By Michael F. Flach
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 11/20/03)

Father Robert E. Avella was appointed rector of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington while continuing as the Bishop’s Delegate for Clergy, according to an announcement last week by Bishop Paul S. Loverde.

The bishop also appointed Father Dominic P. Irace as pastor of St. Ambrose Parish in Annandale, replacing Father Richard J. Ley, who was named Auditor of the Tribunal with residence at St. Agnes Parish in Arlington.

Father Lee R. Roos was appointed administrator of St. Agnes Parish, succeeding the late Msgr. James W. McMurtrie, who died Oct. 20.

All appointments are effective Nov. 24.

Father Avella, the son of Gennaro and Anne Avella, was born May 11, 1949, in Washington, D.C. He has a brother and a sister. After attending St. Charles Borromeo School and one year at Bishop O’Connell High School, both in Arlington, he went to St. John Vianney Seminary in Richmond for three years. He began his studies for the priesthood at St. Mary’s College Seminary and completed them at St. Mary’s University in Baltimore, graduating in 1975.

He was the first priest ordained for the newly formed Arlington Diocese on May 10, 1975, by Bishop Thomas J. Welsh. His first assignment was as parochial vicar of St. Ambrose Parish in Annandale from 1975-78, then at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More from 1978-79. He served as diocesan director of vocations from 1978-85, while residing in the bishop’s residence from 1979-84 and at Our Lady of Lourdes from 1984-85. He then served as assistant principal and chaplain at Bishop O’Connell High School while in residence at St. Agnes rectory from 1985-89.

He was named pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish in Fairfax in June 1989. Bishop Loverde appointed him pastor of St. Mary Parish in Alexandria in June 2000 and named him the Bishop’s Delegate for Clergy. He also serves on the Clergy Personnel Board.

Father Irace was born in New York, N.Y., to Pasquale and Angela Irace. He has three sisters, Anne, Florence and Camille, and a brother, Charles. He attended Public School No. 3 and graduated from Evander Childs High School in New York in 1960, and Holy Apostles College in Cromwell, Conn., in 1971. Father Irace studied voice and oboe at Julliard School of Music for two years before receiving master's degrees from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, in 1974 and the Gregorian University in Rome in 1975.

He was ordained by Pope Paul VI at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on June 29, 1975, and was assigned to the Cathedral as parochial vicar from 1975-78; St. Ambrose Parish in Annandale from 1978-81; St. Luke Parish in McLean from 1981-86; and St. Mary Parish in Fredericksburg from 1986-87. Father Irace was administrator at St. Mary in 1987, and pastor of St. Louis Parish in Alexandria from 1987-94. He has been Cathedral rector since 1994.

He was a member of the board of directors of the Paul VI Institute of the Arts from 1980-89 and was director of the Office of Sacred Liturgy from 1984-99. For many years, Father Irace contributed Gospel commentaries to the HERALD.

Father Roos is the son of Robert and Rose Marie Roos of Wexford, Pa. He is one of eight children, having two sisters and five brothers. He has 15 nieces and nephews.

A graduate of St. Sebastian School and North Allegheny High School, both in Pittsburgh, Pa., he earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., in 1975. He moved to Fairfax after college. In the 10 years before entering the seminary he worked as a computer systems analyst for TRW in McLean and then for Software Systems Associates, Inc., in Alexandria.

He entered the pre-theology program at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, Pa., and earned a master’s of divinity degree in 1989, the same year he was ordained a deacon. His diaconal assignments were at Holy Spirit Parish, Annandale, and St. Philomena Parish, Lansdowne, Pa.

Father Roos was ordained to the priesthood by the late Arlington Bishop John R. Keating on May 19, 1990, at the Cathedral. After his ordination he celebrated Masses of Thanksgiving at Holy Spirit Parish, Annandale, his home parish, and St. Alexis Parish, Wexford, Pa.

His first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Bernadette Parish, Springfield. In 1992, he was assigned part-time to the Diocesan Tribunal. In 1993, he began part-time studies in Canon Law at Catholic University, in Washington, D.C. At that time he moved to the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, while continuing at the Tribunal.

In 1995, Father Roos pursued canon law studies full-time and was in residence at St. Luke Parish, McLean. Upon earning a Licentiate in Canon Law in 1996, he was assigned full-time to the Tribunal. At various times he has held office as Auditor, Defender of the Bond and Judge. In 1999, Bishop Loverde appointed him an Adjutant Judical Vicar. He has been in residence at St. Michael Parish, Annandale, since 2000.

At the Chancery, Father Roos has worked in the Tribunal and as supervisor of the Management Information Systems (MIS) office. He also has been involved with the start-up of the Information Technology Enhancement Project to enable electronic transfer of information between parishes, schools, and the central administrative offices of the diocese.