St. Stephen's pastor celebrates Silver Jubilee

WARWICK - On Nov. 5, Rev. Michael P. McLoughlin, pastor of the Church of St. Stephen, the First Martyr, celebrated his 25th year as a priest at a Silver Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving. The Mass, attended by family, friends and parishioners from former parishes as well as his Warwick congregation, was concelebrated by McLoughlin, Msgr. Bernard Corrigan, pastor emeritus, and Msgr. John J. Farley, who had been McLoughlin’s pastor at his second assignment to St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Rosendale. Msgr. Farley was also invited to preach the homily at Sunday’s Silver Jubilee Mass. All the deacons from St.Stephen’s - Arthur Cuccia, Thomas MacDougall and Emmett Noonan - assisted at the Mass, along with visiting Deacon Joseph Verboys, who read the gospel. Religious Sisters Maureen Jerkowski, Maryalice Reamer and Patricia Sheridan also participated. After graduation from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, McLoughlin was ordained by New York’s Terence Cardinal Cooke on Oct. 31, 1981. He was then assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Suffern and then St. Rita’s on Staten Island. Four years later and, as he recalls, much to his surprise, he was reassigned to St. Peter’s in Rosendale, a parish at the most northern end of the Archdiocese of New York. He remained in that parish for five years and was then reassigned back to the Metropolitan area. From 1990 to 1995, McLoughlin was parochial vicar of St. John the Baptist in Yonkers. While there he served as temporary administrator for eight months before becoming pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Highland Falls. In 2002, Msgr. Desmond O’Connor, then pastor of St. Stephen’s, was named director of the Office of Priest Personnel for the Archdiocese. McLoughlin became the pastor of St. Stephen’s in May of that year. During his homily, Farley recalled that although McLoughlin had been only recently assigned, he had assumed the duties of pastor at that parish because its pastor had become seriously ill with cancer. “We met at the Cross of Christ,” said Farley who recalled how he and McLoughlin formed a lifetime bond when they accepted the challenge of caring for the former pastor until his death a year later. Later in his homily, Farley explained that it was always a joy to be a priest and to serve God. He praised McLoughlin’s 25 years of service. “And,” he said, “at the risk of embarrassing Fr. McLoughlin, he is totally a priest who gives himself to his people.” McLoughlin thanked all his relatives, friends, religious sisters, teachers and former parishioners who had traveled to Warwick to celebrate his Silver Jubilee. He also urged everyone to pray for vocations to the priesthood, religious life and diaconate.