Henry B. Syvinski, O.S.A.

1919 – 1999 (December 9)

Henry Bronislaw Syvinski (Czerwinski) was born on July 10, 1919, to Bronislaw Czerwinski and Antonina Zachara, in Amesbury, Massachusetts. He was baptized in the church of St. Joseph, Amesbury, on July 16, 1919, and received his early education at St. Joseph Parish School and St. James High School, Haverhill, MA. While at St. James, he was president of the freshman class, played the violin in the school orchestra and participated in the language and art clubs. In September 1937, he began his third year of high school as a postulant at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York. On September 9, 1939, he entered Our Mother of Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, NY, professed simple vows on September 10, 1940, and made solemn profession on September 10, 1943. In 1944, he received a BA degree from Villanova College, then began theology at Augustinian College, Washington, DC. On June 10, 1947, he was ordained to the priesthood at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. He continued studies at the Catholic University, Washington, DC, and in 1948, he earned an M.A. degree in Fine Arts.

On August 6, 1948, Father Syvinski received his first assignment as assistant pastor at the parish of St. James in Carthage, New York. He also served as administrator of that parish for a period of four months. In January 1950, he was assigned to St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1951, he became an assistant at St. Augustine Parish, Andover, MA., where he remained for seven years. While in Andover, he re-organized the Sacred Heart Sodality, began a boy's and adult choir, established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and headed The Church Unity Program. On January 29, 1958, he was assigned to St. Thomas Monastery and became a professor at Villanova University. Over the years he taught Apologetics, Christology, Sacramentology and Fine Arts & Religion. He was moderator of extra-curricular activities; namely, Glee Club, Swimming Team, University Band, Student Art Club and Intra-Murals.

Father Syvinski was a gifted artist whose works were displayed in locations on the east coast. For many years he taught a course in painting for the friars at St. Thomas Monastery, where he designed and carved wooden images of Augustinian Saints for altars in the monastery. He designed mosaics for four altars in St. Mary's Hall and the seal of the Province for the Villanova University library. Among his 16 wood carvings was the crucifix that hung over the main altar at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C..

Father Syvinski was a member of the Philadelphia Art Alliance. In 1969, he received the Freedom's Foundation George Washington Medal for his sermon on patriotism. As a linguist he spoke and read Polish, Russian, Czecho, Slovak, Ukranian and Croatian. With a love for parish ministries he assisted at several parishes in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
Recognizing others' talents, Father Syvinski offered the following affirmation to an Augustinian, "As an artist I want to say, 'Do not be discouraged. Continue in your concern for aesthetics within the Order.... Having done some research and having written on the artistic phase of St. Thomas of Villanova, I notice that what you are doing now is very much similar to what he did centuries ago."

Father Syvinski died in St. Thomas Monastery on December 9, 1999. The Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated in St. Thomas Church on the campus of Villanova University. Interment followed at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, PA.

Luke J. Sweeney, O.S.A.

1907 – 1974 (July 2)

Luke J. Sweeney, son of James Sweeney and Isabel Gallagher, was born in Plains, Pennsylvania, on August 2, 1907, and was baptized nine days later at Sacred Heart Church there. He attended Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, as a postulant, and was received into the novitiate on August 15, 1926. He made his first profession of vows on August 16, 1927, and solemn profession on August 16, 1930. He received a B.A. degree in Philosophy from Villanova College, and pursued theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C., where he was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1933. He was awarded an M.A. in Education in 1934 by the Catholic University of America.

Father Sweeney was assigned to Villanova Preparatory in Ojai, CA, in 1934. In 1938 he was transferred to Saint Rita High School in Chicago where he remained until 1941. When the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel began in 1941, Father Sweeney became a member of the Midwestern Province. From 1941 to 1944 he was stationed at Saint Clare of Montefalco Parish in Grosse Pointe, Michigan as associate pastor , and from 1944 to 1965 he was assigned to Saint Rita Parish in Chicago in the same role.

After a brief assignment to Saint Joseph Mission House in Fort Wayne, IN, where he worked on compiling the history of the Midwest Province, he became the first Augustinian pastor of Saint Anthony' parish in Baton Rouge, LA in 1966. In 1968 he was named pastor of Saint Augustine's parish in Detroit. In 1972, because of ill health, he retired to the monastery of Austin Catholic Prep in Detroit where he remained until his death on July 2, 1974. Father Sweeney is buried in the Augustinian plot of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Alsip, Chicago.
Father Sweeney was a personable friar and a good listener who enjoyed the trust of others. His favorite Scripture passage, the parable of the Prodigal Son, was reflected in his attitude of openness to everyone. He was particularly concerned with ministry to children of all ages and the needs of the elderly.

Edward J. Sweeney, O.S.A.

1911 – 1984 (September 7)

Edward John Sweeney was born January 28, 1911 in Chicago, Illinois, to Charles Sweeney and Mary Murray. He was baptized February 5, 1911 at Visitation Church, was confirmed November 7, 1922 at St. Rita Church, Chicago. He received his elementary education at St. Rita School, and graduated in 1929 from Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York.
Edward was received into the novitiate on September 10, 1929. He professed simple vows on September 11, 1930 and solemn vows on September 11, 1933. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Villanova College, Pennsylvania, in 1934, and then pursued theological studies from 1934 to 1938 at Gregorian University, Rome, while a member of the Santa Monica College community. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 25, 1937, and received an S.T.L degree in 1938.

Father Sweeney's entire ministerial life was spent in the parochial apostolate. His first assignment was in 1938 as assistant pastor of St. Rita Parish, Chicago. In 1941 he was named assistant pastor of St. Clare of Montefalco Parish, Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. He became assistant pastor of St. Mary Parish, Rockford, Illinois, in 1953. He returned to Saint Clare of Montefalco Parish, Grosse Pointe Park, in 1959, again serving as assistant pastor. In 1972 he was named prior of the Augustinian community at St. Clare.

Father Sweeney developed Parkinson's disease, and retired from full-time ministry in 1979. He continued to reside at St. Clare of Montefalco until 1982, when he was assigned to St. Nicholas of Tolentine Monastery, Olympia Fields, Illinois. Declining health made necessary his admission to a skilled nursing care facility, where he died September 7, 1984 of pneumonia.

Father Sweeney was noted for his gentle ways and his devoted attachment to the Order. One could set one's watch on his arrival at community exercises. Most of all, Father Sweeney was devoted to the young. In recognition of his ministry to the youth of the parish, when St. Clare of Montefalco School, Grosse Pointe Park, expanded its parish school, the newly constructed section was named in honor of Father Sweeney.

He is buried in the Augustinian plot at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois.
 

William H. Sullivan, O.S.A.

1926 – 1999 (August 29)

William H, Sullivan was born on February 10, 1926. He entered the Order as a Novice in New Hamburg, New York in 1943 after graduating from Saint Augustine High School in San Diego, California. After his formation and theological studies he returned to his alma mater to teach English. He also taught at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA and in the Augustinian staffed Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. In 1962 he returned to Saints as assistant vice-principal and in 1974 was named assistant superintendent of schools in the San Diego Diocese. During this time he also served as a member of the Priests’ Senate and the executive committee of Villa Nueva, the Augustinian sponsored housing project in San Ysidro, CA. Father Sullivan, or “Sullie,” also edited the California Province newsletter.

Father Sullivan was called to Rome to coordinate publications for the Order in the late 1970′s. Upon his return to the United States he served as associate pastor in Our Lady of Grace Church in Castro Valley, CA and in St. Patrick’s Church in San Diego. In 1989 he was chosen to serve on the formation team of the newly formed international novitiate for English speaking novices in Racine, WI. 

He returned to San Diego in 1995 due to the harsh Midwest winters and failing health, living at the Saints monastery. He died in the San Diego Hospice Hospital on August 29, 1999. He is remembered for his wit, his mastery of the English language, and his far reaching friendships.

Robert M. Sullivan, O.S.A.

1908 – 1972 (October 11)

Robert Martin Sullivan, the son of Joseph Sullivan and Anna Reilly, was born in Germantown, Philadelphia on May 18, 1908. He graduated from Augustinian Academy in 1925, was admitted to the novitiate on August 15, 1925, and professed simple vows on August 16, 1926. He graduated from Villanova with a B.A. degree in June, 1929 and was solemnly professed on August 16 of the same year. Following theological studies, he was ordained to thea priesthood on June 14, 1932, in Washington, D.C. by Bishop Emmet Walsh. He received his Master's degree in Psychology from The Catholic University that same year.

Father Sullivan was assigned in 1933 to Saint Augustine High School, San Diego, where he taught until 1936 when he began studies at Oxford, England. He received his MA in English in 1938 and was assigned to Villanova. Father Sullivan remained teaching at Villanova until 1961 and, in 1950, becoming Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was then assigned to Biscayne College, Miami in 1962, and was Vice-President and prior until 1968. He then was selected prior of Resurrection Parish in Dania, while teaching part-time at Biscayne. He returned to a full-time teaching position at Biscayne in 1971.

While recovering from a heart attack Father suffered Sullivan a massive stroke and underwent history-making surgery September 26, 1972, being the first person in the United States to undergo the delicate graft of an artery into the brain.

Father Sullivan died at Mercy Hospital, Miami, October 11, 1972, at the age of 64. A Funeral Mass was offered at Biscayne on Friday, October 13, and another at Saint Mary’s Hall, Villanova on Monday, October 16. Burial followed in the community cemetery at Saint Mary's Hall, Villanova. His remains were later transferred to the Augustinian section of Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pa.
 

Mortimer A. Sullivan, O.S.A.

1887 – 1949 (July 13)

Mortimer Augustine Sullivan was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on January 2, 1887, one of six children of Cornelius Sullivan and Mary Leary. He was baptized and received his primary education in the parish of Saint Mary, in the same city, and in 1900 attended Villanova Prep, Villanova, PA as a lay student. He entered the novitiate at Villanova, on July 3, 1904, as a member of the first class to reside in Saint Rita’s Hall. He made his profession of simple vows on July 4, 1905, graduated from Villanova College, and in 1906 sailed for Rome together with Matthew Corcoran to study at the International College of Saint Monica. Together they made their solemn profession there on July 16, 1908. Mortimer Sullivan was ordained to the priesthood in the Chapel of the Apollinare by Archbishop Ceppetelli on July 4, 1909.

That same year, Father Sullivan returned to the United States where he served as an assistant at Saint Laurence O’Toole Parish, Lawrence, Mass. In December, 1910, he was transferred to Saint Rita Parish in Philadelphia, PA., and in 1912, to Immaculate Conception Parish in Hoosick Falls, N.Y. From 1915 to 1917, he was a member of the Province Mission Band. He then was assigned, in May, 1917, to Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, Atlantic City, N.J. In early 1918, he volunteered to serve as a chaplain in the United States Navy during the First World War. After the War, Father Sullivan returned to Atlantic City, N.J. In 1925, he was named President of Villanova College. The following year he was appointed prior and pastor of Saint Matthew Parish in Flint, Michigan. He held the same office as Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in Jamaica, New York beginning in 1929.

At the Chapter of 1932, Father Sullivan was elected Prior Provincial of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. After serving two terms in office, he became prior and pastor of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Atlantic City. He served again as Prior Provincial from 1944 to 1947. During his last term as provincial, the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Cuba, and Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts were established, and negotiations were proceeding for the opening of Carroll High School in Washington, DC.

Father Sullivan was 62 when he suffered a fatal stroke and died in Atlantic City Hospital on July 13, 1949. Solemn Requiem Masses were celebrated in Atlantic City and at Saint Mary Parish, Lawrence, Mass., after which Father Sullivan was buried in the Community Plot of Saint Mary's Cemetery in Lawrence. 

Father Sullivan possessed ideal qualities of leadership. He was a kind man, open to dialogue, friendly and relaxed in his dealings with others, and able to combine firmness with encouragement when necessary. 

Two buildings are named in Father Sullivan's honor; the Liberal Arts building at Merrimack College, and a dormitory on the Villanova University campus.

Michael A. Sullivan, O.S.A.

1885 – 1937 (March 14)

Michael Augustine Sullivan, son of Daniel Sullivan and Bridget Garvey, was born on August 8, 1885, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. On August 9th, he was baptized in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, a mission of Saint Mary's Parish. Michael received his early education in Saint Mary's Parochial School, Lawrence High School, and Villanova Preparatory School, Villanova, Pa. He entered the novitiate at Villanova on July 4, 1907, professed simple vows on July 6, 1908, and made solemn profession on July 6, 1911. On May 30, 1914, he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Edmund F. Prendergast, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Philadelphia, and offered his first solemn High Mass in his home parish of Saint Mary's, Lawrence.

In 1915 Father Sullivan was assigned briefly to Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish, Bryn Mawr, PA., and then to Saint Mary’s Parish, Lawrence, Massachusetts. In 1925, he was appointed pastor and prior of that latter community. In 1929 he was transferred to Saint Paul Parish, Mechanicville, New York, where he remained until his appointment as prior and rector of Saint Augustine, Philadelphia.

Father Sullivan died of a heart ailment in Misericordia Hospital in Philadelphia, on March 14, 1937, at the age of 51. A Solemn Requiem Mass was offered at Saint Augustine Church on Tuesday, March 16, followed by a second Mass at Saint Mary’s, Lawrence, on Thursday, March 18, followed by burial in Saint Mary's Cemetery, Lawrence. 

Edward A. Sullivan, O.S.A.

1905 – 1990 (April 13)

Edward Augustine Sullivan was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on December 1, 1905, the son of Richard Sullivan and Anna Cronin. He received his high school education at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, NY, and was received into the Order on September 8, 1927, professing first vows on September 9, 1928 and solemn vows on September 10, 1931. He graduated from Villanova College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in June of 1932, and also earned a Master's degree. He studied theology at Augustinian College in Washington, DC, and was ordained to the priesthood there on June 11, 1935.

After ordination, Father Sullivan was sent as an assistant to Saint Mary's parish in Rockford, IL. From 1939 to 1943 he was assistant at Saint Rita parish in Chicago. In August, 1943, he received his commission as a Navy chaplain, and was stationed with the Marine Corps until June 1946 at Tinian and Saipan.

Father Sullivan, after being discharged from the Marines, returned to Saint Rita parish in Chicago in August of 1946, where he stayed as an assistant until September of 1951. In that year he became an instructor at Saint Rita High School in Chicago, where he was also director of the Seminary Guild. In 1958 Father was transferred to Mendel High School in Chicago, where he was also director of the Seminary Guild. In 1964 he retired to Saint Rita High School, Chicago. In deference to his family, the provincial and the council allowed him to transfer to Merrimack College, MA, to be near them. He died after a long illness on Good Friday, April 13, 1990.

Father Sullivan was noted at Saint Rita High School in his final years for his humor, his willingness to be involved in the community projects, and his enthusiasm in helping as much as possible at the school. Many have fond memories of Father "Tad" Sullivan. He was waked from Merrimack College and is buried in the Augustinian plot at Saint Mary's Cemetery, Lawrence.
 

Raymond J. Stengel, O.S.A.

1899 – 1991 (July 19)

Raymond John Stengel was born on November 25, 1899 in Reading, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of Henry Stengel and Katherine Ernst. He was baptized on December 10, 1899 at Saint Paul's Church, the German-speaking parish in Reading. Shortly after his birth his mother died. His father, unable to raise the three children, placed his oldest son, Charles Edward, who eventually became a member of the Order in the Midwest Province, and his sister Helen in the care of relatives in Reading. Young Raymond was raised by the Reichart family in Bally, Pennsylvania.

Raymond’s education began with grammar school at Englesville, PA, which he attended from 1905 to 1913. He applied to the Province’s preparatory school on the campus of Villanova College, but poor health delayed his acceptance until 1917. He graduated in June of 1920 and a year later, June 25, 1921, he was accepted as a novice at Villanova. He professed simple vows on June 26, 1922, and three years later, June 26, 1925, he pronounced solemn vows. In 1924 he graduated from Villanova with an A.B. degree and began his theological studies. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Michael Crane in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia on June 11, 1927.

Father Stengel's first assignment, in 1928, was to Saint Mary's Church in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he was placed in charge of the German-speaking Assumption Church, a mission of Saint Mary's. Eventually he was named administrator, and in 1946, when the church was set up as a separate parish, he was named its first pastor. In this first assignment, Father Stengel gave evidence of his organizational skills and his ability for implementation. In 1953, he was assigned to Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, Bronx, New York, as pastor and prior of the religious community. He oversaw the construction of a boys high school and a new friary. In 1959, he was transferred to Saint James Church, Carthage, New York, as pastor and prior. There he completed the construction of a new grade school. In 1965 he returned to Lawrence as pastor of Saint Laurence O'Toole Parish, where he refurbished the lower church, installed a new lighting system in the upper church and restored the pulpit to its place in the sanctuary. In 1968 a fire destroyed the grade school at Saint Mary's Church in Lawrence. Father Stengel was named pastor and immediately began construction of a new grade school which opened in September of 1971. That same year he was appointed prior of the community at Saint Joseph's Church, Greenwich, New York. In 1973 Father Stengel retired to Our Mother of Good Counsel Monastery on the campus of Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. In 1984 he took up residence at Saint Thomas Monastery on the campus of Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Despite his many accomplishments during his 64 year as a priest and almost 70 as a religious, Father Stengel remained a very quiet gentle man, reluctant to take credit for his years of active ministry. He endured in silence and with great patience his last years as illness forced him to become an invalid. Early in the morning of July 19, he died as he had lived, quietly and peacefully, in his room at the monastery.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated in the Chapel of Saint Mary's Hall, Tuesday, June 23. The celebrant was the Prior Provincial, Father John Hagen, O.S.A, assisted by Father John Burkhart, O.S.A. and Ronald Scheible, O.S.A., nephews of Father Stengel. The homilist for the Mass was Father Ralph Shurer, O.S.A. 

Father Stengel is buried in the Augustinian plot at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

C. Edward Stengel, O.S.A.

1895 – 1978 (May 31)

Charles Edward Stengel was born December 10, 1895, in Reading, Pennsylvania to Henry Stengel and Catherine Ernst, and was baptized on December 22, 1895 at St. Paul’s Church, Reading. A younger brother, Raymond, also entered the Order as a member of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova. Charles received his early education at St. Paul Parochial School, Reading, the Reading Public Schools and at Villanova Prep, Villanova, Pennsylvania. He was received into the novitiate in 1920, and professed vows on June 28, 1921. He earned a B. A. in Philosophy from Villanova College, Villanova, in 1924 and an M. A. in Education from Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., in 1927. After pursuing theological studies, he was ordained to the priesthood on August 29, 1926. 

Father Stengel was assigned to St. Peter’s Parish, Aurora, Illinois, and then to St. Thomas High School, Rockford, Il. When the new Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel was formed in 1941, Father Stengel was affiliated to that Province. He was elected to the first Council of the new Province and was assigned to St. Rita High School, Chicago. Three years later he was transferred to St. Monica Seminary, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where he served as prior and procurator, while continuing to serve on the Province Council. In 1953 he was named Prior at St. Augustine Seminary, Holland, Michigan.

He was transferred in 1962 to St. Rita Monastery, Chicago, where he was procurator. He retired at St. Monica Monastery, Oconomowoc, in 1971. 

Father Stengel died of respiratory failure May 31, 1978. He was originally buried at St. Mary's Hall Cemetery, Villanova. When that cemetery was relocated to the Augustinian plot at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, Father Stengel's body was moved there.

John J. Starrs, O.S.A.

1905 – 1947 (November 28)

John Joseph Starrs was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May, 13 1905, the son of Francis Starrs and Katherine Gilooly. He was the older brother of Francis Starrs, O.S.A., also a member of our Province. John attended Villanova Prep as a postulant for four years, and was received into the novitiate at Villanova, on June 21, 1923. He made simple profession on June 22, 1924 and solemn profession on June 22, 1927. He received his A.B. degree from Villanova that same year. John was ordained to the priesthood in Washington, DC, on June 10, 1930, by Bishop John McNamara.

Father Starrs was assigned to the parish of Saint Matthew, Flint, Michigan, in 1931; Shortly after he was transferred to Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, Jamaica, New York, and, in 1936, to Saint Mary's, Lawrence, Massachusetts. The following year he was appointed to Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish, Bryn Mawr, Pa., where he remained until 1942.

Father Starrs died in Philadelphia at the age of 42 on November 28, 1947, of a heart attack. He is buried at Villanova in the Community Cemetery. 

Francis T. Starrs, O.S.A.

1912 – 1982 (March 22)

Francis Thomas Starrs, son of Francis J. Starrs and Katherine Gillooly, was born in Philadelphia, PA, on August 23, 1912. From a family of three boys and one girl, Francis and his older brother, John, became Augustinians. After his early education at Saint Rita Grammar School in South Philadelphia, Francis entered Augustinian Academy, Grymes Hill, Staten Island, in 1927. Received as a novice on September 12, 1931, he pronounced simple vows on September 13, 1932 and solemn vows on June 10, 1935. He graduated from Villanova College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in June, 1936, and pursued theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C. He was ordained to the priesthood in the crypt of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on May 30, 1939.

In the early years of his priesthood Father Starrs taught high school, first at Saint Rita in Chicago, from 1940 to 1942, and then at Saint Augustine High School, San Diego, CA, from 1942 until 1953. The remaining years of his apostolate were spent in parochial ministry as an assistant pastor in Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, Bronx, N.Y., from 1954 to 1956, Saint Augustine Parish, Troy, N.Y., from 1956 to 1958, and Saint Denis, Havertown, PA, in 1958. In 1959 he was stationed in the Vice-province of California as an assistant at Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish, Los Angeles, and was elected econome of the Vice-province in 1962. Returning to the east coast in 1963, Father Starrs was an assistant at Saint Laurence O'Toole Parish, Lawrence, MA, and in 1965 was assigned to Immaculate Conception Parish, Hoosick Falls, N.Y. In 1965, he was transferred to Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, Atlantic City, N.J, and then to the parish of the Resurrection, Dania FL from 1967 to 1969. He returned to California for his health, but later returned to Saint Thomas Monastery, Villanova, PA, where he died after an extended illness on March 22, 1982. 

Father Frank Starrs was friendly and companionable. He was particularly effective in counseling parishioners with his soft, easy-going conversation and spiritual direction. He particularly liked to work with machines on the parish property. Father Starrs is buried in the Augustinian plot at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, PA. 

Albert J. Starr, O.S.A.

1888 – 1918 (October 15)

Albert Joseph Webb Starr was born in Grand Junction, Colorado, on August 16, 1888 of non-Catholic parents, Reuben Starr and Alice Dickenson. He attended local public schools and was engaged in the printing trade. He attended Villanova Preparatory School for three years, was converted to the Catholic faith from Methodism, and was baptized on May 2, 1908, at St. Joseph Church in Grand Junction. He received confirmation from Bishop Edmund Prendergast at Villanova on June 3, 1910, and entered the novitiate at Villanova in 1912. He professed simple vows on June 20, 1913, and solemn vows on June 23, 1916. He was ordained to the diaconate on May 16, 1918 at the Church of the Passionists by Bishop John J. O’Connor of Newark, New Jersey.

Albert died on October 15, 1918, at the age of 30, a victim of the influenza epidemic that fatally struck three scholastics of the province within less than a week, and affected many others as well less severely.

Albert Starr was buried in the Community Cemetery at Villanova on October 18, 1918. 

Joseph L. Shannon, O.S.A.

1911 – 2007 (August 21)

Joseph Leonard Shannon, was born on January 8, 1911, in Brookville, Pennsylvania, the son of Leonard B. Shannon and Marie C. O'Loughlin. He had 5 sisters and 4 brothers, one of whom, Albert, was also a member of our Province. Joseph was baptized on January 8, 1911, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Brookville, PA. He attended Immaculate Conception Parochial School, and three years at Saint Vincent Prep School, Latrobe, PA between 1925 and 1928. He completed his last year of high school as a postulant at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York. He entered the Order as a novice at Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, N.Y., on September 10, 1929, and made his simple profession on September 11, 1930, after which  and Solemn Vows on September 11, 1933. Following the novitiate, he attended Villanova College, Villanova, PA, from 1930 to 1934, where he received his B.A. in Philosophy. He was solemnly professed on September 11, 1933, and did his theological sudies in Rome, Italy, while a member of Saint Monica’s International College. He received an STD degree in 1940 from the Gregorian University, and was ordained in Rome at the Church of the Twelve Apostles, by Bishop Lucas Pasetto, OFM. Cap., on July 25, 1937.

Father Shannon returned to the United States in 1940, and after a summer assignment to Saint Rita's Parish, Philadelphia, he was assigned to Augustinian College, Washington, DC, as sub-master and professor of theology. From 1943 to 1946, he served as a US Army Chaplain at various sites in the US, then on board ship from California to Calcutta, India, via Australia, and at the US Air Force Headquarters, Hoogly, Bengal, near Calcutta. Honorably discharged as a Major, he returned to Augustinian College in 1946 as professor. From 1947 to 1948, he was professor of Moral Theology at Saint Monica International College, Rome, and from 1948 to 1959 he was again professor at Augustinian College, and prior of the community from 1956 to 1959. In that latter year he was appointed prior of Saint Monica, Rome. In 1965, he named Pastor of Assumption Parish, Lawrence, MA. From 1968 to 1973, he was Pastor at Saint Laurence O'Toole Parish in Lawrence, and from 1973 to 1978, Prior and Pastor at Saint Joseph's Parish, Greenwich, N.Y., where he remained in residence until 1979. From 1979 to 1981 he was assigned to Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, NY, after the novitiate was relocated to another site. In 1981 he was transferred to Saint Thomas Monastery, Villanova, PA. 

Father Shannon died on the night of August 21, 2007 in the Health Care facility of the Monastery after a long illness, at the age of 96. Throughout his life, Father Shannon was an avid student of theology, a researcher and chronicler of history, especially of the Province, and he served as the Province Archivist from 1982 to 1986. His funeral Mass was held at Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery Church, Villanova, on August 25, 2007. Father Shannon is buried at Saint Mary's Church Cemetery, Brookville, PA.
 

Patrick A. Stanton, O.S.A.

1826 – 1891 (February 28)

Patrick Augustine Stanton was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland on January 27, 1826, to William Stanton and Mary Kyle. His maternal uncle, Father Thomas Kyle, labored for a time at St. Augustine’s in Philadelphia, and his cousin, Father James Waldron, was a member of the Province. Patrick immigrated to the United States in 1841, presumably with the intention of entering the Order and within a short time was enrolled at St. Charles Seminary, then located in the city near Saint Augustine. The following year he and the two Mullen brothers left for Italy to make their novitiate at Tolentino. They were professed in 1843, after which, they did their studies in Perugia, where, in 1847, Patrick was ordained sub-deacon by Cardinal Pecci, the future Pope Leo XIII. He returned home in the summer of 1847 and was ordained to the priesthood in Saint Augustine's Church, Philadelphia, on July 30, 1848 by, Bishop Francis Kenrick. A month later, on September 1, he became a citizen of the United States.

Father Stanton served at Saint Augustine's for the next nine years and, in 1857, was named prior and pastor at Villanova. In 1858, he was appointed Commissary-Provincial, an office he held until 1866. In 1859, he took up residence in Saint Augustine's, Philadelphia where he lived until 1869, when he became President of Villanova College, a post he held until 1872. Two years later, in 1874, he was appointed to preside at the first Chapter of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova, which elected Father Thomas Galberry. Less than a year later, he was to become rector provincial, with Galberry’s appointment as bishop of Hartford, Connecticut. Something similar occurred a few years later, when Bishop Galberry’s successor as provincial, Pacifico Neno, was called to Rome, and Father Stanton once again was called upon to govern the province.

Cardinal Gibbons invited Father Stanton to become a delegate to the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884, where he served as theologian and notary. In 1886, he was appointed devil’s advocate in the cause of Bishop Neumann. In 1889, he attended the General Chapter in Rome as an ex-Assistant General.

Shortly after returning from Rome, Father Stanton became seriously ill. He died in Philadelphia on February 28, 1891, at the age of 65. A Solemn Requiem was celebrated on March 3rd by his cousin, Father Waldron, who was then Prior Provincial. Archbishop Patrick Ryan presided and pronounced the absolution of the body in church and at the tomb. Father Stanton is buried at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia.

Edward V. Stanford, O.S.A.

1897 – 1966 (February 17)

Edward Valentine Stanford, son of Gorham Stanford and Catherine Fitzpatrick, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1897. His early education was obtained at Saint Raphael Grammar School, Hyde Park, Boston College High School, and Boston College. At the age of nineteen he entered the Province as a postulant, was received as a novice on June 14, 1917, and professed simple vows on July 23, 1918, and solemn vows on July 23, 1921. After completing his college education, he was awarded an A.B. degree and began theological training at Saint Mary's Hall, Villanova. He was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral in Philadelphia on June 10, 1922. 

Father Stanford's first appointment in 1922, was as teacher of descriptive geometry in the Engineering School at Villanova, in which he continued until 1932. Appointed chaplain in 1925 he devised a special technique for religious registration of collegians and originated a spiritual cartoon bulletin. From 1932 to 1944 he was president of the College and was instrumental in establishing the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at Villanova. Deeply involved in all phases of the educational world, Father Stanford was a member of many academic organizations and was the recipient of a half-dozen honorary degrees. He was, at various times, president of the Association of American Colleges, director of Augustinian Schools, chairman of the Selection Board for Navy R.O.T.C, and full time administrative consultant of the Association of American Colleges. 

Father Stanford was rector of Augustinian College in Washington, D.C., from 1944 to 1950, after which he helped organize Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington as founding principal in 1950, and prior of the Augustinian community. During this period he organized and directed the Catholic Commission for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs, and wrote textbooks on such varied subjects as Geometry, Marriage, Faith, College Administration, as well as 18 pamphlets, 70 published articles, and 27 book reviews. 

It was while carrying out his duties as an official consultant at a meeting of the Board of Trustees at Biscayne College in Miami, Florida, that he was suddenly stricken at the Church of the Resurrection in Dania, Florida, and died on February 17, 1966. Father Stanford is buried in the Community Cemetery at Villanova University. A dormitory at Villanova is named in his honor. 

Edward Stack, O.S.A.

1826 – 1895 (October 14)

Edward Stack was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland on November 26, 1826 to James Stack and Mary Mancy. He arrived at Villanova and was received as a postulant on November 18, 1849. He began his novitiate on December 31, 1849 and in 1852 left for the Trappists with Brother Sylvester, but returned in 1853. 

Brother Edward made his first profession on April 16, 1859. In August, 1861 he was assigned to Saint Augustine Church in Philadelphia where he served as sexton, and in July 1886 was transferred to Atlantic City, New Jersey for several months, after which he was stationed at Villanova.

Brother Edward was 69 when he died at Villanova on October 14, 1895. The Office of the Dead was held the next day, followed by a funeral Mass in St. Thomas of Villanova Church. Brother Edward was buried in the Community Cemetery at Villanova.
 

Lorenzo M. Spirali, O.S.A.

1882 – 1965 (July 4)

Lorenzo Maria Spirali was born in Guardiagrele, Province of Chieti, Italy on December 26, 1882. The baptismal register of the town’s church records next to the entry for his parents, “unknown”. He was adopted and raised in the nearby town of Rapino by a young couple, Donato Michelli and Filomena Damiani. At the age of 20, he left Italy for the United States and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With much encouragement from friends, including a diocesan priest, he attended night school, then Saint Charles College, Ellicott City, MD, and Saint Charles Seminary, Overbrook, PA. He made the acquaintance of Father James McGowan, O.S.A. at the newly established church of Saint Rita, and in 1910 he entered the novitiate at Villanova. He received his bachelor's degree from Villanova College in 1914 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1916 in the Philadelphia Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul by Archbishop Edmond Prendergast.

After ordination, Father Spirali was assigned to Saint Rita's Church in Philadelphia where he served until 1926, when he was appointed prior and pastor at El Cristo Church in Havana, Cuba. He was named rector of the Colegio S. Agustin in Havana in 1929. In 1931-1932 Father Spirali was called to Rome and appointed General Oeconome for the Order. He returned to Cuba in 1937 where he remained until he was expelled along with other American and Spanish clergy by the Communist Government of in 1961. While in Cuba, Father Spirali built five churches, opened the San Lorenzo Dispensary for the Poor, started a night school for the workers and started the University of Santo Tomas de Villanueva. He was called the "Don Bosco" of Cuba. After leaving Cuba he lived in the Augustinian house in Florida, on the campus of Biscayne College, Opa-Locka, a Miami suburb.

Father Spirali was an Augustinian priest for 49 years when he died in West Palm Beach Hospital, West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 4, 1965 at the age of 82. He is buried in the community cemetery at Villanova.
 

John A. Sparrow, O.S.A.

1894 – 1953 (September 9)

John Aloysius Sparrow was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on May 8, 1894, to Thomas Sparrow and Mary McPeake. He was baptized at Saint Mary’s Church, Lawrence, on May 11th and received his early education at Saint Mary’s Parochial School. He obtained his high school education at Saint John's Preparatory School in Danvers, after which he entered Saint Rita’s Hall, Villanova, in the Fall of 1911. He was accepted into the novitiate at Villanova on June 20, 1912 and professed simple vows on June 20, 1913. He made his solemn profession on June 23, 1916, and following theological studies, was ordained to the priesthood in the Passionist Monastery in Hoboken, New York, by Bishop O'Connor of Newark, on May 16, 1918.

From 1919 to 1940, Father Sparrow was Professor of Classics and Philosophy at Villanova College and Saint Mary's Hall. He also taught these subjects at Rosemont and Bryn Mawr Colleges. In 1935, he was elected Definitor of the Province of Saint Thomas. From 1940 to 1953, he was a professor of at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, California. And at the Provincial Chapter of 1953, he was appointed prior and rector of Saint Augustine's High School in San Diego, California.

Father Sparrow died suddenly in his office in San Diego on September 9, 1953 at the age of 59. A Requiem Mass was held at Saint Patrick’s Church, San Diego, on Friday, September 11, 1953. His body was then brought to Villanova where the Office of the Dead was sung on Sunday, September 13th. The following morning the Funeral Mass was celebrated by Father James Donnellon, O.S.A., prior of the Villanova Monastery. Father Robert Regan, O.S.A. preached the sermon.

Father Sparrow is buried in the Community Cemetery at Villanova.
 

William J. Sofranko, O.S.A.

1913 – 1987 (February 16)

William Joseph Sofranko was born to John Sofranko and Mary Janigan on March 24, 1913, in East Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, later renamed Jim Thorpe, Pa. He had two sisters and a brother. He was baptized in Saint Joseph Parish there and attended the parish school. After three years at Mauch Chunk Catholic High School, he transferred to Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York, as a postulant, and graduated in 1932. In September of that year he entered the Novitiate of Our Mother of Good Counsel, New Hamburg, N.Y., and professed simple vows on September 11, 1933. Three years later, in 1936, he made his solemn profession at Saint Mary's Hall, Villanova, Pa. In 1937 he graduated from Villanova with a B.A. in philosophy and began his theological studies at Augustinian College in Washington, DC. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1940 by Bishop John McNamara at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Upon completion of his theological studies in 1941, Father Sofranko was appointed submaster of novices and assigned to Our Mother of Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg. In 1943, he was assigned to teach physics at Villanova, and two years later was transferred as assistant pastor to Saint Laurence O'Toole Parish, Lawrence, MA. After six months in Lawrence he was assigned to San Agustin, Marianao Havana, Cuba, where he taught chemistry and math at the University of Santo Tomas, headed the Department of Science, and helped set up the Department of Chemical Engineering. In 1954 Father Sofranko was assigned to Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in the Bronx, N.Y., where he remained for almost 25 years serving in the parish, teaching science in the high school, and serving as subprior of the Augustinian community. In 1978 he was assigned as associate pastor to the Church of the Assumption/Saint Paul in Mechanicville, N.Y. 

In 1983 Father Sofranko retired to Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery, Villanova. For two years he patiently endured the suffering of cancer and died on February 16, 1987. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Saint Thomas of Villanova Church on the campus, on Wednesday, February 18, after which he was buried in his family plot at Saint Joseph Cemetery in Jim Thorpe, PA.