Msgr. Moloney reflects on years of service to diocese

Msgr. Stephan Moloney retired from the diocesan Chancery earlier this summer after serving there for 36 years.

He held various positions in the Chancery, including vice chancellor, chancellor, vicar for spiritual life and, most recently, vicar general. He served under four bishops: Bishops Emeriti James Griffin and Frederick Campbell and Bishops Robert Brennan and Earl Fernandes.

He also served as administrator from December 2021 to May 2022 when the diocese was without a bishop.

In addition to his work in the Chancery, Msgr. Moloney, 68, served as a parish priest, including at Columbus St. Andrew Church, where he currently is the pastor, a role he has held since 2013. He is also vicar forane for the diocese’s Northwest Columbus Deanery, which includes eight parishes.

Msgr. Moloney was born and raised in Ada, Ohio. He attended Ada Our Lady of Lourdes Church, where he was an altar server, and graduated from Ada High School in 1974.

His nearly four decades in Columbus directly assisting four bishops in the pastoral and administrative governance of the diocese could be considered a surprise to him.

“We didn’t really have much of a connection with Columbus,” he recalled. “I remember coming to Columbus when I was in eighth grade. I got the Serra Club (altar serving) award, and it was like, coming to Columbus, I didn’t know.

“Somebody called me from the Serra Club to tell me that I got the award; would I be at the ceremony? It was going to be whatever Sunday at St. Charles (Preparatory School). I said, ‘Oh, St. Charles in Lima?’”

His roots in the diocese’s northwest corner – about a 20-minute drive from Lima, located in the Diocese of Toledo – seemed to point somewhere other than a career in the Chancery.

“I did not ever envision that,” he said. “When I felt the call to the priesthood, my role models were the pastors that I knew in Ada. I thought I would be a small-town pastor.”

However, it seems God had other plans for him.

He entered seminary after high school and received his undergraduate degree from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus. He then attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

He was ordained a priest in 1982 by Bishop Edward Herrmann at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral. His first parish assignment was Columbus St. Peter Church, where he spent his first few years as a priest.

It wasn’t long before Msgr. Moloney’s gifts and talents for administration were recognized.

He was asked by a priest in the diocesan marriage tribunal, which hears marriage nullity cases, if he had interest working there. Msgr. Moloney said he did not foresee being happy doing tribunal work.

Shortly after, as a young priest, he was approached about an administrative opportunity.

“Bishop Griffin asked me about working in the Chancery,” he recalled. “That wasn’t where I thought I would be going in my priesthood, but the bishop asked me, so that made a difference.”

Msgr. Moloney began by serving in the Chancery a couple of days per week. He said the arrangement gave him a flavor for the work. It also prepared him for studies in canon law, which he began shortly thereafter upon request from the bishop.

“I do remember him talking to me and saying, ‘Now, if I send you away for studies in canon law, I don’t want you to come back and then turn around and say you want to go be a pastor. I expect you to give me six to 10 years of service,’” Msgr. Moloney recalled his conversation with the bishop.

“I often think of that because I’m thinking, well, I’ll be here six to 10 years, and then I can move on to something else, and, of course, ended up being there 36 years.”

Msgr. Moloney completed his canon law studies at the Angelicum in Rome. There, he earned a licentiate in canon law (JCL, or juris canonici licentia in Latin) in 1988. He was then appointed vice chancellor for the diocese. He also served as vicar for spiritual life during that time.

In November 1997, he was named vicar general and chancellor by Bishop Griffin.

He served as chancellor for 10 years. He continued as the diocese’s vicar general, serving under four bishops, until his retirement from the Chancery in July.

“Msgr. Moloney has been a trusted adviser to many bishops for years. He is an outstanding canon lawyer and priest. I have been honored to work with him over the years, and he has always been a loyal and good friend,” said Msgr. Joseph Hendricks, who preceded Msgr. Moloney as vicar general, serving from 1988 to 1997.

“I wish him every blessing and success as he continues to serve the Church and the diocese.” 

Msgr. Hendricks went on to become pastor at Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare Church in 1997, which he continued until 2023. He currently serves as the bishop’s delegate for community relations.

Serving as vicar general for four bishops, Msgr. Moloney described each change in leadership as an adjustment for him. Every bishop was different.

“It’s like, you go into a parish and people kind of expect you to be just like the priest who was there before, and of course, every priest is different. They have their own way of doing things, and even knowing that, it was hard for me to adjust to each bishop,” he said.

Msgr. Moloney said he worked well with the bishops, and he expressed admiration for them. 

Bishop Fernandes acknowledged Msgr. Moloney and his contributions to the diocese during a Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral on July 1.

“He followed Jesus into the beyond and remains faithful to Him in friendship,” the bishop said in his homily.

“Monsignor, as your bishop but also as a friend, on behalf of a grateful diocese, thank you for decades of service.”

As vicar general, Msgr. Moloney represented Columbus’ bishops on different boards. He oversaw general diocesan administration, handling items and acting on behalf of the bishop.

Msgr. Moloney was first in residence at Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church while working at the Chancery full time in Columbus.

“I really enjoyed having the parish connection and being able to separate from my work downtown,” he said. “Having a regular parish involvement, I think that’s one thing that helped me last so long.”

He lived at St. Matthew during the span of three pastors who served there. Msgr. Moloney felt it important to be in residence at a parish and keep rooted in parish life.

“Those activities were the reason I became a priest,” he said.

He was in residence at St. Matthew for 20 years until, in 2008, he was named pastor at Columbus Immaculate Conception Church in addition to working in the Chancery. He served as pastor at Immaculate Conception for five years until becoming pastor at St. Andrew.

He described his work in the Chancery and the parish as two full-time jobs.

While parish life kept him grounded, Msgr. Moloney also credited his natural disposition as a reason for his 36 years in the Chancery. He described himself as “pretty patient.”

“I don’t get excited,” he said. “I remain calm, so I think that served me well, too.”

Msgr. Moloney witnessed several major changes during his time in the Chancery. Most notably, perhaps, was in 2002, when the Church faced a sexual abuse scandal.

“2002, my job changed dramatically and that situation persisted,” he said.

In response to the crisis, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) drafted the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” Later that year, the USCCB approved “The Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests, Deacons and Other Church Personnel,” which implemented the charter.

Msgr. Moloney was named victim assistance coordinator for the diocese.

“As a victim assistance coordinator, I was dealing with those cases on all different levels,” he said. “I dealt with the priests, I dealt with the victims, I dealt with the legal cases, I dealt with the canonical cases.”

In addition to serving as vicar general and victim assistance coordinator, Msgr. Moloney had also been named promoter of justice, which is a person appointed in a diocese to provide for the public good. In penal proceedings – those relating to crime and punishment – a promoter of justice brings an accusation on behalf of the Church and prosecutes it before the tribunal.

“I wore three hats, and it was very difficult work,” he said.

Msgr. Moloney served as victim assistance coordinator for almost 20 years. He continued to serve as promoter of justice during that time as well. He was responsible for fulfilling the requirements of each role while continuing as vicar general.

“Doing all that work, it was difficult, but I am proud of it,” he said. “I think I did a good job. I did my best to assist the victims. I did my best to be fair to the accused priests.”

As part of his work in the Chancery, Msgr. Moloney had an opportunity to accompany two bishops to Rome on ad limina visits, which are obligatory visits for all bishops.

Bishops meet with the pope and Vatican officials on ad limina visits, typically held every five years, as well as pray at the tombs of Ss. Peter and Paul. The name comes from the Latin “ad limina apostolorum,” meaning “to the threshold of the apostles.”

Msgr. Moloney accompanied Bishop Griffin on ad limina visits with Pope St. John Paul II in 1993, 1998 and 2004. He also accompanied then-Columbus Bishop Brennan in 2019 to meet with Pope Francis.