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April 11, 2025By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press
Two Worcester diocesan priests are celebrating their 65th anniversary of ordination this year – Fathers Paul T. O’Connell and George A. Charland. They’ve been ordained the longest of the 20 priests marking significant anniversaries who are to be recognized at the Chrism Mass during Holy Week.
Father O’Connell said he’s been in the diocese with all its bishops; he was a seminarian under Bishop (later Cardinal) John J. Wright, first bishop of Worcester, and was the first priest ordained by the second bishop of Worcester, Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan (Feb. 6, 1960).
On June 23 that year, Bishop Flanagan ordained Father Charland, now 91, as an Augustinian of the Assumption. He served the Worcester diocese in various capacities, was incardinated into diocese in 1991 and retired in 2013.
Father O’Connell, 90, is senior priest at St. Anne Parish in Shrewsbury, where he lives, and associate judicial vicar of the diocesan Tribunal.
“I want to fulfill what the name means – really senior” priest, he quipped.
Saturday he was among priests who went to the Worcester Diocesan Catholic Men’s Conference at the DCU Center in Worcester to hear confessions.
He said he celebrates about 16 Masses a month and sometimes funerals; visits shut-ins, hospitalized parishioners and nursing homes; and is chaplain for the Shrewsbury Knights of Columbus.
Having been in town for more than 30 years, as pastor of St. Mary Parish before becoming St. Anne’s senior priest, “you might find me chatting with the citizens of Shrewsbury” in restaurants, he added.
At the diocesan Tribunal, he assists Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, judicial vicar, a position Father O’Connell himself once held. As he puts it, “I have been going into the Marriage Tribunal since 1965.” Now he does some annulment hearings and sometimes thanks Jesus that he didn’t marry, he said. On a more serious note, he added, “I believe marriage is the place where most people find their happiness.”
His own life isn’t all work.
“I go to Cape Cod to our family house ... in my free time,” he noted. “I don’t mind dying with my boots on ... [but] I want a few days off too. I’ve been just very fortunate to have a big family ... so that keeps me active.”
JUBILARIAN PRIEST BIOGRAPHIES
Two diocesan priests are close behind Father O’Connell and Father Charland in years ordained. Celebrating their 60th anniversary are Fathers James B. O’Shea and Paul F. Campbell.
Marking 55 years are Msgr. Michael G. Foley and Fathers James F. Carmody and George A. Dunkley.
Seven priests are celebrating their golden jubilee: Fathers Thomas F. Egan, Richard A. Lembo, Thirburse F. Millott, Charles F. Monroe, William F. Sanders, James M. Steuterman and Richard F. Trainor.
Ordained 45 years ago were Msgr. James P. Moroney and Fathers Stanley F. Krutcik and Edward Michalski.
Two priests – Msgr. Robert K. Johnson and Father Donald C. Ouellette – are celebrating their 35th anniversary.
One – Father José A. Rodríguez – is celebrating his 30th.
These priests are to be recognized at the Chrism Mass at 10:30 a.m. April 15 at St. Paul Cathedral. All clergy and the public are invited to participate in this Mass, at which priests renew their priestly commitment and Bishop McManus blesses the oil of the sick and the oil of catechumens and consecrates the holy chrism, to be used for sacraments in parishes and other places of worship throughout the year. After the Mass, representatives pick up the oils to take back with them.
Holy Week Schedule
Following is a list of Holy Week celebrations at St. Paul Cathedral, at which Bishop McManus is to preside, if preceded by an *.
If preceded by a +, these are to be livestreamed, and available later on the diocesan website worcesterdiocese.org/livestreams, and shown live on cable access channels: WCCA Spectrum 194 in Worcester, SMC 28 and 328 in Shrewsbury and HCTV 191 in Holden.
SCTV Spectrum 194 and Verizon Fios 29 in Sutton are to show live just the 9 a.m. services and the Holy Thursday Mass, Good Friday English liturgy and Easter Vigil Mass.
Channels in several towns which regularly broadcast the 9 a.m. TV Mass are to broadcast the 9 a.m. services.
Palm Sunday, April 13
+8 a.m. Mass in Spanish; *+10 a.m. procession with Mass in English; 11:30 a.m. procession and noon Mass in Spanish
Monday, April 14
+9 a.m. TV Mass in English, 12:10 p.m. Mass in English, 6:30 p.m. Mass in Spanish, 7 p.m. bilingual Taize and penance service
Tuesday, April 15
+9 a.m. TV Mass in English, *+10:30 a.m. Chrism Mass in English, no 12:10 p.m. Mass in English, 6:30 p.m. Healing Mass in Spanish
Wednesday, April 16
+9 a.m. TV Mass in English, 12:10 p.m. Mass in English, 6:30 p.m. Mass in Spanish, 7 p.m. “Encounter with Jesus in Gethsemani” prayer service for men in Spanish
Holy Thursday, April 17
+9 a.m. Morning Prayer in English (no Masses at 9 a.m. or 12:10 p.m.), *+7:30 p.m. bilingual Holy Thursday Mass commemorating the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood and marking the beginning of the Easter Triduum, 9 p.m.- midnight adoration in the chapel
Good Friday, April 18
+9 a.m. Stations of the Cross in English (no Masses on Good Friday), *noon procession with bilingual Stations of the Cross from St. John Church, 44 Temple St., to St. Paul Cathedral and confessions follow, *+3 p.m. Good Friday liturgy in English with the proclamation of the Passion, veneration of the cross and distribution of Communion, 6 p.m. youth passion play in Spanish, 7 p.m. Good Friday service in Spanish
Holy Saturday, April 19
3 p.m. “Encounter of women with Our Lady of Sorrows” prayer service for women in Spanish, *+7:30 p.m. bilingual Easter Vigil Mass celebrating Christ’s resurrection, with the lighting of the Easter fire and, from it, the paschal candle and worshippers’ candles, and with the conferring of the sacraments of initiation
Easter Sunday, April 20
+8 a.m. Mass in Spanish, +10 a.m. Mass in English, *11:30 a.m. procession followed by Mass in Spanish
Easter Monday, April 21
No live 9 a.m., 12:10 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Masses (Pre-recorded Mass on TV at 9 a.m.)