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According to the Center for Ap-plied Research in the Aposto-

late (C.A.R.A.), from 2005 to2012 the total number of dioce-san seminarians in US theologatesincreased by over 15%. In Sulpi-cian seminaries in the US, the in-crease has been more than 20%.This is a very encouraging trend.

Nevertheless, seminaries nowneed larger formation teams towork with larger numbers of semi-narians, especially to meet the re-quirements of personal one-to-oneformation. Added to this is the factthat in the current edition of TheProgram of Priestly Formation(2006), our bishops increased thenumber of seminary positions thatshould be or must be filled bypriests. Yet research done by Sr.Katarina Schuth, OSF, shows that

Planned and coordinated by the General Council of the Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice,an inter-provincial symposium on the Roman Catholic Priesthood was held from July 8-18,2012, at Le Grand Séminaire in Montreal. Each province chose eight delegates to attend thesymposium. In addition, the five members of the General Council and the three ProvincialSuperiors were ex officio delegates.

Provincial’s messageThe Need for Seminary FormatorsThomas R. Ulshafer, S.S.

An International Sulpician Symposium in Montreal

Daniel F. Moore, S.S.

2012 International Meeting Delegates and ParticipantsContinued on p. 2.

Inside this issue: Episcopal Appointments...p3 Historic Chapel... p6 In Memoriam...p9

Update The Sulpicians, Province of the US

WINTER 2013

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from 1987-2010 thepercentage of semi-nary faculty mem-bers who are priestsfell from 73% to57%.

It is more difficulttoday to find andplace qualifiedpriests in seminariesfor the following rea-sons. First, the totalnumber of diocesanpriests in the US continues to decline

largely because there are more retiringthan being ordained. According toC.A.R.A., the total decline in diocesanpriests from 2005 to 2012 was about7%. So there are simply fewer dioce-san priests available for seminary min-istry.

Second, the decline in the total numberof priests who are members of religiouscommunities has been even greater.Diocesan seminaries can no longercount on religious communities to sup-ply as many additional faculty mem-bers as in the past.

Third, demographic shifts in theCatholic population and the availabil-ity of fewer priests have posed seriouschallenges for many bishops. Aroundthe country many parishes with smallcongregations are being closed ortwinned with other parishes. This usu-ally leads to a better use of resources,especially priests. However, it alsomakes some bishops more conscious ofand concerned about the personnelneeds within their own dioceses, andthus more reluctant to let priests serveoutside their dioceses, e.g., in seminar-ies usually located in other dioceses.

Fourth, research done by the late Dr.Dean Hoge shows that bishops havepermitted fewer priests to get highereducation, except in Canon Law. From1990 to 2005 the percentage of

priests in higher education full-time andpart-time declined from 43% to 25%.Thus the diocesan priests who areavailable are less likely to be qualifiedto teach on the graduate-professionallevel, something that most seminary formators are expected to do.

These trends will tend to weaken semi-nary formation over time. The solutionis not to “Let the big dioceses staff theseminaries” or “Let the Sulpicians doit.” Almost everyone is in the sameboat. Even in some large dioceses thatare responsible for their own seminar-ies, relatively few of the seminary for-mators today are local diocesanpriests.

Closing small seminaries or mergingseminaries may help some, but like thepossible restructuring of seminary pro-grams internally, these things are notnormally under the control of seminaryadministrators.

In sharp response are some appealsfrom our two most recent popes.Deeply concerned about the quality ofpriestly formation, they have urgedbishops to allow their most capablepriests to work in seminaries. As a result, many bishops are in a bind. Ifthey heed these papal appeals, theyrisk facing more complaints at home,something more vexing than com-plaints at a distance. If they fail toheed them, they risk receiving newpriests who are less well-trained at atime when the demands of priestly ministry are growing.

It is my hope and prayer that manybishops will continue to support theSulpicians by giving us priests to helpus meet the increasing demands of ourministry.

Thomas R. Ulshafer, S.S., is ProvincialSuperior of the Society of St. Sulpice,

Province of the United States.

2

is a publication that seeks to in-form its readership of the stateand current activities of the USProvince of the Society of St.Sulpice and its membership andinstitutions. For more informa-tion please visit our website atwww.sulpicians.org

Editor:Kathleen Walsh

Editorial Board:† Philip Keane, S.S. died December 28, 2012Judith Mohan

Design:Ruth Schmuffplumcreativeassociates.com

Provincial’s message Continued from p. 1.

Fr. Gerry McBrearity, S.S., talks to attendees at Formators Institute.

Update

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3

Archbishop William E. Lori was installed asthe 16th Arch-bishop of Balti-more on May 16,2012. He was ordained to thepriesthood in 1977for the Archdio-cese of Washing-ton, and he servedas AuxiliaryBishop of the

Archdiocese of Washington from 1995-2001.From 2001 until he was appointed to Balti-more, Archbishop Lori was the Bishop ofBridgeport, Connecticut. In his role as Arch-bishop of Baltimore, Archbishop Lori willserve as the Chair of St. Mary’s Seminary andUniversity’s Board of Trustees. The trustees,administration, faculty and seminarians extend their prayers and best wishes to Arch-bishop Lori as he begins his new ministry.

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone was installed as the9th Archbishopof San Franciscoon October 4,2012. He was or-dained to thepriesthood in1982 for the Dio-cese of San Diego.In 2002 he wasordained as Aux-iliary Bishop of San Diego and in 2009 he wasappointed Bishop of Oakland. In his serviceas Bishop of Oakland he was a member of the

Board of Trustees of St. Patrick’s Seminaryand University and he will now be the Chairof that Board. Through his service in Oaklandhe is already well known to the St. Patrick’scommunity. As in Baltimore, everyone con-nected with St. Patrick’s extends their prayersand best wishes to Archbishop Cordileone ashe begins his new ministry.

In Zambia, Bishop Benjamin Phiri, who is currently theAuxiliary Bishopof Chipata, hasbeen named theEpiscopal Directorof Seminaries.The entire semi-nary system inZambia is underthe supervision ofthe Zambia Epis-

copal Conference (ZEC), meaning that therole of the Episcopal Director of Seminaries iscrucial for the ministry of the Sulpicians atthe Emmaus Spirituality Centre and for theassignment of Sulpicians to other seminariesin Zambia. Bishop Phiri served for a period ofyears as the rector of St. Dominic’s Seminaryin Lusaka and he is well known to the Zam-bian Sulpicians. All those who are part of theSulpician ministry in Zambia are pleased tobe working with Bishop Phiri in his new role.

Philip S. Keane, S.S. is a retired Sulpician who serves as a special assistant to

Fr. Ulshafer.

Philip S. Keane, S.S.

Recent Episcopal Appointments

Over the course of 2012, there have been three major episcopal appointments which relate very directly to the ministry of the US Province of the Society of St. Sulpice. Two of these appointments tookplace in the United States, the other in Zambia.

This oil portrait of Saint KateriTekakwitha was painted to honorher canonization on October 21,2012 and was the cover of theOctober 2012 St. Anthony Mes-senger.

In this painting she wears a grayblanket with a single pale red hor-izontal stripe which was native toher people. Her hair is pulledback, and parted in the middlewhich was the custom of hertribal female ancestors. Shestands between two mountains;these are the symbols of the twocountries which claim her, theUSA and Canada. She is not onlya bridge to and from these lands,but the faith journey itself to free-dom. Her compass is her cross.The hand-made wool rosary beadswrapped tightly around her handwere the only heirloom from herChristian mother who died, leav-ing her orphaned when she was 4years old.

Peter Wm. Gray, S.S. is an internationally-renowned artist

who painted this tribute to St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha


Symposium Closing Mass

The two main presenters were MonsignorKevin Irwin of The Catholic University ofAmerica and Father Bernard Pitaud, p.s.s.,Provincial of the Province of France. Threebishops accepted the invitation to offertheir reflections from the perspective ofpriestly formation and their episcopal expe-rience: Monsignor Albert Giraldo Jaramillo,p.s.s., Archbishop Emeritus of Medellín;Monsignor Georges Soubrier, p.s.s., BishopEmeritus of Nantes; and Edwin CardinalO’Brien, Archbishop Emeritus of Baltimoreand Grand Master of the Knights of theHoly Sepulchre.

The theme, “Forming Priests for Today:Priesthood in the 21st Century in Light ofthe Traditions of Vatican II and Saint-Sulpice,” proved substantial both in thequality of the presentations and the conver-sation that the presentations stimulated. AsRonald Witherup, S.S., Superior General ofthe Society, subsequently related to themembers,

“I am happy to report that all of theevaluations of this interprovincialmeeting indicate what a huge suc-cess it was. Suffice it to say that thefive presentations by the two mainpresenters and the three bishopswere well received and provided anexcellent orientation to the small

group discussions and plenary ses-sions. We thank them sincerely fortheir hard work! I also thank FatherRobert Maloney, C.M., for hisskilled facilitation of the symposium,and the translators (Sulpician Fa-thers Lawrence Terrien, David Bra-bant, Robert Gauthier, and Sr.Della Gaudet) for their labors!”

The symposium was a success on two levels, theological and fraternal. The mag-isterial, theological, and pastoral grasp ofthe theme by the theologians gathered aspresenters and participants, as well as thedepth of insight gleaned from Fr. Jean-Jacques Olier’s writing on the topic, as deftlypresented by Father Pitaud, p.s.s., and therich Sulpician tradition of priestly formationproved to be the benchmarks of the event.The fraternity among Sulpicians, friendsand confreres, old and new, was excellent aswell. And the setting was perfect: Montrealand Le Grand Séminaire.

The organizers’ hope was that such an in-ternational meeting would also offer some-thing of value to all Sulpicians, andespecially to all those currently engaged inthe ministry of initial and ongoing forma-tion. To that end, with the initial redactionsprovided by the delegate “reporters,” theGeneralate took on the task of synthesizing

the main elements from the discussions.Subsequently, a summary of the event wasposted on the Generalate’s website:www.sulpiciens.org.

Daniel F. Moore, S.S. is the First Consultor and Provincial Secretary

for the Society of St. Sulpice, Province ofthe United States. He was a delegate

to the Montreal Symposium.

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An International Sulpician Symposium in MontrealContinued from p. 1.

Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M., Facilitator


Two centuries ago, the US began its “second war of independ-ence,” a war that lasted until February 1815, only a few monthsafter Baltimore was unsuccessfully besieged by the British. Notwidely known is the fact that during that war a Sulpician priestwas arrested by the British and held in present-day Canada.His name was Father Gabriel Richard.

Richard was born in La Ville de Saintes,France, in 1767, and was ordained in 1791.With the Sulpicians under persecution atthat time, he was sent to the US almost immediately, where he taught mathematicsat St. Mary’s College on Paca Street in Baltimore until 1798. That year, when hewas only 31, he was sent by Bishop Carrolland his Sulpician superiors to evangelize

what today we call the Midwest. Eventually he became knownas the “second founder” of Detroit, co-founder of the University of Michigan, and the first priest to serve in the USCongress.

During the War of 1812, Richard served as chaplain to the cit-izens of Detroit as they tried in vain to hold off the Britisharmy and its Indian allies. It was said later that because of hisinfluence, Detroiters stayed loyal to the United States.

After the capture of Detroit, legend says that Richard, knownfor his pro-republican sentiments, refused to swear allegianceto the British crown. In any event, he was arrested and imprisoned at Fort Malden in present-day Windsor, Ontario.

At Fort Malden he met Tecumseh, the chief of the Shawneeand a powerful ally of the British. Richard may also have ministered to some of the Indians there. Tecumseh told theBritish commander General Brock that he and his peoplewould not fight for them unless Richard was released. So Brocksent him back to Detroit.

For a long time, Richard was known for his pastoral concernfor Native Americans. Later in life, he gave his reason for entering Congress in 1823: “The principal motive I have inaccepting this charge is to work efficaciously for the good ofreligion and above all to procure the knowledge of the Gospelto the poor Indians.”

Richard died in Detroit in 1832 and is buried there at St.Anne’s, the parish where he became pastor in 1798.

HistorySulpician Arrested During War of 1812

Thomas R. Ulshafer, S.S.

5

Grand Séminaire de Montreal

Fr. James E. Myers, S.S., responds to a topic of discussion.

Edwin Cardinal O'Brien presides at SymposiumMass.

Preparing forthe SymposiumClosing Mass


Reopening of the Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed VirginMary in the Temple at Paca Street

Development News

6

On September 8, 2012, a celebration was held for the official reopeningof the Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Tem-ple, the historic seminary chapel at St. Mary’s on Paca Street. With a spe-cial midday prayer led by Bishop William C. Newman, retired AuxiliaryBishop of Baltimore, Sulpicians, donors and other invited guests reopenedthe newly renovated historic chapel. The celebration was enhanced bythe prayerful music provided by the Schola of Theological College, Wash-ington, DC and the liturgical assistants of the seminarians of St. Mary’sSeminary & University in Baltimore, MD. All in attendance enjoyed a

delightful lunch on the south lawn of the Historic Siteprovided by Rouge Fine Catering.

John C. Kemper, S.S. is the Director of St. Mary’s Spiritual Center and Historic Site.

He is a member of the Provincial Council of the Society of St. Sulpice, Province of the United States.

John C. Kemper, S.S.

Bishop William C. Newman (Paca Street Class of 1950) processes in to lead Midday Prayer.

(l-r) Deacon Andrew Nelson,Presider Bishop William C.Newman, and Provincial VeryRev. Thomas R. Ulshafer,S.S.

Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly, Bishop of Wilmington, greets hisfriend Fr. Albert C. Giaquinto, S.S.


Sulpician Fathers Victor Mwanamwambwa, S.S., Renato Lopez,S. S. and Rafael Ramirez 7

The newly renovated interior of the Chapel

(l-r) Very Rev. Thomas R. Ulshafer, S.S., BishopWilliam C. Newman (Baltimore), Bishop Denis J.Madden (Baltimore), Bishop W. Francis Malooly(Wilmington) and Fr. David Thayer, S.S.

(l-r) William Cardinal Keeler (Baltimore),Mark Potter, and Patricia Chalfant

Fr. John C. Kemper, S.S., Director of St.Mary’s Historic Site on Paca Street with Mr. Brian Greenan, Representative of theMayor of Baltimore and his daughter Fatima

Fr. Albert C. Giaquinto, S.S. and SisterReginald Gerdes, O.S.P.

Mr. Rob Judge, Executive Director,National Shrine of St. ElizabethAnn Seton, Emmitsburg, with hisdaughter Ellen


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Meet A Sulpician CandidateIn the last two issues, Update introduced you to four of the five Sulpician candidates accepted for 2011-12.The fifth candidate is profiled here.

Father Leonardo GajardoBy Lawrence B. Terrien, S.S.

FatherLeonardo (Leo)Gajardo wasborn on December 8,1980, in Santi-ago, Chile, andlived therewith his familyuntil he wasnine years old.At that time

the family moved to Chicago and hisfather started a small painting company.Fr. Gajardo’s parents are in good healthand his sister, now married, has adaughter and a son.

Upon finishing his secondary educa-tion, Fr. Gajardo applied to the Dioceseof Gary, Indiana, and was accepted intothe college seminary program at SacredHeart Seminary in Detroit. Upon fin-ishing his studies there, he transferredto Theological College in 2002. He didnot have any Sulpicians as professors,

but his positive experience of the for-mation program was attractive to himand led him to begin considering a vo-cation to the Society. In his first yearat Catholic University, his bishop in-formed him that he would like to see Fr.Gajardo pursue a degree in Canon Law.He began to work towards a licentiateafter finishing his S.T.B. Upon ordina-tion in 2006, he returned to his dioceseand served in two parishes, one a for-merly Polish parish whose populationhad shifted over the years to include aconsiderable number of Spanish speak-ing parishioners. He also helped out ina nearby parish consisting mostly ofHispanics. In addition he began towork in the diocesan tribunal. He re-turned to Washington in the summer of2009 to continue his work in CanonLaw and finished his degree in thespring of 2010. At that time he wentback to his diocese to work as aparochial vicar with a Spanish-speakingcommunity and took up once again hiswork in the tribunal.

In 2011 his Bishop granted permissionfor him to become a candidate for the

Society of Saint Sulpice and he beganworking at Saint Mary’s in Baltimore,where he is now teaching an introduc-tory course in theology to the new pre-theology students and Canon Law toseminarians in their third year of theol-ogy studies. He also serves as associatedirector of liturgy for the seminary. Hehas been very well received and is muchappreciated. It is a great blessing tohave another bilingual member of theformation team, especially one whohelps to reduce the average age of theformation faculty. His congenial man-ner, good sense of humor, great organi-zational skills and enthusiasm havehelped him settle in quickly. He is cer-tainly making an important contribu-tion to the seminary program.

At vacation times he regularly returnsto Hobart, Indiana to see his family.For recreation he enjoys reading worksof literature and history, attends the oc-casional symphony concert or movie,and, weather permitting, he likes to ski.

Lawrence B. Terrien, S.S., is a facultymember at St. Mary’s Seminary and

University, Baltimore. From 1996-2008,he was Superior General of the Society

of St. Sulpice.

Fr. Gajardo celebrates Mass.


John Lawrence Bitterman was thefirst child born to Ferdinand L. andMinnie (nee Vienna) Bitterman onApril 16, 1942 in Stockton, Califor-nia. He is survived by his youngersister, Susan Johns Rigley andbrother-in-law, John Rigley as wellas a nephew, Gregory Johns.

During his years at home, Fr. Bitter-man’s life was connected and inter-

woven with that of the local parish. He attended Saint AgnesGrade School and St. Joseph College High School, MountainView and later graduated from St. Mary’s High School, Stock-ton in 1960. Following high school, Fr. Bitterman returned toMountain View where he entered St. Joseph College Semi-nary.

In the summer of 1962, he and his parents traveled to our Na-tion’s Capital, Washington, DC, where he was to begin hisstudies at Theological College, the seminary program of TheCatholic University of America. As a young Basselin Scholarand, later, as a theology student, university studies ignited Fr.Bitterman’s intellectual life in a new and imaginative fashion.He received a B.A. in Philosophy (1964), an M.A. in Intel-lectual History (1965) and an S.T.B. in Sacred Theology(1968). All these degrees were granted by The Catholic Uni-versity of America, Washington, DC.

He returned to the Diocese of Stockton and was ordained apriest on February 15, 1969. While he had been at Theologi-cal College, the Most Rev. Hugh A. Donohue, Bishop ofStockton, had given permission for Fr. Bitterman to enter theSociety of St. Sulpice, Province of the United States.

Most of Fr. Bitterman’s early ministry was in California highschool education and administration. The list of high schoolswhere he served include: St. Joseph and St. Francis (Mt.View), Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) and Archbishop Mitty(San Jose). Later on, Fr. Bitterman also served in other capac-ities: Dean, Rector, Vice Rector and Director of the SulpicianRetirement Community.

Fr. Bitterman spoke about four assignments that gave him aspecial sense of accomplishment and pride: his years at Notre

In Memoriam:

By John C. Kemper, S.S.

John Lawrence Bitterman, S.S.,1942 – 2012

Dame High School, Sherman Oaks (1980-1987); his servicesas Academic Dean at St. Joseph’s College during the LomaPrieta Earthquake (1989); his contribution to the Sulpicianmission in Zambia (1992-2003); and his service to our seniorSulpicians as Director/Superior of St. Charles Villa (2007-2012).

One of Fr. Bitterman’s gifts to the Society of St. Sulpice is hisdetailed chronicles of the early days of Sulpicians in Zambia.His attentiveness to the details of the day-to-day life is a goodresource for the archives and future historians.

Appreciation for Fr. Bitterman’s contributions to the Sulpi-cian foundation in Zambia was seen during his Wake Serviceheld in St. Martin’s Chapel on October 8, 2012. Fr. CaleCrowley, himself a US Sulpician who served in Zambia, ledthe Service. Fr. Victor Mwanamwambwa, S.S., a ZambiaSulpician and former student of Fr. Bitterman delivered thereflection. Fr. Mwanamwambwa and Frs. Cliff Fumbelo andRoyd Mweemba, two other Zambian priests currently studyingin Baltimore, spoke affectionately of Fr. Bitterman’s ministryin Zambia and his care for the Zambian students.

Fr. Bitterman’s final assignment was to serve as Director/Supe-rior of St. Charles Villa, the Sulpician Retirement Commu-nity. His generous and respectful care of the senior memberswas evident to all who visited St. Charles Villa. This final assignment was his first assignment on the East Coast and hehad no connections in the area. He made himself totally ac-cessible to the needs of the senior members. Often, this dedi-cated service went both unnoticed and un-recognized. Onevenings when the night staff was absent, Fr. Bitterman wouldsleep on the couch near the nurse’s desk so as to hear Fr. JohnWard’s call bell if he was in need or discomfort during thenight. This is just one example of the care that Fr. Bittermanshowed to the senior men at St. Charles Villa during his fiveyears as Director.

On October 5, 2012, Fr. Bitterman died at St. Charles Villa,Catonsville, Maryland. His October 9, 2012 Mass of Resur-rection at St. Martin’s Chapel was celebrated by Fr. ThomasR. Hurst, S.S. as presider and Fr. John C. Kemper, S.S. ashomilist. Burial followed in the Sulpician Cemetery,Catonsville, Maryland.

9Continued on p. 10.


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States and joined Rev. Vincent M. Eaton, S.S. in organizingthe Province’s archives in the lower level of Our Lady of theAngels Chapel in Catonsville. Together they transformed itinto a model program for religious archives. Fr. Bowen soonbecame noted for his encyclopedic knowledge of the history ofthe Sulpicians, the alumni of their institutions, and the Arch-diocese of Baltimore. He shared his knowledge generouslywith researchers who came to consult the collections and inresponse to the many thousands of requests he answered overthe years.

Fr. Bowen retired as archivist in 1995, but maintained an of-fice in the archives, always making himself available when hisexpertise was requested. In his role as an indefatigable editorof St. Mary’s Seminary & University’s Class Notes, he weeklycombed through many diocesan newspapers to track the as-signments and accomplishments of alumni. For his contribu-tion, in 2011 he was awarded the Olier Medal as anoutstanding priestly alumnus by St. Mary’s Seminary & Uni-versity.

Fr. Bowen officially became a retired Sulpician in 1995 andmoved to St. Charles Villa Retirement Community. But re-tirement did not slow him down. He remained active in min-istry until the very end of his life. He gave more than thirtyyears of service to St. Mark’s Parish in Catonsville, more thantwenty years of service to the Christian Brothers at CalvertHall, and twenty years of service as weekday chaplain at theMotherhouse of the Oblate Sisters of Providence.

Fr. Bowen had a special commitment to the Oblate Sisters byserving as Vice-Postulator for the canonization cause ofMother Mary Elizabeth Lange (c. 1784-1882), foundress ofthe Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first religious communityfor women of color in the country and a community that hashad close ties to the Sulpicians over its history. From 1982-2009, he served as priest-moderator to the Board of theMother Seton House on Paca Street, Inc., a group that re-stored and maintained the Sulpician-owned house where St.Elizabeth Ann Seton lived from 1808 to 1809. The MotherSeton House is located on the grounds of the original campusof St. Mary’s Seminary (est. 1791), and Fr. Bowen frequentlygave tours of the house and the historic site to its many visi-tors.

Fr. Bowen was awarded the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, apapal honor recognizing his distinguished service to thechurch.

On May 6, 2012 Fr. Bowen died unexpectedly at St. AgnesHospital in Catonsville, Maryland. On May 15, 2012, Fr.Bowen was buried in the Sulpician Cemetery in Catonsville,Maryland following three funeral liturgies that were filled tooverflowing. He had one funeral at the Motherhouse of theOblate Sisters of Providence, one at St. Mark’s Parish, and athird at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels where he hadprayed as a seminarian and young Sulpician. At his Mass of

In MemoriamContinued from p. 9

During his 43 years as a priest and member of the Society ofSt. Sulpice, Fr. John Bitterman was a good and faithful ser-vant of the Gospel. With creative and untiring energy hefaithfully undertook his various assignments for the buildingup of the Kingdom of God.

John C. Kemper, S.S. is the Director of St. Mary’s Spiritual Center and Historic Site.

He is a member of the Provincial Council of the Society of St. Sulpice, Province of the United States.

In the biblical idiom, the servantwho uses well the gifts entrusted tohim by the master is regarded as a“good and faithful servant” (Luke19: 17). These same attributes canbe used for Father John Bowen,S.S. who died on May 6, 2012.

Born June 24, 1924 and raised inBaltimore, Maryland, Fr. Bowenwas the eldest of three children.

He was educated in Baltimore parochial elementary and sec-ondary schools, St. Charles College, a minor seminary inCatonsville and St. Mary’s Seminary at Paca Street. Hecompleted his theological studies at St. Mary’s Seminary inRoland Park after which he was ordained to the priesthoodon June 4, 1949 for the Archdiocese of Baltimore at the thenCathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr.Bowen immediately joined the Society of St. Sulpice.

Attending The Catholic University of America, he earnedhis Licentiate in Sacred Theology (1950) and an M.A. de-gree in church history (1962). He wrote his M.A. thesis onthe Basilica (formerly Cathedral) of the Assumption of theBlessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore, a subject on which he re-mained an expert for the rest of his life.

After ordination Fr. Bowen returned to the high school divi-sion of St. Charles College as a Sulpician. In 1963 Fr. Bowenwas assigned to St. Edward’s Minor Seminary in Kenmore,Washington where he taught English and American Historyand served as the high school principal for ten years.

Transferred to Baltimore in 1980, Fr. Bowen became the his-torian for the Society of St. Sulpice, Province of the United

By Richard M. Gula, S.S.

John Wesley Bowen III, S.S.,1924 - 2012


11

John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus,upon seeing Nathanael coming to-ward him, declared: “Here is a trueIsraelite. There is no guile in him.”A similar declaration could be madeof Eugene Konkel, S.S., who diedon September 14, 2012. FatherKonkel’s priesthood was character-ized by a deep integration of andpractical devotion to the Sulpiciancharism, which he lived in a hum-

ble, generous, trustworthy, and guileless way.

Born on March 7, 1931 in Milwaukee, Fr. Konkel entered theBasselin program at The Catholic University of America in1950, where he was granted an M.A. in philosophy in 1953and an S.T.L. in 1957. He was ordained to the priesthood forthe Archdiocese of Milwaukee on May 25, 1957.

After ordination, Fr. Konkel was assigned to St. Charles Col-lege in Baltimore. He was admitted to the Society of St.Sulpice in 1959. He served at St. Charles College for an addi-tional four years, and he received an M.A. in English fromMarquette University in 1963. He was also granted the Patri-cian Award from St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in 1998and Theological College’s Alumnus Lifetime Service Awardin 2011.

In 1964, Fr. Konkel was transferred to St. Thomas Seminaryin Louisville. He later served on the faculties of St. Joseph’sCollege in Mountain View, California, and St. Stephen’sSeminary in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

In 1976, Fr. Konkel became the Director of the Vatican II In-stitute for Clergy Formation. In the course of his 26 years asDirector, Fr. Konkel welcomed over 2,000 priests to the Insti-tute’s widely acclaimed sabbatical program. He warmly andcompassionately attended to the priests who participated in

By James Myers, S.S.

Eugene John Konkel, S.S., 1931—2012

Father Gerald Vincent Lardner wasborn on October 6, 1941 in Balti-more and educated at St. CharlesCollege and St. Mary’s Seminary atPaca Street and Roland Park. Hewas ordained for the Archdiocese ofBaltimore on May 25, 1967, and wasadmitted into the Society of St.Sulpice in 1970. Fr. Lardner earnedan M.A. in Liturgy from the Univer-sity of Notre Dame (1968) and a

Ph.D. in Communications from Temple University (1976).He taught at the three Sulpician Seminaries in the US: St.Joseph’s High School and St. Patrick’s Seminary in California

By Thomas R. Hurst, S.S.

Gerald V. Lardner, S.S., 1941-2012

the program. The sabbatical program anticipated the emphasison the four pillars of priestly formation in Pastores Dabo Vobisby nearly 20 years and inspired a growing commitment to on-going formation of priests within the US Province of St.Sulpice.

Fr. Konkel remained at St. Patrick’s Seminary upon his retire-ment, serving as spiritual director for many seminarians andpriests, deacons, and laity. He continued to assist in parishesin the region and give retreats and days of recollection forpriests. In recognition of his commitment to the welfare andrenewal of priests, Fr. Konkel was granted the National Feder-ation of Priests’ Council’s Touchstone Award in 2004.

On September 24, 2012, Reverend Thomas P. Demse, Fr.Konkel’s nephew and a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwau-kee, was the presider of the Mass of Resurrection. John C.Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, served ashomilist. Fr. Konkel was interred at Gate of Heaven Ceme-tery in Los Altos, CA. Fr. Konkel’s funeral liturgies were heldin the chapel of St. Patrick’s Seminary. The large congrega-tions that assembled for both the Vigil Service and the Fu-neral Mass served as a testimony to the impact that Fr. Konkelhad upon the lives of seminarians, priests, and laity, to his ef-fectiveness as a formator both within and beyond the semi-nary, and to his remarkable capacity to establish and maintainfriendships across a lifetime. The funeral rites offered a fittingtribute to “a true Sulpician, in whom there was no guile.”

James Myers, S.S. served as assistant director of the Vatican II Institute under Fr. Konkel and later became director himself.

A member of the Provincial Council, he is currently on sabbatical at the University of Notre Dame.

Continued on p. 12.

Resurrection Very Rev. Thomas R. Ulshafer, S.S., Provincialpresided and Fr. Bowen’s brother, Deacon James E. Bowen wasthe homilist.

Priest, educator, archivist, historian, he was all of these things.To those who knew him, however, Fr. Bowen will be remem-bered as a good and faithful servant, of humble manner andgenerous spirit.

Richard M. Gula, S.S., is Personnel Director for the Society of St. Sulpice, Province of the United States.


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UpdateSulpician Provincial House5408 Roland Ave.Baltimore, MD 21210-1998

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In Memoriam Continued from p. 10

www.sulpicians.org

The Society of St. Sulpice, Province of the United States, is pleased to announce that it has been reaccredited by Praesidium until 2017.

and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. Hewas for seven years a faculty member at Em-maus Spirituality Centre and St. Dominic’sMajor Seminary in Lusaka, Zambia (1995-2002). After retiring in 2002, he resided inBaltimore and died on June 18, 2012.

The above is a list of some facts about Fr.Lardner. The following are “Reflections onWisdom and a Friend” which derive frommy homily at his Funeral Mass.

I first met Fr. Lardner in the fall of 1970when we were on the faculty at St. Joseph’sHigh School Seminary. I saw in him a desire to take students on a journey. It wasa search for human wisdom and knowledge.Fr. Lardner was always looking for a way tomake learning more attractive, exciting andengaging both in the classroom and out-side. He knew the importance of a good education to do well in this world; he alsoknew the importance of truth, wisdom andknowledge to make us better people. Mostof all, I saw him enjoy, in his great extro-verted manner, the success of learningamong his students.

In seminaries in the United States and atSt. Dominic’s Seminary, Zambia, Fr. Lard-ner sowed the seeds of knowledge and understanding in the minds and hearts ofstudents who sought to be priests.

But there was more for Fr. Lardner. Knowl-edge was also a way to God, who is thesource of all wisdom. Fr. Lardner under-stood that when we are open to the wisdomthat comes from God and is of God, we areled to God. Fr. Lardner wanted his studentsto find God in the midst of their learning.

Life was not always an easy path for Fr.Lardner. There were struggles on his jour-ney of wisdom and faith. Supported by thewisdom of others, he continued his journeyto the Lord. On this journey Fr. Lardnerknew he was not alone. He was a son ofGod and a brother of Jesus, who promisescomfort and rest to those who trust in Him.

On June 23, 2012 at Our Lady of theAngels Chapel, Very Rev. Thomas R.Ulshafer, S.S., Provincial, presided andRev. Thomas R. Hurst, S.S., was thehomilist at Fr. Lardner’s Mass of Resur-rection. Our Lady of the Angels Chapelis the chapel where Fr. Lardner prayed asa young seminarian. He is buried nearbyin the Sulpician Cemetery, Catonsville,MD.

In the end, with its burdens of illness, Fr.Lardner drew on this knowledge of God

to understand what was happening. Hedrew upon his friendship with the Lordto find comfort and assurance. And sowe pray, “Eternal rest grant unto him OLord.”

Thomas R. Hurst, S.S. is President-Rector of St. Mary’s Seminary and

University, Baltimore


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