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June 18, 2007 • VOL. 45, NO. 12 • Oakland, CA
Alameda parish
says goodbye
to Sacred Hearts Fathers
Members of
Alameda’s St. Joseph Basilica Parish will gather during the 5 p.m.
Mass on June 23 to honor and thank the Sacred Hearts Fathers, including
current pastor Father Richard Danyluk, who are leaving the parish they
have administered for 24 years.
The religious community, known formally as the Congregation of the Sacred
Hearts of Jesus and Mary, are withdrawing from the parish because of a
shortage of priests and are no longer able to staff the parish, according
to Father Danyluk. The priest, who has been pastor at St. Joseph since
2001, said his last day at the parish will be June 30. He will then go
on sabbatical.
Father George Mockel, diocesan vicar general, said that the “current
plan” is for diocesan priests to resume pastoral administration
of the parish, which has about 1600 registered households. He added that
the diocesan Pastoral Leadership Placement Board has conducted an open
meeting at the parish, that drew almost 300 parishioners, to listen to
their hopes and expectations for the future.
In addition, a transition team has been created to help facilitate the
conversation between the diocese and the parish, said Adorers of the Blood
of Christ Sister Toni Longo, pastoral associate at St. Joseph. The team
processed a survey in which parishioners were able to prioritize the things
they valued about and wanted for the parish, which was passed on to the
board.
“It is anticipated that a list of possible priest candidates will
be presented to the Bishop for his consideration in the near future,”
Father Mockel said. “One of the principal reasons for all this consultation
is for us to discover God’s will.”
The Sacred Hearts Fathers, who also oversaw the operations of the parish’s
elementary and high school, are leaving behind a pastoral legacy built
on spirituality, lay leadership and community service.
Like his predecessors, which included Fathers Patrick Goodwin and Jeremiah
Holland, Father Richard Danyluk centered his ministry on the Eucharist
and “the way it brings life to the people so that they could live
what they celebrate,” said Sister Longo. For parishioners, that
means living it “outside the doors.”
One way that Father Danyluk personified the edict was to put care for
the sick as a priority. “If he got a phone call (from a hospital,
convalescent facility or an ailing person at home) he was out the door,”
Sister Longo said.
Under Father Danyluk’s leadership the parish adopted the theme,
“Live your life as Jesus taught you,” said David McGaffey,
a member of the pastoral council. “He lived that way. He showed
what it means.”
That example of stewardship and outreach flowed from the pastor throughout
the parish community, he said.
