2019 Chaplains

Week 1

Father James Vacco, OFM

Vicar-Forane: Southern Cattaragus County

Pastor: St. Bonaventure Parish, Allegany, NY

CCC Seminar: "Thomas - the Millennial Among the Apostles"

​

Father Don Cozzens

Diocese of Cleveland, OH, Retired

CCC Seminar: "Theology in Fiction"

Donald Cozzens, in his last visit to Chautauqua was Writer in Residence and

Adjunct Professor of Theology at John Carroll University in Ohio. He is now retired

and we will discover his new interest……writing novels. About his background……. 

He spent the 2001-2002 academic year as a scholar at the Institute for Ecumenical

and Cultural Research at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he

studied the dynamics of institutional denial. His research led to his award-winning

book, Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church (Liturgical Press, 2002). For more than a decade, Cozzens has been writing and speaking about the crisis facing the church and the priesthood. Since January of 2002 when the clergy sexual abuse scandal received wide media attention, he has appeared on “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert, Terry Gross’ “Fresh Air,” NPR’s “All Things Considered,” and BBC radio and television. His experience as vicar for clergy and as president-rector of Cleveland’s Saint Mary Seminary led to his best-selling and award winning book, The Changing Face of the Priesthood (Liturgical Press, 2000) which has been translated into Portuguese, Italian, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, and Czech editions. His latest books are Faith That Dares to Speak (Liturgical Press, 2004) and the award-winning Freeing Celibacy (Liturgical Press, 2006). A priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, Cozzens has served as spiritual director, counselor, and retreat master for monks, nuns, priests, and bishops. His doctoral research focused on the philosophical anthropology of the Lutheran philosopher and theologian, Paul Tillich.

​

​

Week 2

Father Steven Vellenga

Pastor: St. Mary Parish, Painesville, OH

Director of Mission Office and Propagation of the Faith, Diocese of Cleveland, OH

CCC Seminar: "Immigration: A Catholic and Pastoral Perspective"

Born:

In Cleveland, Ohio in 1954 to Robert Vellenga, a printer for the Lake County News-Herald and Genevieve Sabick, a homemaker.  He is the oldest of 3 children and the only son.  His childhood years were spent in Willoughby, Ohio and he attended Immaculate Conception Grade School.  In 1969 he entered Borromeo High School Seminary and in 1973 Borromeo Seminary College.  His seminary studies continued in Rome, Italy at the North American College and the Gregorian University.

Previous assignments: 

Ordained in 1981 for the Diocese of Cleveland and assigned to St. Paul Parish, Akron, and then to the Diocesan Mission in El Salvador in 1987 to 1995. After El Salvador assigned to St. Barnabas from 1995 to 1997.

Preparation for Mission work and Parish with a Hispanic Population:

Fr. Steve graduated from Borromeo Seminary High School and College.  He received his STL in Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome.  His preparation for mission work began before his priesthood ordination when he was sent to Malawi, Africa as a deacon by then Bishop of Cleveland, Bishop Hickey.   His first baptisms took place in Muzuzu, Malawi at St. Patrick Parish.  

After ordination to priesthood and during his first assignment in Akron, Fr. Steve visited Cleveland Mission in El Salvador and expressed interest in working as priest shortly after that visit.

During his assignment to El Salvador, the Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador celebrated the 10th anniversary of the deaths of Archbishop Oscar Romero and Dorothy Kazel and Jean Donovan.  Also during this time, the Cleveland Diocese celebrated 25th Anniversary of the Cleveland Mission in El Salvador producing the video “GRACIAS: celebrating 25 years in El Salvador”. 

For the 50th Anniversary of the Cleveland Mission in El Salvador, Fr. Steve was the executive producer of the video, “Reverse Mission: Celebrating 50 years of the Cleveland Diocese in El Salvador”. 

After returning to parish work in the Diocese of Cleveland in 1995, with 7 years of Spanish language ministry in El Salvador, he was appointed pastor of St. Mary, Painesville, a parish that has a large Spanish language population. 

Fr. Steve is a member of several committees in the Diocese of Cleveland addressing issues of immigration and has been part of an initiative called The Companion Program which seeks to prepare the Undocumented Immigrant for possible deportation and return to their country of origin after living for numerous years in the United States.

Fr. Steve is a member and chairperson for the Lake County Public Defender Board which advises the Public Defender whose office provides attorneys for the poor and those who are unable to afford an attorney from Capital death penalty cases to misdemeanor offenses.

​

Father Charles Diedrick

Pastor St. Mary’s Church Elyria, Ohio

CCC Seminar: "Elyria Works Now" The response of the civic, business, and

faith-based communities to the Bloomberg Philanthropy's challenge for cities

Fr. Charlie Diedrick was born in Elyria, Ohio in 1952 and grew up on the family farm in LaGrange, Ohio. He attended both Borromeo High School and College in the diocese of Cleveland.

In 1974, he was sent by Bishop Hickey to the North American College in Rome to do his theological studies. He had opportunities to travel throughout Europe, the Holy Land and a summer in Kenya, Africa.

He was ordained for the diocese of Cleveland in 1978. His first assignment was St. Paul’s Church in Akron. From there, he was transferred to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Wickliffe.

In 1988, he was assigned as a parochial vicar in his home parish of St. Mary in Elyria. In 1993, he became the pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Northfield.

After 14 years as pastor, he has returned to St. Mary to serve as the pastor of the parish in which his grandfather was baptized in 1886.

Week 3

Father Paul Milanowski

Diocese of Grand Rapids, MI, Retired

CCC Seminar: "The Catholic Worker and the Social Gospel"

Father Paul Milanowski - the 3rd of 6 children-  attended St. Andrew Cathedral Grade School, and St. Joseph Minor Seminary in Grand Rapids for  high school and junior college.  He then entered Mount St. Mary of the West Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio for 2 years of philosophy followed by 4 years of theology at St. John Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, MI.

Father Milanowski was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1965 for the Diocese of Grand Rapids and served several pastoral appointments in the diocese including the chaplaincy of St. Paul Campus Parish at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI.; Our Lady of Consolation in Rockford, MI, and St. Bartholomew & Hispanic Mission in Newaygo, MI.

During a 7 year leave-of-absence from the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Fr. Paul served at St. Mary of the Angels in Bayswater, London, U.K. followed by 6 years as Director of Vocations for the Diocese. His priestly service also brought him to St. Mary Magdalene in Kentwood, MI; St. Adalbert Basilica in Grand Rapids, and temporary pastor of St. Michael in Remus, MI. He retired as pastor of St. Stephen in East Grand Rapids, MI.

     Fr. Paul enjoys writing, poetry, reading, music, opera and theatre and of course Chautauqua, where he has served several times as priest in residence at Catholic House. Fr. Paul also has travelled to China, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Italy, Sicily, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Hawaii, and Alaska.

     He lists as his guides in life: Gandhi, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton -among many others.

​

Father James Daprile

Diocese of Youngstown, OH, Retired

CCC Seminar: "A.I. Artificial Intelligence for Toady's Believers

(Apostolic Inspiration)"

Fr. Jim Deprile  was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in the Diocese of Youngstown in January 2011.  Prior to this assignment, he served as:

• pastor of St. Brendan Parish, Youngstown, OH;

• Assistant Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at the Athenaeum of Ohio (Mt. St. Mary Seminary of the West, Cincinnati, OH);

• Chaplain, Walsh University, Canton, OH;

• diocesan director of campus ministry;

•  and other pastoral ministry assignments in Ashtabula, Louisville and Kent. 

During his 2009 sabbatical, Fr. Jim followed in the footsteps of St. Brendan, Ireland and walked the medieval pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago, in Spain. 

He also likes to paint (acrylics, abstract), ride his bike, travel and read contemporary novels.

We are please to have Fr. Daprile back at Catholic House and look forward to his seminar with the intriguing title of A.I. for Today’s Believers (Apostolic Inspiration)

​

Week 4

Father Anthony Rigoli, OMI

Pastor: Our Lady of Guadalupe/Shrine of St. Jude, New Orleans, LA

CCC Seminar: "Finding Peace in the Midst of Chaos"

Father Anthony F. Rigoli is a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Born in Buffalo, New York, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1972.

• He has served in parishes in Harrisburg, Pa., Indianapolis , IN., Sumter, S. C. and in Buffalo, New York.

• Besides parish work, he served as Vocation Director for his community and also taught high school.

• He has served as Campus Minister at D’Youville College and chaplain to Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo, New York.

• At present, he is pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in New Orleans, La.

Oblate Mission Team

Fr. Rigoli writes:

“Forty years ago when I was ordained in Washington, D.C., I could never have imagined the wonderful journey that the Lord had in store for me. He has taken me to so many wonderful places and I have been blessed to have ministered with and for so many wonderful at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church/St. Jude Shrine.  The people and the ministry here in New Orleans have enriched my life. My Mom used to say to us: “God is Good.” On this anniversary I can only say: “God is Good.”
 

​

Father William (Liam) Murphy

Coordinator: Mother of Mercy House, Philadelphia, PA

CCC Seminar: "The Grand Opinion" How Ignatius Loyola, Teilhard de Chardon,

and Pope Francis give us a vision for communities working toward solutions

Fr. Liam Murphy was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia where he attended Catholic grade school and High School.

He entered Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in September of 1982 and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in May of 1990.  For most of his priesthood, he has been involved in the Hispanic Apostolate, beginning with his first assignment to St. Agnes Parish in West Chester, PA.  In addition to assignments as parochial vicar, he has served as the Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry for Southern Chester County.

He was the first pastor of the Archdiocese Mission Parish in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico where he also coordinated the summer language and cultural immersion program for seminarians.

He also served as pastor of Saint Patrick Parish in Norristown, PA for eight years. Since January of 2011-14, he served as pastor of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in West Grove, PA.

In 2014, father Murphy requested to be transferred to the inner city of Philadelphia. He now works among the poor at House of Mercy in Philadelphia. Recently he was named pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Philly.

​

Week 5

Father Raymond Kemp

Special Asst. to the President: Georgetown University

Senior Research Fellow, Main Campus Non-Ordinary -- Adjunct

Adjunct Professor DC Community Fellow, Center for Social Justice

Office of the President, Department of Theology

Diocese of Washington D.C.

CCC Seminar: "Revisiting RCIA" Starting Over After the Scandal

A DC native and a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, Fr. Kemp serves as a Special Assistant to the President of the University and is an active member of the Georgetown and DC communities where he engages with students on issues of biblical and social justice.

As an adjunct professor in the Department of Theology, Father Kemp teaches the Church and the Poor in the fall semester and Struggle and Transcendence in the spring. He is also part of the team for the McDonough School of Business's Executive Masters in Leadership for DC Public School principals.

When he is not molding young minds, Father Kemp helps out in DC parishes and is very involved with leading retreats for parish and faith groups on biblical justice. As a Senior Fellow for Woodstock Theological Center, he directed two programs, Faith in the City and Preaching the Just Word, which he is passionate about continuing. As part of Preaching the Just Word, Father Kemp is currently working on a manuscript with Sr. Nancy Sheridan.

Father Kemp has had an active urban career with service as a member of D.C.’s Elected Board of Education in the 1970’s, the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia in the 1980’s, a non-lawyer member of the D.C. Bar Board of Governors, a founder of the 14th and U Streets Coalition and a member of the D.C. Central Kitchen’s Board of Directors.

He currently serves on the DC Mayor’s Interfaith Council, the DC Special Olympics Board of Directors, as well as the boards of College Campus Kitchens and the Grassroots Project. He is also a DC Community Fellow in Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice, as well as a thesis advisor for Peace and Justice Studies and American Studies.

 Father Kemp’s areas of interest include pastoral theology, liturgy, preaching, faith development, spirituality, Christian initiation, community organizing, urban development and urban politics.

​

Father John Mudd

Diocese of Washington D.C., Retired

Director for Institutional Advancement, Emeritus, Archbishop Carroll High School,

Washington, DC

CCC Seminar: "What a Servant Church?"

Father John Mudd was born in Washington, D.C., July 2, 1943 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1969.

· He served as an associate pastor until he was appointed the Assistant Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Social Development in 1973.

· In 1977 he was appointed Associate Pastor at Saint Augustine Church in Northwest, Washington.

· From 1980 to 1989 he was the Pastor of the Church. Saint Augustine is the oldest African American parish in the Archdiocese of Washington, and one of the first African American Catholic Churches in the Nation.

· In 1990 he volunteered to begin a Development Office for Archbishop Carroll High School where, until his retirement, he seerved as the Associate Director of Advancement.

· Fr. Mudd has been a contract chaplain at Fort Belvoir for the past 20 years.

· Fr. Mudd says that “The most important thing to me is the community.”

Week 6

Father Daniel Quinn

Pastor, St. Paul the Apostle Church, Hancock, NY

CCC Seminar: "Comedy in the Book of Job

Fr. Daniel Quinn is a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, N.Y.  He

attended St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, and was ordained in

2012.  He has served at Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany, the Catholic

Churches of Northern Columbia County, and is now the pastor of St. Paul the

Apostle in Hancock.  Prior to seminary, he worked as a theater technician, and worked as a carpenter and painter for the Chautauqua Theater Company for the 2005 Season.  Fr. Daniel Quinn is the pastor of St. Paul the Apostle in Hancock NY. During the 2005 season, he worked at the Chautauqua Theatre Company as a carpenter and painter. He then attended seminary at St. Mary’s in Baltimore until his ordination for the Diocese of Albany in 2012. 

​

 Father Chris Welch

Pastor: St. Cecilia, Fonda, NY and Sacred Heart, Tribes Hill, NY

CCC Seminar: "Two Priests Walked Into a Bar; The Third Ducked!!!!" Humor is a

great gift from our God

Fr. Chris was raised in the Finger lakes region  in Auburn NY  He served in many roles as a boy at his home parish of Sacred Heart.  . After earning his BA in Education from Antone State University, Chris applied to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.  Chris studied at the St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore MD. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Howard Hubbard in 1994.Chris has served in many parishes over the years. He is currently pastor of St. Cecilia in Fonda NY, Sacred Heart in Tribes HIll NY.  He also serves of the Episcopal Vicar for the Mohawk region of NY. Chris has always enjoyed sharing faith with those of many faiths.  He especially enjoys the music and dance at the Chautauqua Institute.  He is glad to attend the institute again this summer.  He says this institute is the "highlight of his year."

​

Week 7

Father Christopher Lowe

Administrator: St. Michael Parish, North Andover, MA

CCC Seminar: "Catholic Social Doctrine for the Rest of Us"

I went to the University of Maine in Orono, and stayed active in the Newman

Center there as an organist in a folk group. There, I met a young woman named

Carmen, who played the guitar.. I graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering

in 1979. She graduated the next year and we were married soon after.We were

both well employed and had a pretty good life together. There were bumps in the

road, we were not blessed with children, but we shared 30 years of our lives together One day, Carmen said to me, completely out of the blue, “If anything were to happen to me, you’d never remarry, you’d just become a priest.” She was a very wise woman. Finally in December of 2009, Carmen died quietly in our bedroom at home.” I signed up for a retreat at Pope St. John XXII National Seminary. . That “road less traveled” had curved around and was now pointing to the seminary and priesthood.The 4 years went by very quickly. On May 23rd, the Cardinal once again ordained me, this time as a priest. ch, but he would not miss this for the world. I am currently assigned to St. Michael Parish in North Andover. My “road less traveled” to the priesthood has come to its conclusion. I do not have years of experience to offer to this congregation. I do have years of life experience that I trust will be relevant and helpful.

​

Father Robert Kennedy

Diocese of Rochester, NY, Senior Priest

CCC Seminar: "Grace and Prayer" What the Lord's Prayer Teaches Us to Pray For

Father Robert J. Kennedy, pastor, is from Waterloo, New York. He was ordained

a priest on March 1, 1974, and has served as pastor of Blessed Sacrament since

June 2000. Father Bob has overall pastoral and administrative responsibility

for the parish. He is also adjunct assistant professor of liturgical studies at Saint Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry. Father Bob has a M.Div. from Saint Bernard's Seminary and a M.A. in liturgy the University of Notre Dame. Before he became pastor of Blessed Sacrament he served as diocesan director of liturgy and of continuing education, and taught full time at Saint Bernard's.

​

Week 8

Father Anthony Randazzo

Pastor: Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Westfield, NJ

CCC Seminar: "The Jewish Jesus and Christ Today"

He is overjoyed to be the uncle of two nephews and two nieces.  He received

theological degrees at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium and the

Gregorian University, Rome.  After ordination in 1986 he began priestly

ministry at Our Lady of Mercy,Jersey City. He came to Notre Dame in 1996 as

the associate-pastor became pastor in 2009.  In 2006 he co-authored a text based on his passion for yoga and Christ entitled, "Beatitudes, Christ, and the Practice of Yoga."  Besides a consistent yoga practice, he enjoys walking, cross-country skiing, domestic and international travel, and time with family and friends. He served as pastor of   in North Caldwell, NJ and is now Pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in Westfield, NJ. Father Anthony so loved Chautauqua that he wanted to share it with some of his congregation.  In 2017 a group o about twenty came to Chautauqua as Father Anthony was Chaplain. The trip was advertised as Westfield New Jersey to Westfield, New York . They travelled to Westfield NY  from Chautauqua and met at the Episcopal Church where Pastor Virginia Carr greeted the group and related stories about the history of Westfield….

​

Father Samuel Monaco

Parochial Vicar: St. Anne Catholic Church, Fair Lawn, NJ

Director of Campus Ministry: Bergen Catholic High School, Oradell, NJ

CCC Seminar: "The Meeting of St. Francis of Assisi and the Sultan

al-Malek al-Kamil"

Fr. Sam Monaco grew up in Maywood, NJ and attended Seton Hall University

and the College Seminary for the Archdiocese of Newark. He earned a

bachelor of arts degree in religious studies and attended Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall. He completed his studies for the priesthood and was ordained on December 10, 1988. He first served as a Deacon at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Mountainside and then as a priest in the following parishes: Holy Rosary – Jersey City, Queen of Peace – North Arlington and St. Gabriel’s – Saddle River. He took a leave of absence from the priesthood to care for his ailing parents and during that time served as a Pastoral Associate at St. Rose of Lima – East Hanover and then as Director of Religious Education at St. Anthony’s in Hawthorne (both parishes are in the Paterson Diocese). He returned to active priesthood in 2014 for the Diocese of Paterson and was assigned by Bishop Arthur Serratelli to serve at Morristown Medical Center as a Chaplain, until being recently assigned by Cardinal Joseph Tobin as Parochial Vicar for St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, upon his reinstatement to the Archdiocese of Newark. Fr. Sam holds a master of arts degree in religious education from Felician University in Lodi, NJ and a Graduate Certificate in Franciscan Spirituality from St. Francis University in Joliet, Illinois. He has been a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order since 1997

​

Week 9

 Father Patrick Cahill

Pastor: St. Eugene Parish, Asheville, NC

Mission Office Director for the Diocese of Charlotte, NC

CCC Seminar: "An Extraordinary Month of Mission and the October Synod on the Pan-Amazon - Are they connected?"

​

Father Doug May, MM

Maryknoll Mission Promotion/Education, Asheville, NC

CCC Seminar: "Freedom and Democracy: Egypt" A Reflection on Egypt

since theme week at Chautauqua - August 2014

Father Doug May is a Maryknoll missionary priest from Western New York

who worked in Egypt for 20 years. He was part of the formation and education

staff at the Coptic Catholic Seminary (he is bi-ritual) and helped the build/run Our Lady Queen of Peace Home for Special Needs in Cairo.  He also served the English-speaking expatriate community there.

​