Priests of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington attending their convocation were reminded Nov. 6 that they are engaged in “a ministry of goodness” and are called to show the goodness of God through their priestly ministry.
“We are ministers of the goodness of God, and we are ambassadors of Christ – and sometimes that is difficult,” said Father Thomas LaHood, the pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Kensington, Maryland, who served as homilist of the convocation’s closing Mass.
The Nov. 4-6 convocation at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort in Cambridge, Maryland is usually held every two years and offers the presbyterate an opportunity for discussion and fellowship with their brother priests, and time for prayer and reflection.
About 210 active and retired priests from throughout the archdiocese attended the three-day event.
This year, the traditional closing Mass of the convocation was offered to honor 15 priests in the Archdiocese of Washington celebrating milestone anniversaries of their ordinations to the priesthood. Father LaHood – who is marking the 25th anniversary of his ordination as a priest of the archdiocese – was the homilist at the Mass.
Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy was the principal celebrant of the Mass. He thanked the jubilarian priests “who have dedicated their lives in serving others” and noted that “we are truly blessed … for all the sacrifices they (priests) have made.”
Retired Cardinal Wilton Gregory and retired Cardinal Donald Wuerl – both of whom are archbishops emeritus of this archdiocese – concelebrated the Mass along with Washington Auxiliary Bishops Roy E. Campbell Jr., Evelio Menjivar and Juan Esposito, who serves the archdiocese as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.
In his homily, Father LaHood recalled that “the worst moments of my priesthood were when I failed in kindness and patience.”
He referred to several biblical stories – including the parables of the lost sheep and the return of the Prodigal Son – to remind his brother priests that “we are ministers of God’s goodness.”
He said that just as the lost sheep recognized the goodness of the shepherd and the Prodigal Son recognized the goodness of his father, the priesthood is “a ministry of goodness.”
He lamented that some of the faithful have “just wandered away.” The priest said that some left during the COVID pandemic, some feel disconnected and some are angry at the Church.
“Those who have walked away, who have wandered away – how do we get them back?” Father LaHood said. “That is kind of why we have been here these last few days to discern.”
Priests, Father LaHood said – referring to Psalm 27 which was the responsorial for the Mass – are called to show the faithful “the goodness of God in the land of the living.”
“If we reveal that goodness to the people and if they should one day wander off, hopefully the Holy Spirit will help them remember that goodness,” he said.
During the Mass, prayers were offered for the pope, the bishops, the priests celebrating milestone anniversaries of their ordinations and for “all shepherds of souls.”
Cardinal McElroy told the priests at the Mass that it was “a great joy” to celebrate “our common priesthood” and prayed the liturgy would “call us to an ever-deeper faith.”
Here are the priests serving in the Archdiocese of Washington who marked milestone anniversaries this year and were honored at the closing Mass of the Convocation of Priests:
60th anniversary
- Father Charles Muzzey, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington who marked his 60th anniversary in 2025, died on Oct. 6 at the age of 93. Over the years, he served as a priest at several Maryland parishes, including as the pastor of St. George Parish in Valley Lee from 1981-1990 and as the pastor at St. Ambrose Parish in Cheverly from 1977-79.
50th anniversaries
- Father Tesfamariam Baraki, a native of Ethiopia, served for 17 years as the founding pastor of the Kidane-Mehret Ge’ez Rite Ethiopian Catholic community that was established in the Archdiocese of Washington in 1984 and became a parish in 2023. Since 2001, Father Baraki has served as a chaplain at Howard University Hospital in Washington.
- Father Michael J. Kelley – the pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Washington, D.C., for the past 33 years – was honored by his flock and by family and friends at a Mass and reception this spring celebrating his 50 years of serving as a priest in the nation’s capital. Father Kelley was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1975. Following his ordination, he served as a parochial vicar at St. Thomas More and St. Augustine parishes in Washington before he was assigned in 1992 to become the pastor at St. Martin of Tours.
- The Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America honored Father Raymond C. O’Brien, a professor emeritus there, with a reception in June celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest. Father O’Brien, an 81-year-0ld native of Washington, was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1975 and joined the Columbus School of Law faculty in 1977. Father O’Brien is a nationally recognized scholar in family law and elder law. In addition to his longtime teaching role at Catholic University’s law school, Father O’Brien also serves as a permanent visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center and as a weekend associate at St. Elizabeth Parish in Rockville, Maryland.
- When he retired in 2019, Msgr. Michael Wilson continued doing what he has done since his ordination 50 years ago – serving as a priest. The veteran priest began assisting with Masses at about a dozen parishes, mostly in the Southern Maryland region with its people and its scenery that he had grown to love while serving as pastor at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Solomons from 2011 until his retirement. Msgr. Wilson, a 77-year-old Virginia native, was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1975. Over the years, Msgr. Wilson also served as the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Lexington Park, St. Raphael Parish in Rockville and St. Mary of the Mills Parish in Laurel.
40th anniversaries
- Father Francis Early, an 89-year-old retired priest of the Archdiocese of Washington marking his 40th anniversary in 2025. After being ordained as a permanent deacon in 1972, he served for 13 years at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, and he assisted at Saint John Paul II’s Mass at the cathedral during the pope’s 1979 visit to Washington. In 1985, Father Francis Early was ordained as a priest for the archdiocese. Before his retirement in 2013, he served for 19 years as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Bushwood in Southern Maryland.
- Society of Christ Father Jerzy Frydrych, a native of Poland, has served for the past 10 years as pastor of Our Lady, Queen of Poland and Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.
- Father Samuel C. Giese, the pastor of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Bethesda, Maryland since 2012; earlier served as the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Landover Hills, as a prison chaplain, and as a combat area chaplain deployed to Iraq with the Army National Guard from 2005-2006.
- Father Michael T. Jones, the pastor of Saint Pius X Parish in Bowie, Maryland since 2008, earlier served as the pastor of St. Benedict the Moor Parish and St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Washington.
- Father Walter J. Tappe, the pastor of Saint Hugh of Grenoble Parish in Greenbelt, Maryland since 2004, earlier served as the director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship and led the Secretariat of Parish Life and Worship.
- Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi, the longtime chaplain of the John Carroll Society in the Archdiocese of Washington, recently retired as the pastor of the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, and he earlier served as the pastor of St. Patrick Parish, the oldest parish in the federal city of Washington. Msgr. Vaghi has written several books, including “The Faith We Profess,” “The Sacraments We Celebrate,” “The Commandments We Keep” and “The Prayer We Offer.”
25th anniversaries
- Father Thomas LaHood began serving as the pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Kensington in July after recently serving as the pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Upper Marlboro.
- Father William H. Gurnee III, a congressional staffer before his ordination to the priesthood, has served since 2017 as pastor of Saint Joseph’s Parish on Capitol Hill in Washington. He is also an adjunct spiritual director at Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington.
- Father Tam Xuan Tran, a native of Vietnam, has served as pastor of Our Lady of Vietnam Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland since 2014.
- Father Jean-Marie Vincent, a priest of the Archdiocese of Paris who was assigned to the French parish of Washington, Saint Louis de France, from 2010 until 2018. Father Vincent now serves as a chaplain at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville.
