Bishop McManus announces pastoral changes

Three pastors in the diocese are retiring. Two pastors are moving to new parishes, in new communities. And two administrators are becoming pastors of the parishes over which they held watch. Bishop McManus announced these and other changes in priests’ assignments, many taking effect July 1.   Father Conrad S. Pecevich, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Southborough, retired May 31 for medical reasons. On July 1, Father Albert Irudayasamy, of the Society of the Divine Word, becomes administrator of the parish. He has been serving as a sacramental minister at St. Anne’s during Father Pecevich’s medical leave.
An administrator has the powers and duties of a pastor, but it is envisioned that his oversight is temporary, according to Father Richard F. Reidy, the Diocese’s vicar general. An administrator does day to day ministry, without making innovations that should be left to a permanent pastor, he explained.
Father James F. Hoey, pastor of Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish in Spencer, retires July 1. He is being succeeded by an administrator, Father William C. Schipper, a Benedictine from St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., who is seeking incardination into the Diocese.
Father Edward M. Ryan, pastor of Our Lady of Providence Parish in Worcester, is also retiring. Succeeding him as administrator is Father Jonathan J. Slavinskas, associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Charlton. Father Slavinskas is also being named diocesan vocations recruiter, to work with Father James S. Mazzone, director of the diocesan Office for Vocations.
Father Donato Infante III, who is returning to the diocese after studies in Rome, is becoming associate pastor at St. Joseph’s in Charlton.
Father Chester J. Misiewicz, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Worcester, is becoming pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in West Brookfield. Father Patrick Ssekyole has been administrator there.
Father Richard F. Trainor, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Fitchburg, is becoming Blessed Sacrament’s pastor.
Father Mark S. Rainville, associate pastor of St. Leo Parish in Leominster, is becoming administrator of St. Joseph’s in Fitchburg. Deacon Diego A. Buritica, who is being ordained a priest Saturday, June 4, is becoming St. Leo’s associate pastor on July 15, upon returning from celebrating his first Mass in his native Colombia.
The other man being ordained a priest tomorrow, Deacon Wilmar J. Ramos, is becoming associate pastor of Annunciation Parish in Gardner on July 14, after returning from his visit to his home country of Colombia. He is succeeding Father Guillermo J. Ochoa, Annunciation’s associate pastor, who is to leave July 14 for ministry in the Diocese of Venice, Fla.
Father Richard A. Jakubauskas is becoming pastor of St. Joseph Parish in North Brookfield and St. John the Baptist Parish in East Brookfield. He has been administrator of the two parishes.
Father Thomas G. Landry is becoming pastor of St. Peter Parish in Northbridge, where he has been administrator.
Father Thien X. Nguyen, part-time administrator of St. Theresa Parish in Blackstone, is becoming full-time administrator there.
Father Adriano Lessa-Natalino, who ministers to the Brazilian community that worships at St. Stephen and Holy Family parishes in Worcester, is becoming associate pastor of Holy Family.

Father James F. Hoey

Father James Hoey

Father James F. Hoey, pastor of Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish in Spencer, retires July 1.
He was born in Worcester on April 5, 1939, the son of Robert V. and Marion R. (Bowker) Hoey.
He  graduated in 1957 from St. Peter High School, Worcester, and attended the College of the Holy Cross from 1957 to 1959 prior to beginning his studies for the  priesthood at St. John’s Seminary, Brighton.
He was ordained a priest on Feb. 13, 1965, in St. Paul Cathedral by Bishop Flanagan.  Following his ordination he was associate pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Gardner, and St. Anne Parish, Shrewsbury.
He was appointed in 1976 to the Youth Ministry Team part time.
He served as temporary administrator at St. Theresa Parish, Harvard, as associate pastor at St. Mary of the Hills Parish, Boylston, and part-time associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish, Auburn, St. Joseph Parish, Worcester, and St. Mark Parish, Sutton.
On Dec. 10, 1982, he was named pastor of St. Theresa Parish, Harvard.  He was appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Whalom, in May 1988, where he remained until he was assigned pastor of Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish in Spencer on June 21, 1996.

Father Albert K. Irudayasamy

Father Albert K. Irudayasamy, of the Society of the Divine Word, is becoming administrator of St. Anne Parish in Southborough. He is seeking to be incardinated here.
He was born June 4, 1969 in Palayam, Tamil Nadu, India. His parents are Irudayasamy and Ranjithamary. (They don’t use last names; he took his father’s first name for a last name.)
Father Irudayasamy entered the novitiate in 1989 and on Jan. 22, 1995 made his perpetual vows in Pune, Maharastra, India. He was ordained a priest May 3, 1996 in Palayam.
In 1990 he received his bachelor of arts in English literature from St. Philomena’s College at the University of Mysore in Mysore, Karnataka, India, and his bachelor of arts in philosophy from Vidya Niketan, also in Mysore. In 1995 he got his bachelor of theological studies from Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth in Pune, Maharastra.
From 2002 to 2003 he did course work at the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute near Manila in the Philippines. He was a spiritual counselor at St. Jude Parish and associate pastor of St. Margaret Parish, in Hong Kong. From 2003 to 2008 he formed and trained seminarians at St. Freinademetz Apostolic School in Hong Kong.
From 2008 to 2011 he was pastoral associate at St. Catherine of Genoa Parish in Somerville, Mass.
He received master’s degrees in pastoral ministry and in counseling psychology in 2011, and in 2012 a post master’s certificate in spiritual direction, from Boston College.
From 2012-2015 he was a clinician at the Family Continuity Agency in Worcester and Whitinsville. He was a resident priest at St. Roch Parish in Oxford.
Jan. 4, 2016 he became sacramental minister at St. Anne Parish in Southborough.

Father Richard A. Jakubauskas


Father Richard Jakubauskas

Father Richard A. Jakubauskas is becoming pastor of St. Joseph Parish in North Brookfield and St. John the Baptist Parish in East Brookfield. He has been administrator of the two parishes.
He was born Nov. 29, 1943, the son of Mrs. Eugenia (Mironcikas) and  Leopold P. Jakubauskas of 24 Eastford Road, Auburn.
He graduated in 1961 from St. Peter’s High School, where he was a three-sport athlete. He received a bachelor’s degree in English in 1966 from Clark University, a master’s degree in 1968 from Assumption College  and a certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies in 1972 from Assumption.
He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at various posts in the United States. He also worked as an advertising representative for The Catholic Free Press.
He studied for the priesthood at Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston and received a master’s of divinity degree. He was ordained a priest on June 5, 1999, by Bishop Reilly in St. Paul Cathedral.
He was assigned  associate pastor of St. Cecilia’s Parish in Leominster. He was named pastor of St. Casimir Parish, Worcester, on June 15, 2001. On July 1, 2008, he was appointed chaplain of the Lithuanian Community at St. John Parish, Worcester.
In September 2008, he was named administrator of Our Lady Immaculate and St. Francis of Assisi parishes, Athol, St. Peter Parish, Petersham,and Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Mission, South Royalston, while remaining  chaplain to the Lithuanian Community of St. John Parish, Worcester.
On July 1, 2009, he was named pastor  of Our Lady Immaculate and St. Francis of Assisi parishes, Athol, St. Peter’s Parish, Petersham, and Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Chapel, South Royalston.
On June 30, 2012, he was named  assistant chaplain at UMass Memorial Hospital, and associate pastor of St. Peter and St. Joan of Arc Parishes, Worcester. In 2014 he was named administrator at St. John the Baptist, East Brookfield, and St. Joseph Parish, North Brookfield.

Father  Thomas G. Landry, III


Father Thomas Landry

Father Thomas G. Landry is becoming pastor of St. Peter Parish in Northbridge, where he has been administrator.
He was born June 21, 1956, in  Leominster, the son of Thomas G. and Georgianna (L’Ecuyer) Landry.
He graduated  in 1974 from St. Bernard Central Catholic High School, Fitchburg, and, in 1978, from the University of Notre Dame. He studied for the priesthood from 1978 to 1979 at the North American College, Rome, and, from 1979 to 1983, at the Theological College of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C..
He was ordained a priest June 25, 1983 in St. Paul Cathedral by Bishop Flanagan.
He served as associate pastor at St. Mary Parish, Southbridge; St. Paul Cathedral Parish, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish, Gardner, and St. Mary Parish, Jefferson, and as administrator of St. Mary’s in 1991.
He entered the U.S. Air Force in 1991 as a chaplain with the rank of captain. He served at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
He returned to the Worcester diocese in 1992 as temporary associate pastor at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Hopedale. In 1993 he was named associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Auburn.
In 1997 he was named Catholic chaplain at UMass Memorial Hospital.  In 2001 he earned his certification as a Catholic chaplain, National Association of Catholic Chaplains, and continued service as chaplain at UMass Memorial through 2006.
He was named interim executive director, National Association of Catholic Chaplains, in 2006. He was named pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Linwood on June 30, 2007, he went on medical leave in 2008 and upon returning was assigned sacramental assistant at St. Cecilia Parish in Leominster. On July 1, 2015 he was assigned administrator of St. Peter Parish, Northbridge.

Father Chester J. Misiewicz

Father Chester Misiewicz[/caption]

Father Chester J. Misiewicz, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Worcester, is becoming pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in West Brookfield.             He was born on July 28, 1947, in Worcester, the son of Chester J. and Lydia Agnes (Mieczkowski) Misiewicz.
He graduated in 1965 from Our Lady of Lourdes Seminary, Cassadaga, N.Y., and, in 1969, from the College of the Holy Cross.
From 1969 to 1973, he studied for the priesthood at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind. He was ordained a priest May 12, 1973, by Bishop Flanagan in St. Paul Cathedral.
He was associate pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Worcester, until July 1977, when he was appointed associate pastor of St. Anne Parish, Shrewsbury. He has been on the faculty of the diocesan Permanent Diaconate Program since its inception, teaching Church History.
He was associate pastor at St. Cecilia Parish, Leominster.  On Dec. 19, 1986 he was named pastor of St. Aloysius’ Parish in Gilbertville. On Aug. 8, 2003 he was named pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Worcester.     After the merger of St. Charles with Blessed Sacrament Parish on July 1, 2010, he was named pastor of Blessed Sacrament.

Father Thien X. Nguyen

Father Thien X. Nguyen will become full-time administrator at St. Theresa Parish, Blackstone, July 1.
He  was born July 21, 1961, in Saigon City, Vietnam, son of Ung Van Nguyen and Vien Thi Nguyen.
He graduated from Nguyen Trung Truc High School in Saigon City in 1980. Then, at the urging of his mother, who he said sold everything to pay for his place on a small boat, he left Vietnam, and spent a total of seven months in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines. His aunt sponsored him to come to New Orleans, La., where he studied at Loyola University.
With his brother’s help he came to Worcester, earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Assumption College in 1993 and his master’s of divinity from Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston in preparation for priesthood.
He was ordained a priest on June 2, 2001 by Bishop Daniel P. Reilly in St. Paul Cathedral.
On June 15, 2001 he was named associate pastor of St. Bernard Parish, Fitchburg, and chaplain at St. Bernard Central Catholic High School. On Aug. 8, 2003 he was named administrator of Immaculate Conception Parish, Fitchburg and pastor there on July 2, 2005.
In 2010 he was named associate pastor at St. Leo Parish, Leominster while working with the Vietnamese community in Manchester, N.H.
On July 1, 2014, he was named associate pastor at St. Theresa Parish and part-time administrator in 2015.

Father Conrad S. Pecevich


Father Conrad Pecevich

Father Conrad S. Pecevich, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Southborough, retired May 31.
He was born Sept. 19, 1949, in Worcester, son of  Leonard J. and Anna (Shea) Pecevich. He graduated from St. Peter High School in 1967.
He studied for the priesthood at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, Conn.; Christ the King Seminary, St. Bonaventure, N.Y., St. John’s Seminary, Brighton, and Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, N.Y.
He was ordained a priest 0n June 4, 1977, by Bishop Flanagan in St. Paul Cathedral. He served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, West Boylston, and St. Theresa Parish, East Blackstone. He was assigned to St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Worcester Nov. 5, 1984, as part-time associate pastor and as a part-time instructor at Anna Maria College in Paxton. A year later he was named campus minister at Anna Maria.
Since ordination, he earned a master’s in Biblical Studies from Providence College and a certificate of advanced studies from Assumption College. He also participated in several Intensive Language Programs for Spanish in Florida, Mexico and Guatemala.
In June 1990 he began studies, part-time, at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, earning his Doctorate of Ministry degree, and was named part-time associate pastor at St. Roch Parish, Oxford, and part-time campus minister at Nichols College, Dudley.
He served as professor of Old Testament for the Deacon School of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island for seven years. In October 1992, in addition to campus ministry he was assigned to the diocesan Nursing Home Apostolate. He also ministered to the Spanish-speaking community of St. Louis’ Parish in Webster.
In 2004 he was named administrator pro tem of St. Paul Parish, Blackstone, while remaining campus minister at Nichols. On June 25, 2005 he was named pastor of St. Paul.  He was named pastor of St. Anne Parish, Southborough, July 1, 2011.

Father Mark S. Rainville

Father Mark S. Rainville, associate pastor of St. Leo Parish in Leominster, is becoming administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Fitchburg.
Father Rainville, son of Robert D. and Sharon (Harriman) Rainville, was born  Aug. 22, 1969 in Worcester.
He graduated from Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Marlborough in 1987, and took some courses at Anna Maria College and Quinsigamond Community College.
He joined the U.S. Army, where he was a mechanic in the 25th Infantry, Hawaii, from 1989 to 1993. He returned home, framed houses and did remodeling.
He studied for the priesthood at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.; St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, and the Angelicum (the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas) in Rome, where he got his bachelor’s in sacred theology in 2012. That year he was ordained a transitional deacon in St. Peter’s Basilica. He got his master’s of divinity in 2013 at North American College in Rome.
He was ordained a priest June 29, 2013 in St. Paul Cathedral by Bishop McManus.
In 2013 he became associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Charlton and in 2014 associate pastor of St. Leo Parish in Leominster.

Father Edward M. Ryan

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Father Edward M. Ryan

Father Edward M. Ryan, pastor of Our Lady of Providence Parish in Worcester, is retiring July 1.
He was born May 12, 1946, the son of Francis X. and Mary (Kerwin) Ryan.
He graduated in 1954 from St. Peter High School, Worcester. He studied for the priesthood at  St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, Conn.; St. Philip Neri, Boston; St. Francis, Loretto, Pa., and  St. John’s Seminary, Brighton.
He was ordained a priest on June 7, 1974,  by Bishop Flanagan in St. Paul Cathedral.
He served as associate pastor at St. Joan of Arc Parish, Worcester, and St. Louis Parish, Webster. In March 1981 he took a leave of absence from the Diocese of Worcester and joined the Missionary Society of St. James, serving in Bolivia for 11 months. He was forced by illness to return to Worcester in July, 1982. After recuperating, he returned to South America in October 1984, and served in Ecuador. After returning from South America in 1986, he was assigned to the Spanish Apostolate, North Worcester County.
He was chaplain of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in September 1991, until being named associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Webster, in June 1998. In Nov. 1998 he was assigned as associate pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Worcester.
He was appointed pastor of Our  Lady of Fatima Parish, Worcester, on Sept. 1, 2000. On July 1, 2008, in addition to Our Lady of Fatima, Father Ryan was appointed pastor of St. Bernard Parish. He remained pastor when the two parishes were renamed Our Lady of Providence Parish.

Father William C. Schipper

Father William C. Schipper is becoming administrator of Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish in Spencer. He is a Benedictine from St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., who is seeking incardination into the Worcester Diocese.
Father Schipper was born June 20, 1952 in Batesville, Ind., and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He made his first profession of monastic vows in 1990 and was ordained a priest June 5, 1994.
He taught, had administrative duties and was a faculty resident in residence halls at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.

Father Jonathan J. Slavinskas

Father Jonathan J. Slavinskas, associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Charlton, is becomming administrator of Our Lady of Providence Parish in Worcester. Father Slavinskas is also being named diocesan vocations recruiter.
A son of Daniel and Deborah (Dacri) Slavinskas, he was born June 25, 1984 in Worcester.
He grew up at St. John Parish in Worcester and served Masses for retired Bishop Timothy J. Harrington there.
He graduated from North High School in Worcester in 2002, got his bachelor of arts in Catholic studies from Anna Maria College in Paxton and studied for the priesthood at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., from which he received his master’s of divinity degree.
He was ordained a priest June 2, 2012 in St. Paul Cathedral by Bishop McManus.
June 30, 2012 he became associate pastor of Blessed John Paul II Parish in Southbridge. July 1, 2014 Father Slavinskas became associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Charlton.

Father Richard F. Trainor


Father Richard Trainor

Father Richard F. Trainor, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Fitchburg, is becoming pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Worcester.
He was born  on July 30, 1948, in Worcester, the son of Richard F. and Helen F. (Cashman) Trainor.  He  graduated in 1966 from South High School, Worcester.  He studied for the priesthood at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Conn.
After theology studies at Our Lady of the Angels Seminary in Albany and St. John’s Seminary in Brighton he was ordained a priest on June 7, 1975, at St. Anne Church, Shrewsbury, by Bishop  Harrington. He also holds a master’s degree in Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge.
He was an associate pastor of St. Camillus de Lellis Parish, Fitchburg; St. Paul Cathedral, St. Mary Parish, Jefferson; Notre Dame Parish, Southbridge, and Blessed Sacrament and Christ the King parishes, both in Worcester.
He was appointed director of the Continuing Education of the Clergy program by Bishop Harrington in June 1989 while remaining an associate pastor.
He was named pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Auburn on June 18, 1993, where he remained until August 1999. He took an academic sabbatical until December 1999.
He was assigned pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Worcester on Feb. 4, 2000 and, on Aug. 15, 2006, after a sabbatical to the American College at the Catholic University in Louvane, he was assigned diocesan Minister to Priests.
On July 1, 2010, he was assigned pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Fitchburg.