Priests gathered May 30 at the Cathedral of the Assumption to honor 10 fellow priests celebrating jubilees.
The annual liturgy, celebrated by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and concelebrated by the jubilarians, honored priests marking 25th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of ordination. The archbishop prayed for God’s blessings on the jubilarians and thanked them for their years of service saying, “You’ve given your life to the church.”
Father Clyde Crews, celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest, delivered the homily. He shared some personal anecdotes with the congregation and drew their attention to the day’s Gospel from the book of Mark. Jesus tells his followers that whoever leaves their worldly family and possessions for him will receive 100 times as much as they lost. They will also be persecuted, he says, but will ultimately be rewarded with eternal life.
“A very wise Jesus is talking about the unimaginable. … So many fail to realize that to reach the unimaginable we have to go about the ordinary,” said Father Crews.
Throughout life, he said, there are glimpses of the unimaginable, but “Jesus calls his followers to these ordinary days. … In this way, we’ll not appear empty-handed before the Lord.”
This year’s jubilarians are:
60 Years
Dominican Father J. Anthony Breen was ordained June 13, 1963, and served in Pakistan for more than three decades. He was assigned to the Dominican Vicariate in Pakistan in 1965. He served in parishes in the cities of Bahawalpur, Multan, Hasilpur, Sahiwal and Warispura in Punjab, Pakistan. Father Breen is retired and resides at St. Louis Bertrand Church.
Father Joseph F. Hayden was ordained July 14, 1963. He served as pastor at St. Dominic Church in Springfield, Ky., and as associate pastor of St. Edward Church, Ascension Church and St. James Church. He taught at Trinity High School and was also a part-time teacher at St. Thomas Seminary. He previously served in the Archdiocese of Louisville’s tribunal. Father Hayden was a missionary in Peru in the 1990s. He returned to Peru in 2009, a year after he retired. He moved back to the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2017.
Father Donald Ryan was ordained May 25, 1963. He served as pastor of St. Gregory Church in Samuels, Ky., St. Michael Church in Fairfield, Ky., and St. Denis Church. He was associate pastor of St. Catherine Church in New Haven, Ky., Holy Cross, St. Columba, Guardian Angels, St. Ann, St. Helen, Holy Name, St. Ignatius Martyr and Ascension churches. He served as chaplain for Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital, Brooklawn Treatment Center and Nazareth Home. He retired in 2008.
Father Roy Stiles was ordained on Dec. 18, 1963. He was the director of the diaconate office from 1982 to 1994. He served as pastor of St. Stephen Martyr, St. John Vianney, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Therese churches. He served as associate pastor of St. Thomas More, St. Rita, Mother of Good Counsel and St. Athanasius churches. He was a member of the Committee on Ecumenical Affairs in 1969. Father Stiles taught at St. Thomas Seminary and served as chaplain for Holy Rosary Academy. From 2009-2019 he served as vicar for senior clergy.
50 Years
Father Gerald L. Bell was ordained Dec. 15, 1973. Father Bell served as pastor of the following Kentucky churches: Emmanuel in Albany, Holy Trinity, St. Aloysius in Shepherdsville, St. Benedict in Lebanon Junction, St. Augustine in Lebanon, Holy Name of Mary in Calvary, St. Bernard in Clementsville and Sacred Heart in Liberty. Father Bell was associate pastor of St. John Vianney and St. Rita churches.
He also served as associate director of the Vocation Office, executive secretary of the Youth Ministry Commission and chair of the Catholic Cemeteries board.
He served on the Priests’ Council from 1986-1996 and is currently serving another term. He has served as vicar for senior priests since 2019.
Father Clyde F. Crews was ordained on May 26, 1973. He retired in 2019 after serving as the Archdiocese of Louisville’s historian for 30 years.
Father Crews is the author of several books on local history, including “An American Holy Land,” “The Faithful Image” and “Faith and Mission,” which chronicled the history of each parish in the archdiocese. He served in various roles at Bellarmine University, including as a professor, historian and as director of the Thomas Merton Center.
Father Thomas Gentile was ordained on May 26, 1973. He served as pastor of Sts. Simon and Jude Church, St. Helen Church, St. Denis Church, St. Matthias Church and Mary Queen of Peace Church. He served as associate pastor of St. Denis, St. Pius X and St. Helen churches, administrator pro-tempore at St. Paul Church and chaplain for Holy Rosary Academy. He is currently serving as administrator pro-tempore for Mary Queen of Peace.
Father Paul Scaglione was ordained May 26, 1973, for the Diocese of Trenton, N.J. He was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Louisville on June 21, 2001, where he has served as a pastor and as director of the Office of Pastoral Care. He served as pastor of St. Augustine and St. Barnabas churches. He was associate pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Pewee Valley, Ky., and served as sacramental moderator at St. Boniface Church from 2015-2017.
25 Years
Carmelite Father Joseph Thomas was ordained Dec. 30, 1998 in Nedumudi, Kerala, India. Father Thomas has served as administrator and pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Columbia, Ky.; Holy Redeemer Church in Greensburg, Ky.; and Holy Spirit Church in Jamestown, Ky. He previously served in the dioceses of Santa Fe, N.M. and Knoxville, Tenn. Before starting his ministry in the United States, he served as a prefect and administrator of various parishes in Gujarat, India. He is currently administrator of Christ the Healer Church in Edmonton, Ky., and Christ the King Church in Tompkinsville, Ky.
Dominican Father L. Martin Martiny entered the Dominican Order after serving in the U.S. Navy for 20 years. He made his first profession on Aug. 15, 1993, and was ordained on May 22, 1998. Father Martiny served in Kenya in East Africa for 10 years including as the Vicar Provincial. In 2013, he was assigned to St. Louis Bertrand Church. He also served as chaplain for the University of Louisville Catholic Campus Ministry. Father Martiny serves as the superior of the Dominicans at St. Louis Bertrand. He currently serves as the parish’s parochial vicar.
