10 priests in diocese mark milestone anniversaries

Bishop James A. Griffin

Born in Fairview Park. Ordained as priest of Diocese of Cleveland on May 28, 1960 in Cleveland St. John Cathedral by Auxiliary Bishop (later Cardinal) John Kroil. Ordained as auxiliary bishop of Cleveland on Aug. 1, 1979. Installed as 10th bishop of Diocese of Columbus on April 25, 1983, serving in that position until retiring for health reasons on Oct. 14, 2004. Associate pastor, Cleveland St. Jerome Church. Administrator pro tem, Cleveland St. John Cathedral. Pastor, Euclid St. William Church. Assistant chancellor, vice chancellor, chancellor, vicar general and member of diocesan Tribunal, Diocese of Cleveland. Vice chancellor and board of trustees member, Pontifical College Josephinum. Past president, Catholic Relief Services. Served on many committees of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and central Ohio civic organizations. Has lived in Powell since retirement.

Msgr. William A. Dunn

Columbus native. Ordained at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral by Bishop (later Cardinal) John Carberry on May 29, 1965. Associate pastor, Worthington St. Michael and Newark Blessed Sacrament churches and cathedral. In residence, Columbus Our Lady of Victory Church. Pastor, Columbus Holy Rosary, Lancaster St. Mary, Worthington St. Michael and Logan St. John churches. Instructor in residence, Columbus St. Charles Seminary. Teacher, Columbus Bishop Watterson and Newark Catholic high schools, Diocesan religious education director. Chairman, diocesan liturgical commission. Associate director, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for Northern Deanery. Member, diocesan integration committee, personnel board, Priests’ Senate and diocesan college of consultors. Vicar, North High Vicariate. Dean, Lancaster Deanery. Appointed on Aug. 28, 1999 as monsignor by Pope St. John Paul II with the title prelate of honor. Retired on July 8, 2014 and lives in Hilliard.

Father Patrick A. Toner

Born in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Ordained at St. Joseph Cathedral by Bishop Edward Herrmann on May 24, 1975. Associate pastor, Marion St. Mary, Columbus St. Agatha, Columbus Holy Spirit, Columbus Our Lady of Peace and Newark St. Francis de Sales churches. Pastor, Marysville Our Lady of Lourdes, Sunbury St. John Neumann, Portsmouth St. Mary, Plain City St. Joseph, Columbus St. Mary Magdalene, Columbus St. Agnes and Columbus St. Aloysius churches. In residence, Columbus St. Ladislas Church. Administrator pro tem, Zoar Holy Trinity, London St. Patrick and Columbus St. Catharine of Siena churches. Air Force chaplain in Arizona, Panama, and Andrews Air Force Base near Washington with service in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Teacher, Columbus Bishop Watterson and Newark Catholic high schools, Diocesan board of consultors member, diocesan youth ministry office co-director and vicar for West Vicariate. Army intelligence specialist in Germany and Vietnam before studying for the priesthood. Retired on July 14, 2015. Currently serving as administrator of Delaware St. Mary Church.

Father Timothy M. Hays

Born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Ordained at St. Joseph Cathedral by Bishop Griffin on June 22, 1985. Associate pastor, Lancaster St. Mary and Powell St. Joan of Arc churches. Pastor, Newark Blessed Sacrament, Columbus St. Timothy, Chillicothe St. Peter, Chillicothe St. Mary and Waverly St. Mary, Queen of the Missions churches. Teacher, Lancaster Fisher Catholic High School, Associate director and director, diocesan vocations office. Diocesan formation policy board member. Currently pastor, Granville St. Edward the Confessor Church.

Father Paul Hrezo

Native of Vincenzo, Italy. Ordained by Bishop Gilbert Sheldon on May 27, 2000 at Steubenville Holy Name Cathedral. Parochial vicar, Marietta St. Mary, Cambridge St. Benedict and Lore City Sts. Peter and Paul churches, Pastor, Cambridge Christ Our Light Parish. Diocesan director of Society for the Propagation of the Faith, coordinator for continuing education of priests and dean of Visitation Deanery, Diocese of Steubenville. Former spiritual director for the College of Liberal Arts and current coordinator of spiritual formation, Pontifical College Josephinum.

Father Nicholas Monaghan

Born in Alexandria, Scotland. Ordained on June 29, 2000 as priest of Archdiocese of Glasgow by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Thomas Winning at St. Mary Parish, Duntocher, Scotland. Assistant pastor, Our Lady & St. Helen Parish, Condorrat, Scotland. Assistant pastor and pastor, St. Dominic Parish, Bishopbriggs, Scotland. Administrator, St. Matthew Parish, Bishopbriggs. Member, Scottish Catholic Inter-Diocesan Tribunal. Chairman, Commission for Marriage, Family and Life of the Bishops Conference of Scotland. Current vice rector, College of Liberal Arts, Pontifical College Josephinum.

Father Michael Donovan, O de M

Born in Chicago. Professed vows as member of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy on Aug. 2, 1994. Ordained at Philadelphia St. Donato Church by Bishop Loreno Leon, O de M, bishop of Huacho, Peru, on May 13, 2000. Parochial vicar, Cleveland Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Philadelphia Our Lady of Lourdes churches. Pastor, Our Lady of Mercy Church, LeRoy, New York and St. Edward Church, Starke, Florida. Prison ministry, Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida. Currently pastor, Columbus Holy Family Church.

Father Sunder Ery

Native of Balanagar, India. Ordained on March 20, 2000 in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kadapa, India by Bishop Prakash Mallavarapu. Parochial vicar, St. Mary’s Cathedral. Pastor and school superintendent. Holy Cross Church, Kamalapuram, India and Holy Rosary Church, Porumamilla, India. Lecturer in English, St. Joseph Junior College, Kamalapuram. Dean of Porumamilla Deanery. Served in Diocese of Springfield, Illinois as parochial vicar at Shumway St. Mary, Effingham St. Anthony of Padua and Effingham Sacred Heart churches and administrator and pastor at Sigel St. Michael the Archangel, Lillyville Sacred Heart, Green Creek St. Mary Help of Christians and Neoga St. Mary of the Assumption churches. Currently parochial vicar, Pickerington St. Elizabeth Seton Parish.

Father James Farnan

Born in Chicago. Ordained in Pittsburgh St. Paul’s Cathedral on June 24, 2000 by Bishop (later Cardinal) Donald Wuerl. Served in Diocese of Pittsburgh as parochial vicar of multiple parishes and as pastor of Beaver Falls Divine Mercy, Beaver Falls St. Philomena, Bethel Park Resurrection, Sewickley Divine Redeemer and Waynesburg St. Matthias parishes. Currently parochial vicar, Westerville St. Paul Church.

PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

Gracious and loving God,

we thank you for the gift

of our priests.

Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.

Help our priests to be strong in

their vocation.

Set their souls on fire with love

for your people.

Grant them the wisdom, understanding,

and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.