Bishop Daniel A. Hart and Monsignor Anthony Rosaforte

By BRIAN LYMAN
Norwich Bulletin; bmlyman@norwichbulletin.com

NORWICH -- The installation of Bernard Flanagan as the first bishop of Norwich on Dec. 9, 1953, brought 11 bishops and 2,000 people into the newly-consecrated Cathedral of St. Patrick. For the 50th anniversary celebration in the Cathedral July 25 at 10:30 a.m., there will be at least eight bishops on hand for the Mass, and, in all likelihood, a full cathedral.

The diocese was established Aug. 6, 1953, after Pope Pius XII divided the Diocese of Hartford into three. The Diocese of Norwich encompasses New London, Middlesex, Tolland and Windham counties, as well as Fisher's Island, N.Y. The diocese had 146 religious and diocesan priests for 124,000 Catholics in 1953; the diocese today has 210 priests for 227,000.

Catholicism in eastern Connecticut is believed to have arrived in 1756, when 400 Acadians, expelled from Nova Scotia by the British, arrived in New London. Half of the Acadians eventually settled in the area. A Catholic priest preached at First Congregational Church in Norwich in 1791 to a Protestant assembly. The five bishops who have been in charge of the diocese have been diverse in both personalities and priorities. Bishop Vincent Hines, the second bishop of Norwich, was described by friends as quiet and uncomfortable before crowds. Bishop Daniel Reilly, his successor, was a more gregarious, back-slapping individual.

Local concerns have usually occupied the prelates. Flanagan and Hines, the second bishop of Norwich, spent much of their time on parochial education. Flanagan, bishop of the Diocese from 1953 to 1959, purchased most of the land and buildings the diocese currently occupies and opened the first regional high school in the area. Hines, bishop from 1960 to 1975, unveiled a plan in 1962 to build five high schools throughout the diocese, although only three, including St. Bernard's in Montville, opened on his watch. Reilly, who succeeded Hines after he stepped down for health reasons in 1975, started the Annual Bishop's Appeal in 1978 and converted several mission parishes in the diocese into parishes. Bishop Daniel Hart succeeded Reilly in 1994, after the bishop was named Archbishop of Worcester. An efficient fund-raiser, he was able to raise $15 million in a "Response of Faith Campaign" to support diocesan services. Bishop Michael Cote succeeded him last May.

The Norwich bishops have occasionally stepped onto bigger stages. Flanagan, by then Archbishop of Worcester, and Hines attended the Second Vatican Council, the reforming assembly of the Church, from 1962 to 1965. Flanagan complained about the "long speeches that lead to nowhere" some of the attendees delivered. Reilly sat on a U.S. Conference of Bishops' committee that drafted "The Challenge of Peace," a 1983 pastoral letter urging arms control.

Originally published Saturday, July 12, 2003 in the Norwich Bulletin - republished here by permission of the editor.

Norwich bishop ordains three priests

Victor Chaker, Brian Romanowski and Kevin Reilly entered priesthood in a ceremony Saturday

By JENNIFER BABULSKY

Norwich Bulletin

NORWICH -- Years of hard work and determination to serve God were rewarded Saturday for three priests during their ordination ceremony.

The ceremony, which was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral, was the culmination of many years dreaming to enter the priesthood for Rev. Victor Chaker, Rev. Brian Romanowski and Rev. Kevin Reilly. The three men were ordained by Bishop Michael Cote. A fourth priest, Rev. Joseph Whittel, suffered a heart attack and will be ordained at a later date. The ceremony began with the calling of the candidates. It ended with the newly ordained priests giving their first blessings to Cote and then extending their blessings to members of their immediate families.

After the ordination, a reception was held in the basement where the priests gave blessings to people in attendance for more than an hour. The day marked the end of a long journey to become priests. Chaker, who was raised in Egypt, postponed entering the priesthood because his father was worried there would be no men to take care of his family. Chaker was the only son in a family of daughters. Once married, Chaker came to the United States in 1968, where he became heavily involved in the church. "My wife died five years ago, so I decided to fulfill my old dream," he said. Romanowski, a Norwich native, said it was not instinctive to enter the priesthood. "It took time," he said. He said he started thinking about becoming a priest in high school when he would talk to the school chaplain. In college, feelings about entering the priesthood grew stronger and he remained in contact with his high school chaplain.

Reilly was born in Maryland but later moved to East Lyme with his parents in 1974. A graduate of St. Bernard High School in Montville, Reilly was co-captain of the indoor and outdoor track teams. While recent sex scandals involving priests and parishioners left some people questioning whether to enter the priesthood, but not these three men.

Romanowski said the scandals left him apprehensive, but he knew where he was destined to go in life. "At first I was really nervous about it," he said. "But ordination day really confirmed God's presence." Chaker said the priests who committed the scandalous acts with parishioners were weak and did not represent all priests. "This is the work of the devil," he said. "We need faith filled people to enter the priesthood."

Originally published Sunday, June 1, 2003 re-published on the St. Patrick's Web Site by permission of the editor.