Fifteen priests serving in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington marked milestone anniversaries of their priestly ordinations this year. Among them was Father Charles H. Muzzey, who died Oct. 6 at the age of 93. This year was the 60th anniversary of his ordination.
Celebrating 50 years as a priest are Father Tesfamariam Baraki; Father Michael J. Kelley; Father Raymond C. O’Brien; and Msgr. Michael Wilson.
Archdiocesan priests marking the 40th anniversary of their priestly ordinations are Father Francis J. Early; Society of Christ Father Jerzy Frydrych; Father Samuel C. Giese; Father Michael T. Jones; Father Walter J. Tappe; and Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi.
Celebrating their 25th anniversary as priests are Father William H. Gurnee III; Father Thomas G. LaHood; Father Tam X. Tran; and Father Jean-Marie Vincent.
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. The native of Newark, New Jersey, was ordained as a priest for the archdiocese in 1965. Father Muzzey served as the pastor of St. George Parish in Valley Lee, Maryland, from 1981-1990 after serving as the administrator there for a year, and he was the pastor at St. Ambrose Parish in Cheverly from 1977-79. Over the years, he also served as the parish administrator at three other Maryland parishes – St. John Vianney in Prince Frederick, St. Paul in Damascus and Our Lady of the Wayside in Chaptico.
After his ordination to the priesthood, Father Muzzey first served as a parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish in Bowie, and he later served as the parochial vicar at St. Raphael in Rockville, St. Mark the Evangelist in Hyattsville, St. Ambrose in Cheverly, St. Francis Xavier in Newtowne, St. John the Evangelist in Silver Spring, St. Francis of Assisi in Derwood and Holy Family in Hillcrest Heights. He also served as the chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. Father Muzzey retired in 2002. His Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Oct. 15 at St. Ann’s Church in Washington, D.C.
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. The native of Spokane, Washington is the son of the late Thomas and Dorothy Kelley. Father Kelley was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1975 after studying at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. 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 Parish.
Under Father Kelley’s leadership, St. Martin of Tours Parish is now known for its uplifting worship, vibrant music and welcoming atmosphere.
Ministries expanded or founded since Father Kelley’s arrival at St. Martin of Tours include the Sodality, RCIA and Teen Catechumenate, IMPAC Retreat, Narcotics Anonymous outreach, Black and women’s history programs, SHARE food services, and annual food, clothing and toy drives for the needy.
Examples of his community outreach legacy at the parish include St. Martin’s Apartments, 184 units of affordable rental housing built by Catholic Charities on a 2.5 acre site donated by the church, and the 31-year-old North Capitol Street & Rhode Island Avenue Ecumenical Council he founded with seven Protestant churches to help drive out an open-air drug market.
Father Kelley, who is now 77, received the Caritas Award from Catholic Charities in 2011.
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. Former students, colleagues, and friends gathered to honor Father O’Brien, an 81-year-0ld native of Washington who was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1975 and joined the Columbus School of Law faculty in 1977. The priest, who is a graduate of La Salle University in Philadelphia and the University of Virginia Law School, completed his doctorate in ministry at Catholic University in 1985.
The law school’s website noted “Father O’Brien has dedicated his life to service through his priesthood, teaching, and steadfast support of law students committed to justice and shaped by faith.” Father O’Brien is a nationally recognized scholar in family law, elder law, and decedents’ estates, and he is a prolific author of casebooks and publications. 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, is the son of the late Col. Norton Wilson and Marion Wilson. He moved to the Washington area with his family as an eighth grader, and they began attending St. Elizabeth Parish in Rockville, Maryland, which he considers his home parish. After studying for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, he was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1975.
Then-Father Wilson served as a parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie and later at Nativity Parish and at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington. In addition to serving as the pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, 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. During his retirement, he also served as an administrator at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Silver Spring and St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Bowie.
Msgr. Wilson serves on the archdiocesan Priest Council and on the College of Consultors and Priest Retirement Board. He previously served as the dean of the archdiocese’s Calvert County Deanery.
40th anniversaries
Father Francis Early – an 89-year-old retired priest of the Archdiocese of Washington who is marking his 40th anniversary in 2025 – earlier worked for 19 years for George Washington University, including as the manager of Lisner Auditorium, where he met luminaries such as the legendary mime Marcel Marceau and the ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn.
A Washington native, he is the son of the late Walter Early and Agnes Smith Early. The future priest was ordained as a permanent deacon for the archdiocese in 1972, and served in that role for 13 years at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where his experiences included assisting at Saint John Paul II’s Mass at the cathedral during the pope’s 1979 visit to Washington.
In 1985, Father Francis Early achieved a dream that he had since childhood by being ordained as a priest for the archdiocese, and he celebrated his first Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral where he had served for many years as a deacon.
After his ordination to the priesthood, Father Early served as a parochial vicar at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland from 1985 to 1994, before being named as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Bushwood. He served in that Southern Maryland parish for 19 years before retiring in 2013, and now his name is listed in a plaque in the church’s vestibule that includes the names of every other pastor who has served there since Sacred Heart Parish was founded in 1755.
Following his retirement, Father Early has assisted in celebrating Masses and hearing Confessions at St. Patrick Parish in Rockville and Our Lady of Grace Parish in Leisure World.
Father Jerzy Frydrych, 67, has served for the past 10 years as pastor of Our Lady, Queen of Poland and Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.
A native of Poland, Father Frydrych was ordained there in 1985 as a priest of the Society of Christ. The order was founded in 1932 to serve Polish Catholic communities dispersed around the world. He prepared for the priesthood at the Catholic University of Lublin in Poznan, Poland.
Prior to being commissioned abroad in 1987, Father Frydrych was pastor of Saint Catherine Parish in Goleniow, Poland. Before assuming his duties as pastor of Our Lady, Queen of Poland and Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Silver Spring in 2015, he served as pastor at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Houston; Nativity Parish in San Francisco; and Saint Maximilian Kolbe Mission in San Diego.
He earlier served in Canada as pastor of Our Lady Queen of Poland Parish in Toronto and Saint Anthony Parish in Regina.
Father Samuel C. Giese, 67, is a native of Clarksburg, West Virginia and is the youngest of six children born to John and Silvia Giese. He has served as pastor of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Bethesda, Maryland since 2012.
Prior to entering the seminary, he studied at the University of Montpellier in France and Saint Louis University in Missouri, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and French.
After his 1985 ordination as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, he served as a parochial vicar at Ascension in Bowie, Saint Catherine Laboure in Wheaton, Holy Cross in Garrett Park, and Saint Bernadette's in Silver Spring.
From 1997 until 2004, he served as a prison chaplain, ministering to inmates at the Lorton Correction Facility in Lorton, Virginia for three years and ministering at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Morganton, West Virginia for four years.
He was deployed to Iraq as a combat area chaplain with the Army National Guard from 2005-2006. While there, he wrote a series of columns from the war zone for the Catholic Standard.
Prior to being named pastor at Saint Jane de Chantal, he served for six years at Saint Mary Parish in Landover Hills, Maryland – one year as an administrator and five years as pastor.
Father Michael T. Jones, who will celebrate his 67th birthday on Dec. 9, is a native of Washington, D.C., one of six children born to Timothy and Nancy Jones. He has served as pastor of Saint Pius X Parish in Bowie, Maryland since 2008. He also earlier served there from 1987 to 1991 as a parochial vicar.
He graduated from Robert E. Peary High School in Rockville prior to entering Saint Pius X Seminary in Dalton, Pennsylvania. After graduating from there in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in human services, he entered Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland.
In 1982, he entered the chaplain candidate program of the United States Air Force.
After he was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in 1985, Father Jones served for two years as a parochial vicar at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Washington. He began serving as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1988.
Prior to being named pastor of Saint Pius X in Bowie, Father Jones was a chaplain at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School which was then in Wheaton, Maryland and was an administrator and pastor at Saint Benedict the Moor Parish and Saint Vincent de Paul Parish in Washington, D.C.
Since 2010, Father Jones has served as a member of the archdiocese’s Priest Council.
Father Walter J. Tappe, 67, has served as the pastor of Saint Hugh of Grenoble Parish in Greenbelt, Maryland for more than 20 years. The native of Washington, D.C. is the son of Edward and Alice Tappe, and he grew up in Saint Bernadette Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Father Tappe entered Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving Texas prior to studying at the North American College in Rome.
Father Tappe was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1985. After serving for two years as a parochial vicar at Saint Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Indian Head, Maryland, Father Tappe returned to Rome for graduate studies.
Returning to the archdiocese in 1988, he served for five years as a parochial vicar at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, D.C. and for one year as a parochial vicar at Saint Martin of Tours Parish in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He was also in residence for two years at St. Mark Parish in Hyattsville, Maryland while continuing his studies at The Catholic University of America.
Prior to assuming the duties of pastor at Saint Hugh Parish, Father Tappe served from 1996 to 2000 as director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship. He served as secretary of the Secretariat of Parish Life and Worship from 2000 to 2004.
Since 2022, Father Tappe has served as dean of the archdiocese’s Upper Prince George’s County Deanery. Earlier, he served as a member of the archdiocesan Sacred Arts Commission and as a member of the Priest Council.
Msgr. Peter Vaghi, who is marking his 40th anniversary as a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington in 2025, has served for nearly four decades as the chaplain of the John Carroll Society, a group of Catholic professionals in service to the archbishop of Washington. Msgr. Vaghi retired in 2025 after serving for 21 years as the pastor of the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland, where he is now pastor emeritus.
The 77-year-old Washington native is the son of the late Joseph and Agnes Vaghi. The future priest earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and as a Fulbright Scholar he attended the University of Salzburg in Austria. After graduating from the University of Virginia Law School, he practiced law in Washington.
After his seminary formation at the Pontifical North American College and the Gregorian University in Rome, then-Father Peter Vaghi was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 1985. He served as a parochial vicar at St. Ann Parish and at St. Patrick Parish in Washington before becoming the pastor of St. Patrick’s in 1995, and he led the oldest Catholic parish in the federal city for a decade before becoming the pastor at Little Flower.
Msgr. Vaghi has written several books, including the Pillars of Faith series – “The Faith We Profess,” “The Sacraments We Celebrate,” “The Commandments We Keep” and “The Prayer We Offer.” He is also the author of “Encountering Jesus in Word, Sacraments and Works of Charity,” and of the book “Meeting God in the Upper Room.”
25th anniversaries
Father William H. Gurnee III, who will turn 63 on Nov. 20, has served since 2017 as pastor of Saint Joseph’s Parish on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. He is also an adjunct spiritual director at Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington.
One of four (two boys and two girls) born in Westchester County, New York to Judy and Bill Gurnee, the future priest moved with his family to Greensboro, North Carolina. There, he graduated from high school and from North Carolina State in 1986 with a degree in economics. He later moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for five years for U.S. Rep. Robert F. Smith of Oregon.
After studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, Father Gurnee was ordained in 2000 as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The former congressional staff member celebrated his first Mass at Saint Joseph’s Church on Capitol Hill.
Since ordination, he served as a parochial vicar at Saint Mary of the Mills in Laurel, Maryland and Saint Pius X in Bowie; as a pastor at Holy Angels Parish in Avenue, Maryland; and as an administrator of Saint John Vianney Parish in Prince Frederick, Maryland.
In addition to his parish duties, Father Gurnee has served as an associate chaplain to Saint Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Maryland and as a college chaplain at George Washington University and American University.
When the archdiocese’s then-Blessed John Paul II Seminary opened in 2011, Father Gurnee was appointed to serve as the director of spiritual formation there, and he continued in that role at the seminary until 2015.
He currently serves a member of the Priest Council and has previously served on the Priest Personnel Board.
Father Thomas G. LaHood, 67, was born in Washington, D.C., the fifth of seven children of Charles and Susanne LaHood. Since July of this year, he has served as pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Kensington, Maryland.
Prior to preparing for the priesthood, he attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, which was then in Wheaton, and Archbishop Neale School in La Plata. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Saint Mary’s College in Maryland and a law degree from the University of Baltimore.
In 1994, Father LaHood began his studies for the priesthood at Theological College in Washington. He then went on to the North American College in Rome, where he earned a master’s degree in theology. He was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 2000 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Prior to being named pastor at Holy Redeemer, he served since 2014 as pastor of Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Upper Marlboro. He also served as pastor from 2009 to 2014 at Saint John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and from 2007 to 2009 at Our Lady’s Church at Medley’s Neck in Leonardtown, where he served for a year prior as parochial administrator.
He previously served as a parochial vicar at Saint Philip the Apostle Parish in Camp Springs, Maryland and Saint Peter Parish in Olney, Maryland.
Outside of his parish duties, Father LaHood served as chaplain to Saint Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown and as dean of the archdiocese’s Lower Prince George’s County Deanery. He is a member of the Priest Council and a member of the College of Consultors.
Father Tam Xuan Tran was born in Vietnam in 1967. He attended Hue University in Vietnam, Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland and the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania prior to entering the seminary.
He studied at the North America College in Rome and was ordained a transitional deacon at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He completed his preparation for the priesthood at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. and was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 2000 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Since 2014, he has served as pastor of Our Lady of Vietnam Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland. For two years prior to becoming pastor, he served there as a parochial vicar and administrator.
He also served as pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Forestville, Maryland from 2007 to 2012. Over the years, he has served as a parochial vicar at Saint Pius X Parish in Bowie, Maryland and Saint John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
He earlier served as a member of the archdiocese’s Priest Council as a member of the Priest Personnel Board.
Father Jean-Marie Vincent was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of Paris in 2000 by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger. He graduated from the Paris Studium College of the Paris Seminary. Father Vincent served in ministry in the Archdiocese of Paris from 2000 until 2010. He then was assigned to the French parish of Washington, Saint Louis de France, from 2010 until 2018. After a year of sabbatical in Jerusalem and Rome and a year back in Paris where he ministered in a Catholic hospital, he came back to serve in the Archdiocese of Washington in 2020. Father Vincent – who is now in residence at Our Lady of the Visitation Parish in Darnestown after earlier being in residence at St. Raphael Parish in Rockville – serves as a chaplain at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville.
(Richard Szczepanowski and Mark Zimmermann of the Catholic Standard staff contributed to this article, which includes reporting by freelance writer Joann Stevens.)
