Ten priests in the diocese will mark jubilees this year, including four who will celebrate 50 years as a priest and six who will mark 25 years since their ordinations.
The jubilarians will celebrate at a luncheon with Bishop Michael F. Burbidge May 8. Read their bios below.
50 years
Fr. Horace (Tuck) H. Grinnell
Age: 76
Current assignment: retired
Hometown: Charlottesville
Education: Holy Comforter School, Charlottesville; Benedictine High School, Richmond, 1965; St. Mary’s College Seminary, Catonsville, Md., 1970; Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, 1973.
Ordination: May 4, 1974, Auxiliary Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Richmond
Assignments: parochial vicar Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Arlington, 1974-77; St. Louis Church, Alexandria, 1977-80; St. Charles Borromeo Church, Arlington, 1980-84; and St. Mark Church, Vienna, 1984-86; pastor St. Charles, 1986-94; St. Anthony of Padua Church, Falls Church, 1994-2010; St. Charles, 2010-14; St. Peter Church, Washington, Va., 2014-18.
Quote: “The greatest joy fundamentally is to be a child of God, and living it out as a priest is a particular blessing. But the greatest gift is the gift I received at baptism that we share all in common with all other Christians.”
Fr. Patrick Holroyd
Age: 76
Current assignment: pastor of St. Mark Church, Vienna
Birthplace: Des Moines, Iowa
Education: St. Agnes Kindergarten, Arlington; St. James School, Falls Church; St. John School, McLean; Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington; St. John Vianney Seminary High School in Richmond.
Seminary: St. Charles Seminary College, Catonsville, Md.; St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore; St. Mary College Seminary, Catonsville, 1970, BA philosophy; St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, theology, 1974.
Ordination: May 4, 1974, Richmond Auxiliary Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Richmond
Assignments: associate pastor St. Bernadette Church, Springfield; parochial vicar Queen of Apostles Church, Alexandria, 1974-78; Good Shepherd Church, Alexandria, 1981-85; and St. Michael Church, Annandale, 1985-87; pastor of St. Thomas à Becket Church, Reston, 1987-2001; and St. Mark Church, Vienna, 2001-present; member of the diocesan board of Catholic Charities, 1974-76; the diocesan liturgy committee, 1975-81; the diocesan finance committee, 1985-95; and the tribunal, 2020-25; secretary of the Priests’ Council, 1979-83, and spiritual director for Northern Virginia Youth Encounter.
Missionhurst Fr. William G. Quigley
Age: 75
Current assignment: spiritual director, Mt. Tabor Retreat House, Vienna
Hometown: Dundalk, Md.
Education: Dundalk Senior High School, Dundalk, Md.; Missionhurst seminary in Washington
Ordination: May 4, 1974, St. Ignatius Church, Kingston, Pa.
Assignments: Among the first Missionhurst confreres assigned to Haiti, Island of La Gonave, west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 1974-79 and 1983-93; Missionhurst vocations director, 1979-83; director of seminary program, San Antonio, Texas, 1993-99; provincial of U.S. province, 1999-2006; chaplain to the Newman Center, East Carolina University, 2007-17; retreat home director, Mt. Tabor, Vienna, 2017-present.
Quote: “Fifty years as a religious missionary has taught me the need for multicultural skills and finding the richness of the Gospel in another language and culture other than my own. The pages of Scripture are like a treasure chest waiting to be opened and shared. This then was to be sprinkled with a sense of humor as a life skill to cope with the challenges of being a missionary. Ministry in Haiti and campus ministry stand out as cornerstones of my vocation of which I’ve been richly blessed.”
Fr. Gerald Weymes
Age: 81
Current assignment: retired
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Education: St. John Seminary in Waterford, Ireland, 1970-74
Ordination: June 2, 1974, Bishop Michael Russell, Cathedral of the Blessed Trinity, Waterford, Ireland
Assignments: associate pastor, St. Agnes Church, Arlington, 1974-77; associate pastor and administrator pro tem, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church, Fredericksburg, 1977-80; associate pastor, Blessed Sacrament Church, Alexandria, 1980-81; St. Mary Church, Alexandria, 1981-84; St. Ann Church, Arlington, 1984-88; pastor, St. William of York Church, Stafford, 1988-99; St. Timothy Church, Chantilly, 1999-2017. He served as chaplain to the diocesan Committee on Scouting and Campfire and Teams of Our Lady. He began chapters and worked with the Legion of Mary for 25 years and the diocesan tribunal for 30 years. He served as chaplain to the Knights of Columbus, Ancient Order of Hibernians, charismatic renewal, Cursillo and now for Divine Mercy Care in Fairfax.
Quote: “It has been a glorious adventure in faith, hope and love with the people of God who have been wonderfully supportive and who sometimes put me in my place, which was very good. I learned a lot. I had a wonderful time.”
“Now that I’m retired, I have so many priest friends that I didn’t know I had before. (I) spend my time saying Mass and hearing confessions and filling in wherever I can. (I) met some wonderfully holy men in this diocese, we are very fortunate to have them.”
Factoid: Assigned to St. Agnes before I came to America and then two weeks later new diocese was formed.
25 years
Fr. Brian G. Bashista
Age: 59
Current assignment: pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Lake Ridge
Hometown: Springfield
Education: Lake Braddock High School, Burke, 1982; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, BS architecture, 1987; Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., 1994-99.
Ordination: May 15, 1999, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, where he was baptized 35 years earlier.
Assignments: parochial vicar, St. Mary of Sorrows Church, Fairfax, 1999-2002; diocesan promoter of vocations and interim diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of Faith, 2002-04; director vocations office, 2004-13; chaplain and director of campus ministry, Marymount University, Arlington, 2013-15; parochial vicar St. James Church, Falls Church, 2015-17; pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Lake Ridge, 2017-present.
Quote: “It’s a bit overwhelming to look back on these many years of priestly life and be reminded of the countless blessings that have filled these past 25 years. I am deeply thankful for the unwavering love and support of my family and for the encouragement and inspiration of the faithful that I have been so privileged to serve, and the clergy that I have been so honored to serve with.
“It is an incredible gift to be called to this sacred vocation, and I am humbled by the numerous opportunities to witness the beauty of God’s work in the lives of his people. I am in awe of the situations and circumstances that have allowed me to walk with others on their spiritual journey, and for the countless moments of joy that have enriched my life as a priest as a result.”
Fr. Mark F. Carrier
Age: 61
Current assignment: parochial vicar, Blessed Sacrament Church, Alexandria
Hometown: Washington
Education: Benedictine High School, Richmond, 1976-80; Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, BS philosophy summa cum laude, 1994; St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa., master of divinity, MA systematic theology, 1999.
Ordination: May 15, 1999, Bishop Thomas J. Welsh, Cathedral of St. Thomas More, Arlington
Assignments: parochial vicar, St. Leo the Great Church, Fairfax, 1999-2001; Holy Family Church, Dale City, 2001-07; St. Louis Church, Alexandria, 2007-15; St. Catherine of Sienna Church, Great Falls, 2015-17; Blessed Sacrament Church, Alexandria, 2017-present. He worked with the homeless and volunteered with indigent AIDS patients at the Gift of Peace hospice in Washington during the mid-1980s.
Quote: “There is nothing on earth greater and more undeserved than service at the altar of God.”
Factoid: Loran Carrier, organist at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Ladysmith, in the Richmond Diocese, composed the music for his son’s first Mass there.
Dominican Fr. Joseph An Quoc Dang
Age: 59
Current assignment: pastor, Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, Arlington
Birthplace: Vietnam
Education: Spring Brooke High School, Houston, Texas; BS computer engineering, 1991; Dominican House of Studies, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, BA with concentration in philosophy, 1993; novitiate formation house, Cincinnati, 1995-96; Dominican House of Studies, Washington, 1996-99, and master’s of divinity, 1999; Angelicum, Rome, Italy, diploma of pastoral theology, 2010.
Profession: Aug. 15, 1995, Cincinnati, Ohio
Ordination: July 9, 1999, Bishop Adam Exner, OMI, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Assignments: associate pastor St. Vincent Liem, Calgary, AB, Canada, 2000-03; associate pastor, St. Joseph, Vancouver, BC, 2003-08; study at Angelicum, Rome, Italy, 2008-10; pastor, Holy Trinity Church, Calgary, 2010-17; dean of Fr. Naphin Deanery, Diocese of Calgary, 2011-17; socius of St. Vincent’s Liem Vicariate, 2017-19; pastor, Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Church, Arlington, 2019-present.
Fr. John F. Heisler
Age: 59
Current assignment: parochial vicar, St. Francis de Sales, Purcellville
Birthplace: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Education: Cony High School in Augusta, Maine, 1979-83; U.S. Air Force Academy, 1983-85; University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 1989-92, BS electrical engineering; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md., 1994-99.
Ordination: May 15, 1999, Bishop Paul S. Loverde, Cathedral of St. Thomas More, Arlington.
Assignments: parochial vicar, St. John the Beloved Church, McLean, 1999-2001; St. Bernadette Church, Springfield, 2001-04; chaplain, Christendom College, Front Royal, 2005-08; faculty, Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio, 2008-19; parochial vicar, St Francis de Sales, Purcellville, 2019-present.
Quote:
“I am grateful to all those, who, for all their prayers and sacrifices, have allowed me to serve the people of God for this many years. May we continually learn the hymn we will sing together for eternity, ‘Forever I will sing the praises of the Lord,’ ‘For his mercy endures forever.’ ”
Spiritan Fr. Timothy J. Hickey
Age: 65
Current assignment: pastor, Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church, Arlington
Hometown: Bellevue, Ohio
Education: Holy Spirit Junior Seminary, Toledo, Ohio, 1974; Bowling Green State University, Ohio, psychology, 1981; joined the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (the Spiritans) and entered postulancy, 1989; Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, 1994, philosophy and psychology; professed vows, 1993; studied under Father Adrian Van Kamm, C.S.Sp., at the Institute of Formative Spirituality, 1995; Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, MA scripture and spirituality, 1997, master of divinity with focus on missiology, 1999; two years overseas ministry in Puerto Rico at an AIDS hospice and other Spiritan projects, 1995-97.
Ordination: Aug. 14, 1999, Bishop Dennis Durning, C.S.Sp., Duquesne University Chapel of the Holy Spirit
Assignments: Campus minister, formation director, instructor of Catholic social teaching, Duquesne University, 2000; first assistant to the provincial of the U.S. province of the Spiritans, 2000; executive director of Mission and Identity for Duquesne; superior of Spiritans’ Trinity Hall at Duquesne; concurrent multiple roles of senior leadership for 10 years; pastor, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Arlington, 2009-present.
Quote: “For all that has been, THANKS, for all that is to be, YES!” – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish diplomat and second Secretary General of the United Nations
Fr. Joseph R. Kenna
Age: 60
Current assignment: parochial vicar, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Arlington
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Education: Christendom College, Front Royal, 1982-83; Community College of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, 1983-84; University of Pittsburgh, 1985-89, BS math and economics.
Ordination: May 15, 1999, Bishop Paul S. Loverde, Cathedral of St. Thomas More, Arlington.
Assignments: parochial vicar, All Saints Catholic Church, Manassas, 1999-2002; St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church, Fredericksburg, 2002-04; St. Bernadette Church, Springfield, 2004-07; Holy Spirit Church, Annandale 2007-12; St. Raymond of Peñafort Church, Springfield, 2012-16; St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Colonial Beach and the Mission Church of St. Anthony, King George, 2016-18; Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Arlington, 2018-present.
Quote: “It’s been good to bring God’s divine life and love and mercy to the people — to bring his grace to dwell in their immortal souls so that they can make it to heaven. I’ve been blessed to serve in seven parishes so far, and all have been good parishes, with good, faith-filled, loving people and good fellow priests; not a bad assignment and I anticipate no bad ones in the future in our good diocese. I look forward to continuing to serve God and his people by leading them closer to God and growing in his grace and on into heaven.”
