A Letter Legacy
by Bonnie Dalzell
A long time ago – 82 years ago, to be exact – a little boy named Charles Quinn who lived at 8016 Michener Street received a letter from a priest named Fr. Richard Kearney, JCD. Fr. Kearney reminded him that “Today, 14 December, 1942, the infant parish of Saint Raymond celebrates its first birthday.” He went on to extend cordial birthday greetings to the child, as well as a fervent prayer that “like our Divine Model, we may advance ‘in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and man’ (Lk. 2:52).” Except for this treasured letter, nothing more is known about young Charles Quinn, nor the role his family played in the formative days of our parish.
When Fr. Kearney wrote his kind letter, the people of St. Raymond were worshipping in a space made available through an act of great kindness. On December 7, 1941 (“a day that will live in infamy”), the non-Catholic Nolan family, who owned a farm near the site of our present church, made a remarkable decision: they offered their home as a meeting place, and their barn as a place of worship for the growing number of Catholic families in West Oak Lane. The formal Opening Mass of the parish was held the following Sunday. There, the faithful gathered -- alongside cows, roosters and other farmyard animals -- to welcome Jesus.
Tucked away in the parish office is the Parish Jubilee Book of 1992, which offers an intimate glimpse of its first pastor, Father Richard Kearney. A graduate of Roman Catholic High School, he was sent upon his ordination to earn a degree in Canon Law at Catholic University. He was later known as a prolific letter-writer as well as a scholar, a theologian and an astute businessman. Through the early tumultuous years of World War II, Fr. Kearney affirmed and directed the renovation of Nolan’s Barn, all the while nurturing his dream of a permanent church and school.
When Dennis Cardinal Dougherty met with Fr. Kearney on November 24, 1941, he asked him to assemble a flock from the existing parishes of St. Athanasius, St. Theresa (then called “Little Flower”), Seven Dolors, Immaculate Conception and Holy Cross to form a new parish and to choose a patron saint – a name which it bears to this day.
Remember, Fr. Kearney was a scholar and a Canon Lawyer. So it was no surprise when he chose a little-known saint from the 12th and 13th centuries: Saint Raymond of Penafort -- the patron of Canon Lawyers who was known for revising the form of the Sacrament of Penance, as well as his deep devotion to the poor of the countryside in Spain, where he lived.
Just six years after he penned his birthday wishes to young Charles, the priest had raised more than $130,000, and work on the church began in spring of 1947. And on a hot summer day in July the next year, Father Kearney led a procession of more than 1,000 parishioners and friends from Nolan’s Barn to the new site of St. Raymond of Penafort Church. There were prayers of thanksgiving, followed by a sermon and Solemn Benediction. Some 45 priests took part in the ceremony. The theme was “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Today, everyone who enters through the front doors of St. Raymond of Penafort walks past the tomb where Fr. Kearney was buried on December 23, 1964. He died of a heart attack in the rectory – then located at 8018 Michener Street – just next door to the home of the Quinn family.
The Parish Jubilee Book notes that Fr. Kearney was more than a spiritual leader. “He was a beloved father-figure who brought strength and enthusiasm to each and every project of the parish.”
Now, St. Raymond Church is about to embark on another much-needed building and renovation project. It is truly a time once again for us to advance “in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and man.”