior high school. Jack was introduced to the Order of St. Augustine, the Augustinians, when he attended Saint Augustine High School. After his graduation in 1952, Jack entered the Augustinian novitiate and was professed as an Augustinian religious in August of 1953. Jack graduated from Villanova University in 1957. After four years of studying theology at Augustinian College in Washington DC, Jack was ordained a priest in 1961. Fr. Jack was an excellent Augustinian priest. His love for the religious community life was evident by those with whom he lived. He equally loved his priesthood. He had already started to plan the celebration of his fiftieth anniversary of his ordination, which was to take place in two years. Fr. Jack’s priesthood would not be considered typical by those unfamiliar with people dedicated to Catholic education. Although he spent most of his priesthood celebrating mass on Sundays at various parishes, most notably St. Rita’s in San Diego and St. Thomas Aquinas in Ojai, Fr. Jack was never assigned as a parish priest. Fr. Jack was an academician. To be specific, he loved Catholic education. From his ordination until a few years ago, Fr. Jack served in a variety of capacities (teacher, administrator, business manager, board member, principal and president) at five schools ----including Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania, Central Catholic High School in Modesto, and Marian High School in San Diego. The lion share of his educational ministry was spent serving at Villanova Prep School in Ojai, and Saint Augustine High School in San Diego. In 1987 he earned a doctorate in education from the University of San Diego. Fr. Jack also served in various leadership roles within the Augustinian community. At the time of his death he was the director of the Augustinian Guild, which raises funds to support seminarians, the infirmed and retired. Jack was a person of many hobbies. His most current one was working on his family genealogy, an offshoot, most likely, of his lifelong keen interest in history. As a young Augustinian Jack wrote a number of historical treatises pertinent to the Order of St. Augustine. Jack loved gadgets, and was always on the cutting edge of radio and computer technology. Science was always a major interest for him. Jack made sure that his interests did not preclude him from volunteerism. Jack took an active role in the NCEA and was a loyal Rotarian, devoting much of his time to their good works. |
Rev. Thomas P. Garrett, O.S.A., November 25, 2008
Tom was born in San Diego, California on November 5, 1914 to Nellie Walsh Garrett and Thomas Patrick Garrett. Two years later his sister Mary (who survives him) was born. The Garretts were active members of St. Vincent de Paul parish in the Mission Hills section of San Diego. Tom was educated at Florence and Grant Public Schools from 1919 to 1928. It was in 1928 that Tom was introduced to the Order of St. Augustine and the Augustinians who taught him at St. Augustne High School. Tom was a good student at St. Augustine’s, where he participated in the football, basketball, drama, and debating programs. In 1932 Tom graduated as the Valedictorian of his class. Three months after his graduation, Tom entered the Augustinian novitiate in New Hamburg, New York, and he professed his religious vows on September 11, 1933. Tom was a graduate of Villanova University in Pennsylvania, as well as a graduate of Augustinian College in Washington DC, where he studied theology. He was ordained in San Diego by Bishop Charles Buddy on June 3, 1939. Fr. Garrett served as a teacher at St. Rita’s High School in Chicago from 1940-44. From 1944 until the day of his death Fr. Garrett served the rest of his Augustinian and priestly ministry in California, twice at Villanova Prep School in Ojai (1944-1951, and 1959-61.) In 1951 he ministered at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Angeles. Inarguably, Fr. Tom’s greatest love in ministry was found during his two assignments at St. Augustine High School in San Diego (1952-59 and 1961 until he went into limited service many years later.) Towards the end of his school ministry, Fr. Tom was also the Director of the Augustinian Guild, the financial development arm of the Augustinians in California. He soon transitioned from schoolteacher to full-time director. In this capacity he became known for being a spiritual director for many tours of Catholic pilgrimage sites throughout Europe. Profits from these tours helped defray rising costs for the education of seminarians and the assistance to infirm Augustinians. Fr. Tom’s spirituality, patience, and gentlemanly manner made him an ideal travel leader. Much of this interest was probably cultivated by a life-long fascination with train travel (a hobby which earned him the nickname Choo-Choo when he was a teenager.) Fr. Tom was a most admirable Augustinian priest. He was always the holy, prayerful gentleman who never paused to listen to or participate in gossip. He seldom complained; even when confined to his room or wheelchair, he would write in his Christmas letters “thank God that I have been blessed with good health.” If he were stubborn, he was also stubborn in his faith --- never flinching from what he knew to be truth. His strong belief in the pro-life movement often had him dividing up his meager allowance among a myriad of organizations dedicated to the right of the unborn. |
Rev. Thomas J. McLaughlin, O.S.A., March 6, 2008
Tom was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 15, 1925. In 1940, his family, including parents Charlotte and William McLaughlin and younger brother Ted (who survives him), moved with Tom to San Diego when Tom was a teenager. It was in San Diego that Tom was introduced to the Augustinians, who taught him at St. Augustine High School. In the second semester of his senior year at St. Augustine's, Tom entered the Army Air Corps, an As soon as he returned, Spook McLaughlin entered the Augustinian seminary. He professed vows as an Augustinian friar on September 10, 1947 and was ordained a priest on May 30, 1953. His humility would cause him to evaluate his ministry as thrilling for him, but only ordinary for the people whom he served; that assessment would be challenged by the thousands of students he taught and those he served in parochial ministry. Fr. Tom was an excellent science and religion teacher to the students of Villanova Prep School in Ojai and St. Augustine High School in San Diego. Tom thought that he would be a high school teacher all of his priesthood until he was asked to be the Director of Formation for Augustinian seminary students in 1971. Four years later he fell in love with parish ministry, and served most of his remaining years as a priest ministering at St. Thomas Aquinas in Ojai, St. Patrick's in San Diego, and Our Lady of Grace Church in Castro Valley, California. In all three parishes he basked in the reciprocal love of grateful parishioners whose admiration helped them easily forgive Fr. Tom's signature bluntness or his inability to remember names. In the last few years of his priesthood, Tom was the go-to person for any Augustinian parish whose priest needed a respite from the job. Fr. Tom's love for his ministry was only surpassed by his love for the Augustinian community. Among his final words were repeated statements about how he will miss community life and how he loved ministering. |
Rev. William V. Olivas, O.S.A., February 6, 2008
In 2002 Bill Olivas was declared a "Living Treasure" of Ojai, CA, where he was born and where he died. That he was declared a "Living Treasure" reflects the life he lived, stemming from Ojai, to varied parts of the world, and back to Ojai. His early life in Ojai involved growing up in a small town in southern California and his education through his junior year at Villanova Prepartory School, adminstered by the Augustinians. He was influenced by Augustinians such as Fr. John Howard, O.S.A. At that time however, there was not an Augustinian formation program on the west coast. As a high school senior he entered the Los Angeles Archdiocesan Seminary with the intent of becoming an Augustinian after receiving the needed relgious education. World War II interupted his plans however. He joined the U.S. Army and, after basic training, was sent to England to prepare for the Normady invasion. He was part of the first wave that stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He survived many harrowing experiences including The Battle of the Bulge. After the war he entered a diffent type of combat: professional wrestling, touring the nation and the world under names such as "The Wild Man of Borneo." In 1962 he met and married Marcia Pillbury, with whom he shared a happy marriage until she died in 1988. Holding true to a promise to Marcia that he would retire from wrestling when he reached the age of forty, they opened a hot springs spa in Ojai, similar to ones they had seen in Europe. In 1977 Bill's deferred vocation blossomed as he became a member of the second class of Permanent Deacons in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. After Marcia's death, Bill joined the Augustinians, realizing his high school dreams. After living as a Reverend Brother for several years, ministering to parishioners, especially the Hispanics, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai, Bill began studies for the priesthood and was ordained in 1997 at the age of 76. Bill continued to minister as an Associate Pastor until his health would no longer allow him to do so. He lived in assisted living for the past two years. However, he continued his priestly ministry, celebrating Mass for a nearby convent of sisters. This "Living Treasure" demonstrated to many people throughout the world why he was proclaimed as such. He is dearly loved by many people in Ojai and the Augustinian Order. As recently as five years ago Fr. Bill went to national conventions of retired professional wrestlers to swap stories and more than likely do what he could to bring some of those with whom he wrestled closer to Christ. |
Rev. Walter P. Vogel, O.S.A., April 28, 2007
On Tuesday, April 24th, Fr. Walter was involved in a very serious automobile accident just a few feet away from Our Mother of Good Counsel Church parking lot. Xrays showed he had seven broken ribs, a broken clavicle, and a slightly-pierced lung. He was 100% cogent and his speech was fine. The following day he was fitted with a rubber brace around his ribs and sling around his left arm. Although the pain was constant, he expressed some relief and was told he would need at least six weeks of rehablilitation. On Saturday, April 28th, he took a turn for the worse. His breathing turned into gasps and his voice became a whisper. Medical caregivers stated that they weren't too alarmed about the changes in his condition. At about 8:45 pm he walked a few steps and died. All concerned were shocked, especially his brother and sister-in-law who were with him all day. Walter was born on March 7, 1935 on Ecke Ranch, near Encinitas, California. His parents were Ruth and Walter Vogel. He is pre-deceased by his parents, as well as an older sister, Mrs. Elisse Hall. He is survived by his brother and sister-law-law Paul and Betty Vogel, and sister and brother-in-law Miti and Walt Belien. Walter entered the seminary in 1954 and took simple vows in the Augustinian Order in 1955. He was ordained a priest on February 9, 1963. His first number of years as a priest were dedicated to educational ministry serving at Bonner High School in Philadelphia, St. Augustine High School in San Diego, Villanova Prep School in Ojai, Central Catholic High School in Modesto, and Woodside For a brief period Fr. Walter was a prison chaplain. For the past six years he served others as a parish priest. He was a much-loved servant-minister both in Ontario, CA and particularly at Our Mother of Good Counsel. On April 26th the parish was celebrating the fact that he would become their new pastor in June; on Sunday, April 29th, that same parish mourned his loss at the masses. On May 5, 2007 former students, fellow teachers, fellow cursillistas, parishioners, parish personnel, fellow Augustinians, friends and family members, gathered for a memorial mass for Fr. Walter to celebrate what Very Rev. Gary Sanders, O.S.A. so beautifully termed: "Fr. Walter's time."
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Rev. John F. Glynn, O.S.A., September 23, 2006
Fr. John F. Glynn, OSA, was born February 26, 1913 in Lawrence, MA. He professed his Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience on September 13, 1932 and was Ordained to the Priesthood on May 30, 1939. He spent the next nineteen years at St. Augustine High School where, among his other teaching assignments he also coached several varsity sports; hence the affectionate nickname "Coach" among his Augustinian confreres. In 1959 he was assigned to Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA where, along with his teaching he became Headmaster in 1960. While Headmaster he began a great deal of expansion of campus buildings including the present administration building and a dormitory which eventually became the present girls dormitory and now proudly bears his name. In 1965, Fr. Glynn, after just being elected president of the local Rotary Club, was transferred to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA. Only a year later he was sent to Modesto, CA to begin Central Catholic High School where, during part of his assignment from 1966 to 1974, he served as Co-Principal. He then returned to Ojai and became Headmaster a second time in 1975. He finished his teaching career at Villanova where he taught Latin to his "Duckos" and "Duckettes." Fr. Glynn was known for his service to the poor in practical things such as new clean socks to field workers and other ways that are known only to him and those he helped. As his years advanced his teaching assignments diminished. His presence on the Villanova Prep campus however did not decrease. His kind and benevolent presence among the students, some of whom he had recruited from the other side of the globe in places such as Japan and Korea, was felt and cherished by all of them. As his health waned he moved into retirement homes in the Ojai area where, instead of caring for others; others cared for him. The presence of many Villanova Prep and Saint Augustine High School alumni at his funeral and memorial Masses in Ojai and San Diego spoke volumes about the effect he had upon them, which will carry on for generations |
Brother J. Stephen McKennna, O.S.A., October 29, 2005
Bro. J. Stephen McKenna, affectionately known to all as "Steve," was born in Santa Monica, CA on September 9, 1952 and grew up in Manhattan Beach, CA. While in high school he became a foreign exchange student in Germany for a summer and continued his relationship with his second "family" through the rest of his life. He studied and graduated from Loyola University. While there he became interested in the Augustinians; entering the pre-Novitiate program at the Cole Street house in San Francisco in 1975. He made his Novitiate in St. Louis, MO and professed his Simple Vows on August 29, 1977 at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Angeles. After earning his M.Div. at the Washington Theological Union he professed Solemn Vows at St. Patrick's Church in San Diego, CA in 1980. Bro. Steve's first Augustinian teaching assignment was at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA from 1981 to 1987. There he taught religion and speech, was moderator of Student Activities, was a dorm proctor, and a key person in activating the campus ministry program. Bro. Steve spent the next eighteen years teaching at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, CA. He taught a variety of subjects including religion, Spanish, and American History. His ability to teach Spanish grew out of summer school in Mexico City while studying theology and later in Ensenada, Mexico during summer vacations while teaching as an Augustinian. His college major was American History. He supplemented his academic knowledge with reenactment activities having a keen interest in Civil War soldiery. He passed this knowledge on to his students who gained from both his academic knowledge and his reenactment experience. He took part in reenactments such as the Battle of Gettysburg. Bro. Steve was very involved with the Augustinian Volunteer Program as the San Diego site supervisor for the San Diego-located volunteers. In August of 2005 Bro. Steve began a sabbatical in Washington, D.C. in preparation for ministry at Villanueva Apartments, the Province housing project in San Ysidro, CA and the Province-sponsored orphanage Hogar Infantil la Gloria in Tijuana, Mexico. In September he returned to San Diego for a lung biopsy and was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which progressed very quickly culminating in his death at an all too early age. |
Rev. John F. Blethen, O.S.A., October 7, 2001
Fr. John Blethen was born December 14, 1922 in San Diego, CA. He graduated from St. Augustine High School and attended San Diego State University for one year. He then entered the Augustinians making his Novitiate in New Hamburg, N.Y. professing his first vows in 1943. He then studied theology at Augustinian College in Washington, D.C. and received a Masters Degree from Catholic University of America before being Ordained to the Priesthood February 2, 1949. He taught physics at St. Augustine High School from 1951 to 1956. He was then commsioned as a Navy chaplain until he became an associate pastor at St. Patrick's Church in San Diego, Ca from 1958 to 1960. Following that he served as pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai, CA from 1961 to 1968 during which time the present church building, dedicated in 1963, was constructed. On May 19, 1968 Fr. John Blethen was elected Commissary Provincial of the then Vice-Province of California. Within that year the Province of St. Augustine was approved by the General Chapter meeting in Philadelphia, PA and Fr. John became the first Provincial of the Province of St. Augustine. He ministered at that post until 1974. During his provincialate Fr. John displayed his openness and flexibility by spearheading new directions for the new Province in the form of new ministries; many pointed toward helping the poor. One of the most prominent, and still active, ministries is a four-hundred unit housing project named Villa Nueva, or New Town. It is located in San Ysidro, CA; immediately north of the California/Mexico border. This housing project, built with an FHA loan, has expanded to include Villa Merced; which is a housing complex for senior citizens. Villa Nueva opened in 1969. Fr. Blethen used his bilingual skills when he moved into an apartment with two other Augustinians, living there from 1974 to 1983. During the late 1960's Fr. John and a group of people took over management of a rundown orphanage, named Hogar Infantil la Gloria located immediately south of Tijuana, and took it from a state of disrepair to a place where the Mexican social services brings children for care. Church groups visit the orphanage every weekend to be present to the children and help in the physical upkeep of the buildings. Improvements at Villa Nueva are constant, including stepping into the computer age with a computer lab for student use. Fr. John became known as the "Padrón" of Villa Nueva; the person any resident with a problem sought to find help. In 1984 he moved into residence at the St. Augustine High School monastery and later to the St. Patrick's rectory continuing to be present at Villa Nueva celebrating Masses and maintaining an office at there. In the early 1990's Fr. John's health began to decline with Parkinson's Disease and complications, ultimately resulting in his death. |
Rev. John R. Sanders, O.S.A., November 25, 2000
| Fr. John Sanders, OSA was born October 7, 1948 growing up in St. Rita's Parish in San Diego along with three brothers and a sister. He graduated from St. Augustine High School in 1966. While at Saints he founded a brotherhood of students called the Beowulf Society dedicated to doing good deeds, among them campus beautification. After graduation he moved to the Casa Andolfo in Camarillo for two years, becoming part of the Province's first pre-novitiate class. He then entered the Augustinian Novitiate in New Hamburg, NY becoming an Augustinian in 1967. Continuing his Augustinian formation he earned his bachelor's degree at the University of San Francisco and an MA in history at USC. John earned his MA in theology at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC. His first teaching assignment was at Villanova Preparatory School in 1974. Ill health forced him to step down temporarily from that assignment until his recovery later that year. In 1981 he returned to his alma mater to teach until 1984. He then moved to Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Hollywood while he began doctoral studies at USC. In 1987 his book "Before All Else," a history of the Augustinians in Californian from 1922-1985, was published. That same year Fr. John returned to Saints becoming principal the following year. He served in that role of leadership for the next twelve years; a man of the people being very familiar with the entire student body as well as many school alumni. Under his leadership the student body grew and plans were begun for rebuilding the classroom buildings and gymnasium. An avid sports fan he attended most Saints sporting events. After cheering a Saints football team to victory on a Friday evening he and friends went to Los Angeles the next day for a USC-Notre Dame football game. He succumbed to a heart attack that evening after returning from the game. His funeral Mass was celebrated on the upper field of the Saints campus with his brother Fr. Gary Sanders, OSA as principal celebrant. The entire field was filled with the student body of the school, the Saints faculty, Saints parents and alumni, and many concelebrating Augustinian and diocesan priests. |
Rev. William H. Sullivan, O.S.A., August 29, 1999
Fr. William Sullivan, OSA entered the Order as a Novice in New Hamburg, NY in 1943 after graduating from Saint Augustine High School. After his formation and theological studies he returned to his alma mater to teach English. He also taught at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA and in the Augustinian staffed Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. In 1962 he returned to Saints as assistant vice-principal and in 1974 was named assistant superintendent of schools in the San Diego Diocese. During this time he also served as a member of the Priests' Senate and the executive committee of Villa Nueva, the Augustinian sponsored housing project in San Ysidro, CA. Fr. Sullivan, or "Sullie," also edited the Province newsletter. He was called to Rome to coordinate publications for the Order in the late 1970's. Upon his return to the United States he served as associate pastor in Our Lady of Grace Church in Castro Valley, CA and in St. Patrick's Church in San Diego. In 1989 he was chosen to serve on the formation team of the newly formed international novitiate for English speaking novices in Racine, WI. He returned to San Diego in 1995 due to the harsh Midwest winters and failing health, living at the Saints monastery. He died in the San Diego Hospice Hospital in 1999. He is remembered for his wit, his mastery of the English language, his far reaching friendships, and for being "Sullie." |
Rev. Peter J. Marron, O.S.A., March 1, 1998
| Fr. Peter Marron, OSA, was born in County Caven, Ireland in 1907. He immigrated through Ellis Island in 1923 with his sister, Margaret Marron. Working at odd jobs he saved enough money to attend Augustinian Academy on Staten Island, NY graduating at the age of twenty-one. He entered the Augustinians in 1928 and graduated from then Villanova College in 1933. After completing theological studies at Augustinian College in Washington, DC he was ordained in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1936 celebrating his first Solemn High Mass at Nativity Church in Brooklyn, NY. His first assignment was teaching English, general science, and religion in St. Rita High School in Chicago, IL from 1937 to 1941. He served as an assistant pastor in St. Mary's Church in Rockford, IL from 1941 to 1945. At the end of World War II his request to become a Navy chaplain was approved by the Augustinians. He served on board ship and in Navy bases all over the world including Korea during the Korean War. He retired with the rank of Commander in 1969 and joined the formation community at Cole Street in San Francisco, CA. In 1970 he was assigned to St. Patrick's Church in San Diego as associate pastor. He retired to the Saint Augustine High School monastery in 1975. Fr. Marron continued to assist at parishes in San Diego until he suffered a stroke in 1993. That began his decline in health leading to his death at ninety-one as the then oldest Augustinian in the United States in 1998. |
Rev. William Griswold, O.S.A., November 7, 1994
| Fr. Bill Griswold served his entire Augustinian life in the role of a teacher. He first taught at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA from 1957 to 1963. He then moved to Saint Augustine High School (San Diego, CA) where he taught Latin and religion from 1963 until he entered limited service. For many of those years he was the freshman basketball coach. Students at Saints best remember him for what was known as "The Turtle Shop." It was a small on-campus store where students would tender cash for snacks and commune with "Griz" as he was affectionately known. During his limited service, which began in 1981, the Turtle Shop remained open. He was involved in an automobile accident and died in a San Diego hospital following a heart attack. |
Rev. Dominic Berra, PhD, O.S.A., March 26, 1994
| Fr. Dominic "Dom" Berra, OSA was born in Treverton, PA in 1914. He was ordained in 1944. In his early years as an Ordained Augustinian Fr. Berra ministered in Cuba teaching at the University of Santo Tomas where he earned a PhD in theology in 1948. The title of his thesis was "Tesis de Grado." He, along with all other Augustinians, was forced out of Cuba under the repression of Fidel Castro. Fr. Berra taught Spanish at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA from 1959-1960. From there he was transferred to St. Augustine High School in San Diego where he taught from 1960-1963. He returned to live at Saints in 1972 being very involved with the Knights of Columbus. During the years he lived at Saints Fr. Berra was a cruise ship chaplain. It was in that role that he died aboard a ship in 1994. |
Rev. Vincent J. McGarvey, O.S.A., February 2, 1994
Fr. Vincent McGarvey, OSA was one of the most influential Augustinians to serve in our Province. He was born in Lansdowne, PA in 1917 and was formed by Catholic education beginning at the grade school of St. Francis de Sales Church in Philadelphia, graduating from Augustinian Academy in Staten Island, NY and going to the Good Counsel Novitiate in New Hamburg, NY. He graduated from Villanova University after living in St. Mary's Hall for four years. He studied theology at Augustinian College in Washington, D.C. for four years and was ordained to the Priesthood in 1935 after three years of study. As a student priest he completed a Masters Degree in education at Catholic University. Briefly he was assigned as assistant Novice Master in New Hamburg but was soon assigned as associate pastor at St. Patrick's Church in San Diego where he became a mainstay of the parish for the next thirteen years. In 1956 he returned east to St. Nicholas of Tolentine in the Bronx to be near his ailing mother. After her death he retuned to California working under Fr. John Burns, OSA in Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Hollywood. He eventually became pastor when Fr. Burns was forced to step down due to health reasons in 1961. Soon after that he was appointed Vice Provincial holding down both jobs for the next six years. During the years of Vatican Council II Fr. McGarvey oversaw a great deal of Province expansion including sending Province members to the Peruvian missions, encouraging post-graduate studies, taking on a high school in Modesto, CA, and the beginnings of Province flying when an airplane was contributed. When his term as Vice Provincial ended he returned to St. Patrick's as pastor and was there into the 1970's. In 1980 Fr. McGarvey was named pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Castro Valley, CA when the California Augustinians expanded into the Bay Area. He then moved to Central Point, OR where he served as pastor. He later moved to Shady Grove, OR becoming pastor of a smaller parish. Eventually he retired to St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai. While there he traveled to San Diego to visit his doctor. During that visit he suffered a stroke resulting in his death. |
Rev. David H. Ryan, O.S.A., April 5, 1991
| Fr. David Ryan, OSA, a graduate of St. Augustine High School in 1926, was the first Saints alumnus to be ordained to the Augustinian Priesthood which occurred in 1936 along with Fr. Robert McGrath. He served in many of the California Augustinian communities in education, formation, low income housing, and parochial ministries. Fr. Ryan was known as a person who tinkered in many mechanical things. While teaching at St. Augustine High School in the early post WWII years one of the classes he taught was airplane mechanics. He had procured a Navy trainer airplane and the class he taught would disassemble the airplane and then put it back together. Class success was realized when Fr. Ryan would climb into the cockpit of the airplane at year's end and press the ignition button. People say the noise was deafening as the airplane would be taxied around what was known as the "upper field" of the Saints campus. Fr. Ryan was a licensed pilot of light aircraft, a HAM radio operator, and while assigned to the St. Thomas Aquinas Church community in Ojai in his senior years, was writing a computer program on an early desktop computer translating English into Spanish. While assigned to Ojai in those latter years he was loved by the Hispanic community for his liturgical celebrations in Spanish; especially during the major Church seasons such as Christmas and Easter. He would be seen navigating the streets of Ojai on a Moped scooter, eating lunch with other senior citizens at the Ojai Senior Center. While practicing with the choir in the then downtown chapel in Ojai in preparation for Holy Week Fr. Ryan suffered a severe stroke resulting in his death two years later. |
Rev. Michael J. King, O.S.A., April 6, 1987
| Fr. Michael J. King, O.S.A. was born on November 27, 1949 in Tucson, AZ. He graduated from Point Loma High School in 1967 and entered Casa Adolfo Camarillo, the first Augustinian house of studies in September of that same year. After his novitiate year at New Hamburg, N.Y. (1969-70) he returned to California and joined the Augustinian Cole Street community in San Francisco. He earned his B.A. degree in English literature from the University of San Francisco. While studying at USF he sang in collegiate productions including "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Man of La Mancha." He resided at Augustinian College in Washington, D.C. from 1972 to 1975 where, along with his theological studies, he helped coach the Catholic University gymnastics team. It was in Washington that he first seriously studied voice. In 1975 he was assigned to the Augustinian Community at Central Catholic High School in Modesto, CA. He was ordained at Tucson, AZ on January 10, 1976. At Modesto he began his teaching career and became known as an enthusiastic student moderator. When the Augustinians announced their withdrawal from Central Catholic in 1979 he was assigned to St. Augustine High School in San Diego, CA. There he served as the school chaplain and head of the religion department for the next six years. It was in San Diego that he became known for his outstanding singing ability. His musical talents were shared throughout the diocese and he performed at countless church events and fundraisers. He also served as the Province Director of Education and on the board of St. Madeline Sophie School for handicapped adults. Fr. Mike, as he was known to those he ministered with and to, had a lifelong appreciation for art, culture, and was known and loved for his cooking ability. His talents were vast as were the number and variety of his many friends. His ability to laugh and feel joy in their burdens was one of his great gifts to them. Fr. Mike died after a long illness in Ojai, CA. |
Rev. Richard K. Smith, O.S.A., February 20, 1987
| The Rev. Richard K. Smith, O.S.A., a Saints graduate, was affectionately known to members of the Province as "RK." Many students knew him as their physics teacher at Villanova Prepratory School and at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, CA. While at Villanova Prep he learned to fly using that skill to fly on weekend assignments to remote California mission parishes which were assigned to the care of the Augustinians.He was assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Church twice, in the early 1970's and the mid-1980's as pastor. While there he applied his knowledge of physics to paper conservation by inventing and patenting the "Ecolo-Bailer." A device into which pre-sorted newspaper was stacked, clamped down, strapped or bailed, to be placed on wooden pallets and later loaded on a flat-bed trailer to be transported to a paper recycling plant where, because it was pre-sorted, would receive a higher price. As a pilot of the Province-owned Cessna Skylane with the call letters "3266Y" (taken from the street address of St. Augustine High School), he became an Alaskan-bush-pilot-priest in the late 1970's based in Dillingham, Alaska. He was pastor of the geographically largest parish in the world. In later years he flew 3266Y to Peru in support of Augustinian missionaries. In the late 1980's he was flying to different parishes in southern Oregon while based in the Augustinian community in Medford, OR helping out in parishes. On his way to Henderson, OR he died in a tragic accident in the very airplane he had flown from the western reaches of Alaska to the mountainous regions of Peru and many place between. |
Rev. Thomas F. Walsh, O.S.A., March 16, 1986
| Fr. Tom Walsh, OSA entered the Augustinian Novitiate in 1943 after two years at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, NY. He was ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop McNamara in Washington, D.C. on June 5, 1951. His first assignment, a very brief one, was in Cuba. In September of 1952 he began his priestly ministry in California at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Angeles. He moved to St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai from 1964 to 1970. After helping in formation work in San Francisco at Cole Street for a year, he moved to Modesto, CA and taught at Central Catholic High School from 1971 to 1974. He then returned to Ojai until 1979. At that time he returned to Our Mother of Good Counsel where he remained in "limited-service" until his death. |
Rev. John F. Burns, O.S.A., August 17, 1976
| Fr. John Burns, OSA began his life as an Augustinian by teaching, writing, drama, and preaching at then Villanova College in Pennsylvania. His plays were produced on both coasts receiving accolades, especially the play "The Nazarene." After twenty-three years of priestly ministry there he was assigned to St. Patrick's Church in San Diego in 1943 and proceeded during the next seven years to raise funds to build a parish grade school and expand the parish plant. Most of the buildings he fostered are still in use today. In 1959 he was transferred to Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Hollywood where he undertook a monumental building task with a new church building and rectory done with skillful fundraising and careful planning. Being a medieval historian his design of the stained glass windows displayed only three sacred persons: the Blessed Virgin, St. Augustine, and St. Monica. The other windows displayed Redemption themes and titles of the Blessed Virgin. These were met with initial skepticism but Fr. Burn's careful and well documented planning won over those skeptics. Health problems began to develop for Fr. Burns as he did more furnishings for the new church building. In November of 1961 he asked to be relieved of his pastorate staying on at the parish until the new church was opened and dedicated. He moved to St. Patrick's in San Diego but returned to Hollywood spending his final years in the rectory he had built. He died there on August 17, 1976 at the age of 80. |
Rev. Henry C. Carr, O.S.A., July 17, 1975
Fr. Henry Carr. OSA was described as "tenacious," "dedicated to work," "straightforward," and "humble" in his lifetime. Born in Pennsylvania he grew up in St. Petersburg, FL where his father was a carpenter. After finishing the 10th grade Fr. Henry himself became an apprentice carpenter. At the age of twenty he entered St. Augustine Academy in Staten Island, NY. Continuing on through the Novitiate he was professed as an Augustinian in 1931. He graduated from then Villanova College in 1935 and studied theology at Augustinian College in Washington, DC being Ordained in 1938. His first assignment was teaching at St. Augustine's in Iloilo in the Philippinnes until the Japanese invaded in 1942. He was interred as a prisoner of war until he was liberated by American troops in 1945. He was near death from malnutrition. The Province Archives contain the original and typewritten copies of the diary he kept while a prisoner. Following the war Fr. Carr worked in parish ministry on the east coast coming to California in 1956. While in California he worked in St. Patrick's in San Diego, Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai, and in his final residence, Our Mother of Good Counsel in Hollywood where he succumbed to ill health. |
Rev. Robert E. McGrath, O.S.A., February 13, 1973
| Fr. Robert McGrath, OSA was born in Oxnard, CA in 1910. His family was prominent in ranching with his uncle being instrumental in the foundation of Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA. Fr. McGrath claimed to have been the second student enrolled in that institution from which he graduated in 1928. He was the first student from the school to be enrolled the Augustinian Novitiate in New Hamburg, NY. He graduated from then Villanova College in 1933 and completed his theological studies at Augustinian College in Washington, DC. He was the first alumnus from Villanova Preparatory School to be ordained to the Augustinian Priesthood. He and Fr. David Ryan, OSA were ordained together in Los Angeles in 1936. His first assignment was to the mission band with Villanova Monastery as his home base. As a member of the mission band he would travel from parish to parish giving retreats. Many of his retreat reflections are preserved in the province archives. From 1943 until 1945 he taught theology at then Villanova College. At the end of World War II he was given his long-promised obedience as associate pastor of Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Hollywood. In 1951 he was assigned to his alma mater in Ojai and remained there until 1964 serving in many business roles as well as teaching American History, speech, civics, religion, and typing. He was then re-assigned to Our Mother of Good Counsel Church until 1968 when ill health forced him to resign as prior of the community and curtail his activities. He was then assigned to Casa Adolfo Camarillo serving as the first resident prior of that formation community He oversaw the beautification of the Camarillo Ranch House which had been proclaimed a State Historic Landmark. Fr. McGrath died in 1973 while working at his desk. |
Rev. John J. Costigan, O.S.A., July 6, 1970
Fr. John J. Costigan, OSA was Ordained in Washington, D.C. in 1934. His first assignment as an Augustinian was in Grosse Point, Michigan. In 1945 he was transferred to St. Augustine High School where, being an avid sports fan, he became the school's athletic director during what have been termed by Fr. John Sanders in "Before All Else" as "crucial years when Saints was struggling for acceptance into the City Prep League." In 1958 he was transferred to St. Patrick's Parish serving as pastor during the beginnings of the Vatican II changes until 1966. Fr. Sanders notes that Fr. Costigan did not delay in introducing the liturgical changes as they were introduced. In 1966 he was transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai, CA where he served as pastor for a short time until poor health forced him to retire. Fr. Costigan succumbed to cancer in 1970 © Province of St. Augustine 2012
d was commissioned a lieutenant in 1943. He served as navigator in twenty-five flight missions over Germany. On February 27, 1945 Tom's plane was shot down over Germany and he became a prisoner of war until he was liberated on April 29th of the same year. It was from this trial that folklore came. His family and friends believed that Tom had died in the war, and no communication indicated otherwise. After the war was over, Tom returned to San Diego, bringing shock and elation. It was from this point that Tom received the nickname Spook, as if others had seen a ghost. 
Priory near San Francisco. While he was still a high school teacher he was introduced to the Cursillo movement and became one its most sought after ministers and spiritual directors. At the same time he began a hobby which turned into a passion - cooking. It seems as though an almost endless number of people enjoyed Walter's epicurean feasts.