On Wednesday, June 5, Cardinal Timothy Dolan joined the members of the Ordination Classes of 1974 and 1999 to mark 50 and 25 years of priestly service, respectively.

At the Mass celebrated by His Eminence and the jubilarians in the Main Chapel of the St. John Vianney Clergy Residence in Riverdale, the Cardinal thanked the priests for their service to the Church and noted that the reading from St. Paul’s Second Letter to St. Timothy summarizes the perseverance and joy that marks the life of a priest, especially with all the changes that have occurred in the world and the Church over the past 50 years.

Noting that the celebration was on the Feast of St. Boniface, who brought the light of faith to the peoples of what is now Germany, Cardinal Dolan urged the jubilarians to continue to work tirelessly for the new evangelization that is the challenge of the Church today.

The newly ordained priests of the Archdiocese joined in the celebration and were welcomed into the presbyterate by their older brothers in the priesthood. A festive luncheon followed the Mass, during which the younger priests were regaled with the stories and experiences of the jubilarians.

Those celebrating anniversaries this year are:

50^th Anniversary

The Reverend Francis Buu, retired

The Reverend William Cosgrove, pastor of St. Augustine Parish, New City

The Reverend Monsignor William Belford, pastor of St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus Parish and Dean of Staten Island Deanery

The Reverend Monsignor John Graham, pastor of St. Frances de Chantal Parish and Dean of the East Bronx Deanery

The Reverend George Lodi, retired

The Reverend Andrew Kurzyna, retired

The Reverend Robert Robbins, pastor of Christ the King Church, Yonkers

25^th Anniversary

The Reverend Thomas Byrnes, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua, West Harrison

The Reverend Matthew Furey, pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Poughkeepsie

The Reverend Rhey Garcia, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Staten Island

The Reverend George Hafemann, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Goshen

The Reverend Raul Miquez, parochial vicar at St. John and Visitation Parish, Kingsbridge

The Reverend Nikolin Pergjini, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Bronx

The Reverend Senapthige Niranjan Rodrigo, pastor of Infant Saviour Parish, Pine Bush

The Reverend Luis Saldana, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Bronx