Alumni Latest News
12/14/09
Fr. Jim Miceli, ordination class of 1975. Jim died December 8, 2009, and was buried December 12 in Rome, Georgia. He had been pastor for 19 years, until his recent retirement for health reasons, at St. Mary Parish, Rome, Georgia.
Fr Joel Konzen, SM (konzenj@marist.com) wanted to share this with you.
Longtime priest at St. Mary's dies at 60
by Severo Avila
The Rome community, and in particular its Catholic community, lost a prominent figure Tuesday with the death of Father James Miceli, recently retired pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
Miceli died Tuesday morning at a clinic in Minnesota of an apparent heart attack, a church announcement said. He was 60 years old.
“Father Miceli was an inspiration to all of us, and he led by example, said Father Patrick Kingery, current pastor at St. Mary’s. “His dedication to spirituality and strong faith, coupled with a businessman’s acumen and effectiveness and an architectural talent for designing structures — religious and lay — were outstanding. Few pastors have so skillfully and masterfully integrated the Latino and Anglo communities with their parishes,” he said.
Miceli came to Rome as pastor of St. Mary’s in 1990. He served in that capacity for 19 years.
During his time as pastor, the church grew from 200 families to more than 1,200 and underwent a major expansion in 1998.
Numbers, of course, don’t tell the entire story of Miceli’s work. That can be seen in the lives of those he befriended and mentored.
Miceli mentored and developed 5 seminarians — priests-in-training — who would go on to become priests and in some cases pastors of parishes in Northwest Georgia.
“Father Jim was, for me, an outstanding example of caring, pastoral ministry to God’s people,” said Deacon Stuart Neslin, parish administrator at St. Mary’s. “It was a privilege to work with him and to experience his advocacy in action. I learned a tremendous amount about diaconal service from Father Jim and all of us here at St. Mary’s are better people for having known him.”
Miceli was ordained May 24, 1975, by Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan. From 1975-78, he served as a parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. During this time, he worked in the archdiocesan chancery office in Midtown.
He served as the vice chancellor from 1978 to 1982 and was then assigned as a parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn, where he served from 1988 to 1990.
In 1990, he was assigned to St. Mary’s Church.
In addition to parish duties, Miceli served on the Pastors’ Task Force on Finance from 1992 to 1993. He served as the dean of the Northwest Rural Deanery from 1995 to 1996 and again from 1997 to 2000. He also served as a judge for the Provincial Court of Appeals.
And while James Miceli will be missed by Romans and area residents for his presence in this community, there are others who would share their grief as well.
Father Victor Galier, pastor at St. Matthew’s Church in Tyrone, came to know Miceli several years ago as a recent graduate from seminary.
“I was assigned to Rome for a year to learn about the diocese and about the inner workings of a church, sort of like an internship,” Galier said. “Jim was a great guy. He taught me so much about the priesthood. It’s a shocking loss. I just saw him a couple weeks ago.
“It was wonderful to see how Jim extended his help, love and support into the lives of his congregation. I’m sure the people in Rome are saddened by this,” Galier said. “He will be missed by everyone who knew him.”
A rosary and vigil service will be held at St. Mary’s church, 911 Broad St., on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a Biblical wake service at 7:30 p.m.
The funeral Mass will take place Saturday at St. Mary’s at 10:30 a.m., followed by a graveside service and interment in St. Mary’s Memorial Garden. Archbishop Wilton Gregory will be the chief celebrant during the funeral Mass.
Thanks for reading!
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8/25/09
Fr. Warren Gregg Elliott's New Ministry
My visit to Notre Dame while in New Orleans for Archbishop Aymond’s installation as the Ordinary for the New Orleans Archdiocese was very refreshing. I had not previously visited subsequent to “Katrina,” so it was cheering to see the refurbishing and renovations made so far. The opportunity to share liturgy with Archbishop Hughes and some of the faculty was great. I met a number of the seminarians and was very impressed with them. My new ministry is that of Director of Pastoral Care at Jane Phillips Medical Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I work with a large group of volunteers to offer spiritual care to the patients, families, and staff of the hospital. My address is Re. W. Gregg Elliott, Director of Pastoral Care, 3500 SE. Frank Phillips Blvd., Bartlesville, OK 74006. My tenure started in August 2008, and my hope is to minister here until summer of 2013. Hope to return to NDS again soon. Am I caught up with alumni dues? If not, buzz me. A remittance will be forthcoming.
God Bless you.
6/17/09
Diocese of Alexandria Released:
Reverend
Kenneth Roy, a Vicar General for the Catholic Diocese of Alexandria
and president of Holy Savior Menard Central High School passed away
on June 16 in his home. He was 67 years old.Father Roy was born and raised in Avoyelles parish and was one of 13 children. He was a graduate of Mansura High School and Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. He attended Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and Assumption Seminary in San Antonio. He was ordained a priest on January 7, 1978.
Father Roy served as pastor of several parishes including Christ the King Church in Bossier City, Our Lady of Lourdes in Fifth Ward, Immaculate Conception in Natchitoches, and Sacred Heart in Pineville. He received the St. Vincent de Paul Humanitarian Award in 2001 for his compassion for the poor and for his efforts in establishing the Helping Hands Soup Kitchen in Natchitoches.
On behalf of the Diocese of Alexandria, Bishop Ronald Herzog extends his deepest sympathy to the large family of Father Roy. "Please keep them all in your prayers as we remember Fr. Roy as a good, kind-hearted priest and a beloved friend," he said.
6/17/09
Fr. Warren Gregg Elliott
Believe it or not, the “old deacon” from
I have seen Archbishop-Elect Aymond a number of times over these nine years, and the news of his new assignment was just so uplifting to hear. Hope to be present for his Installation Mass. Do you think there might be room at the seminary for stray alumni? I’d love to stay there, but I am ready to find digs wherever I can. I am sure this blessed occasion will bring many loyal NDS alumni to town, so I would like to see what the situation might be for those days, and for the Continuing Ed program in October.
My family has grown since my ordination in July 2000 to include two grandsons, the marriage of my beautiful daughter Patty, and the birth of my second granddaughter in January 2008. My older grandson was born on July 30th, two days after my ordination. I consider him God’s special ordination present.
I have rambled on for a long time, so I will sign off. My prayers are with Notre Dame. I have another email address: fr.gregg.elliott@dioceseoftulsa.org
Father Gregg Elliott