“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4)
Seventeen years ago, Msgr. Carroll retired as pastor of St. Hilary of Poitiers parish, Rydal, PA, and Msgr. Jagodzinski invited him to come here as a senior priest. This is a designation given to a priest who has reached the age of 70 and is able to continue serving but is no longer required to be involved in administrative duties. Five years later, having reached the canonical retirement age, Msgr. Carroll chose to stay here, celebrating Sunday and daily Masses, assisting with hospital visitation and funerals and sharing his gentle Irish humor with everyone he met.
Now, due to his age and continuing health issues, Msgr. Carroll has decided that it is time for him to really retire and he has been given a very comfortable suite at Villa St. Joseph, the residence for retired Archdiocesan priests. Next Sunday, our parish Knights of Columbus will host a reception for Msgr. Carroll in the parish center following the 9:30am Mass. Everyone is invited to thank Msgr. Carroll for his many years of gracious service here and wish him well as he begins the next step in his priestly ministry: praying for all of us!
Msgr. Carroll recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood and has had a variety of demanding and exciting assignments over his six decades of very active priestly ministry. After two assignments as assistant pastor, first at St. Mark parish in Bristol and then at St. Martin of Tours in New Hope, he was assigned to teach at Bishop Kenrick High School in Norristown and then as the assistant superintendent for all of the Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese. He was next appointed the vice rector and then rector at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. After faithfully serving the archdiocese in the educational apostolate for many years, he returned to parish ministry as pastor of two parishes, first St. Timothy in Philadelphia and then St. Hilary of Poitiers in Rydal. He was then asked to become the archdiocesan liaison for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, a position continued to hold even in his retirement.
Msgr. Carroll was also very active in the preparation for and celebration of the 41st International Eucharistic Congress that our archdiocese hosted in 1976. And, he takes great pride in his role as band director when he was stationed at Bishop Kenrick High School. He has, indeed, been blessed with a very active ministry in a wide variety of assignments and has touched the lives – and funny bones – of countless people throughout his 60 years of service in our archdiocese. As he now finally moves into full retirement, I invite you to join in celebrating his years here and wishing him all of God’s blessings next Sunday, 6 June, following the 9:30am Mass in our parish center. Ad multos annos, Msgr. Carroll!