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Priests mark jubilees from 25 to 65 years

Catholic Herald Staff Report

Several priests in the Diocese of Arlington will celebrate ordination jubilees this year, including two marking 65 years in the priesthood. Meet the jubilarians. 

65 Years

Msgr. R. Roy Cosby, retired and residing in Rockville, was born May 16, 1924, in Henrico County, Va. He graduated from John Marshall High School in Richmond in 1941 and earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 1944.

He attended St. Charles College, Catonsville, Md., and earned a bachelor’s in philosophy and theology from St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore in 1954. He was ordained by Richmond Bishop Peter L. Ireton May 8, 1954.

After his ordination, Msgr. Cosby served as an associate of the Diocesan Mission Band for two years; and associate pastor of Holy Cross Church in Lynchburg (1956-60); and Blessed Sacrament Church in Norfolk (1960-62).

From 1962 to 1967, he taught at St. John Vianney Seminary in Richmond while serving in various churches. He was appointed pastor of St. Joseph Church in Columbia in 1967 and transferred to St. Francis Church in Staunton the following year. In 1970, Msgr. Cosby became the founding pastor of Holy Family Church in Dale City, where he served for eight years.

He became pastor of St. Timothy Church in Chantilly in 1978 and founding pastor of St. Patrick Church in Fredericksburg in 1983. Beginning in 1990, he held various positions in the chancery, including vicar general while serving as pastor of St. James Church in Falls Church starting in 1994, the same year he was named monsignor. He formally retired in 1999, but served as administrator and priest in residence at St. William of York Church in Stafford (2001-02).

Msgr. Frank J. Hendrick, retired and residing in North Carolina, was born Nov. 2, 1926, in Richmond, to Arthur and Beulah Hendrick. He graduated from Benedictine High School in Richmond in 1943. He was a corpsman in the U.S. Navy (1945-46) prior to graduating from the University of Richmond in 1948.

He attended Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and was ordained a priest by Bishop Peter L. Ireton May 8, 1954.

His first assignment was at St. James Church in Falls Church where he was parochial vicar (1954-59).

He earned a master’s in education from The Catholic University of America in Washington in 1960, and in 1962, he served as principal of Norfolk Catholic Schools. In 1966, he became founding pastor of St. Jerome Church in Newport News.

Msgr. Hendrick was a chaplain in the U.S. Army (1969-72). He was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat Valor, the Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal, and two battle stars on his Vietnam theatre ribbon.

Msgr. Hendrick came to Northern Virginia after his chaplaincy to serve as pastor of St. Ann Church in Arlington (1972-76). He was the first executive director of Catholic Charities (1974-81).

He was pastor of St. Agnes Church in Arlington (1976-81) before becoming pastor of St. Mary Church in Alexandria (1981-91).

Msgr. Hendrick retired as pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Annandale in 1995. He now resides in North Carolina.

 

55 Years

Father Martin F. McGuill, retired, was born May 5, 1938, in Refugio, Texas, to Charles J. McGuill and Ollie Lee Curbelo.

He attended Refugio High School and graduated from St. John’s Seminary in San Antonio in 1956. He graduated from Assumption Seminary in San Antonio and earned his divinity degree at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He was ordained for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, June 6, 1964.

He was the first chaplain of the Corpus Christi State Supported Living Center of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

He earned a master’s degree in religious education at Loyola University in Chicago; a master’s in church administration and a licentiate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington; and in 1984 a doctorate in canon law, magna cum laude, from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome.

After incardination into the Diocese of Arlington Feb. 16, 1977, Father McGuill served in the diocesan tribunal, including as adjutant judicial vicar until 1986, and as a judge of the interdiocesan tribunal of the province of Baltimore.

He was pastor of St. Rita Church in Alexandria (1986-92), when he was assigned as pastor of St. Luke Church in McLean, until his retirement in 2011.

He retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel and served as a U.S. Air Force Catholic chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery for many years.

 

Father Tarsicio D. Buitrago, retired, was born May 23, 1940, in Tenza-Boyacá, Colombia, to Ramón Buitrago and Odilia Contreras. He attended primary school in Tenza-Boyacá and graduated from Claretian Minor Seminary in Bos in 1961. 

He studied theology in Rome at the Pontificia Universitá Lateranense. He was ordained Feb. 19, 1964, in Rome. The following year, he returned to Colombia and taught seminarians. 

Father Buitrago was appointed administrator and secretary general of the Regional Ecclesiastic Tribunal of Bogotá in 1970. He served as pastor and school chaplain at different churches and state schools from 1978 to 1995. He also studied canon law at the Pontifical Xaverian University (1985-90). 

Moving to the Diocese of Arlington in 1995, he assisted with the Spanish Apostolate and was in residence at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria (1995-2001) and St. Anthony Church in Falls Church (2001-02) before becoming the parochial vicar there (2002-07). He was incardinated into the Diocese of Arlington Dec. 20, 2004.

In addition, he served as parochial vicar at St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax (2007-09); St. John Bosco Church in Woodstock, with the responsibility of Our Lady of the Shenandoah Mission in Basye (2009-10); and St. Philip Church in Falls Church from 2010 until he retired from active ministry in 2015.

 

45 Years

Father Horace “Tuck” Grinnell, retired and residing at St. Rose of Lima Retirement Villa in Annandale, was ordained May 4, 1974; Father Patrick Holroyd, pastor of St. Mark Church in Vienna, was ordained May 4, 1974; Father Gerald Weymes, retired and living in Ashburn, was ordained June 2, 1974.

 

40 Years

Father Robert C. Cilinski, pastor of Nativity Church in Burke, was ordained May 12, 1979.

35 Years

Father Michael J. Bazan, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Manassas, was ordained May 12, 1984;

Father James C. Bruse, pastor of Our Lady of the Blue Ridge Church in Madison, was ordained May 12, 1984; 

Father Donald C. Greenhalgh, retired, was ordained May 12, 1984; 

Father Robert J. Rippy, rector of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, was ordained May 12, 1984;  

Very Rev. William J. Saunders, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Church in Potomac Falls, was ordained May 12, 1984; 

Father Daniel S. Spychala, parochial vicar of St. Lawrence Church in Alexandria, was ordained May 12, 1984; 

Father José Hoyos, in residence at St. Anthony Church in Falls Church and director of the Spanish Apostolate, was ordained Sept. 1, 1984.

 

30 Years

Father David P. Meng, pastor of St. Timothy Church in Chantilly, was ordained May 20, 1989; 

Father Peter W. Nassetta, Y.A., chaplain of James Madison University Catholic Campus Ministry in Harrisonburg, was ordained May 20, 1989; 

Father John P. Peterson, Y.A., director of Mission and Development for the Youth Apostles Institute in McLean, was ordained May 20, 1989; 

Father David A. Whitestone, pastor of St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax, was ordained May 20, 1989.

25 Years

Father Alexander R. Drummond, pastor of St. Michael Church in Annandale, was born Oct. 20, 1957, in Chamblay, France, to Charles and Christa Drummond. He attended T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria before earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Schiller International University in Strasbourg, France, in 1980, and a master’s in international relations from Schiller University in Paris. Returning to the United States, he spent four years on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant. 

Before entering the seminary, Father Drummond worked for a private educational foundation on Capitol Hill and at Tall Oaks Montessori School in Blacksburg. 

He entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., in 1989, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John R. Keating May 21, 1994. Before his ordination, he was assigned to St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax as a transitional deacon from January 1993 to June 1994. 

Father Drummond served as parochial vicar at St. Timothy Church in Chantilly (1994-98); St. Michael Church in Annandale (1998-2002); Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria (2002-03); and St. Catherine of Siena Church in Great Falls (2003). Father Drummond was the parish administrator at St. Catherine of Siena Church from 2005 to 2007, before becoming pastor in 2007. He served there until his assignment as pastor of St. Michael in 2016. 

Father Drummond is active in the Order of Malta, serving as magistral chaplain.

 

Father Thomas P. Ferguson, vicar general, moderator of the curia and pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria, was born in Woodside, N.Y., May 27, 1966, the oldest of six children of Joseph and Mary Ann Ferguson. After attending St. Sebastian School in Woodside, his family moved to Alexandria, where he graduated from Bishop Ireton High School in 1984.

After graduating from Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales in 1987, he earned a master’s degree (1989) and a doctorate (1991) in government from the University of Virginia. He then entered Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., for theological studies. His diaconate assignment was at St. Mary Church in Alexandria.

Father Ferguson was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John R. Keating May 21, 1994. He served as parochial vicar at St. Bernadette Church in Springfield (1994-96).

From 1996 to 1998, Father Ferguson completed studies in canon law at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. He was appointed to the diocesan tribunal in 1998 while also serving as parochial vicar of St. Luke Church.

In 2002, Father Ferguson was named administrator of St. Bernadette Church, where he served until 2004, when he was appointed pastor of St. Thomas à Becket Church in Reston. He was named a judge on the tribunal in 2004. In 2008, he was appointed episcopal vicar for faith formation and director of the diaconate formation program, with residence first at St. Ann Church in Arlington and later at St. Luke Church in McLean. 

Father Ferguson was appointed pastor of Good Shepherd Church in June 2011 while continuing to serve as episcopal vicar for faith formation, diocesan judge and director of the diaconate formation program. He was appointed vicar general and moderator of the curia in October 2015.

Father Ferguson has served on numerous diocesan councils and committees. He has written a four-part series on the history of the church in Northern Virginia, which was published in the Catholic Herald in the summer of 1999. He is also the author of “Catholic and American: The Political Theology of John Courtney Murray,” published by Sheed and Ward in 1994.

 

Father Richard M. Guest, pastor of St. Theresa Church in Ashburn, was born in Oak Lawn, Ill., Dec. 8, 1963, and graduated from Bogan High School in Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University of Chicago in 1986 and a master’s degree in Hebrew Bible from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., in 1988.

After holding various jobs in Chicago, he entered Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and graduated in 1994. His diaconate assignment was at St. Lawrence Church in Alexandria.

Father Guest was ordained May 21, 1994, by Arlington Bishop John R. Keating, who appointed him parochial vicar at St. William of York Church in Stafford (1994-98.) He served at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Great Falls (1998-2002,) and as administrator of St. Theresa Church in Ashburn (2002-04.) He has served as the church’s pastor since 2004.

 

Father Donald J. Rooney, pastor of St. Bernadette Church in Springfield, was born in Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 17, 1961, one of four children of W. Donald and Marie Rooney. He attended schools in Kansas City, Mo., and Louisburg, Kan. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, in 1983, he spent several years as owner of an advertising and design firm in Dallas. 

He entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., in 1989, and was ordained by Bishop John R. Keating May 21, 1994, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington after his diaconate year at St. Timothy Church in Chantilly.

His first priestly assignment was as parochial vicar of All Saints Church in Manassas (1994-96). He was assigned to the diocesan mission parish of San Francisco de Asís in Bánica, Dominican Republic (1996-98). 

After serving in Bánica, he was appointed parochial vicar of St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax (1998-2002). Father Rooney was named administrator of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg in 2002, and pastor in 2004.

Father Rooney is director of the diocesan Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and is serving a third term as president of the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers. He also represents the diocese in the Virginia Council of Churches and the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington faith leaders’ committee. 

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