Rev. Msgr. Edward Scull
The Rev. Msgr. Edward J. Scull, age 90, of Brookfield, the retired Pastor of St. Pius X Church in Fairfield, passed away peacefully, Friday August 26, 2016. Born in Bridgeport, the son of the late Joseph and Marguerite Scull, he was a graduate of Central High School in Bridgeport and St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield. Msgr. Scull was ordained to the priesthood on May 3, 1951. He served on the faculty at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Fairfield and as Principal of the former Central Catholic High School in Norwalk.
He served as a parochial vicar at St. Mary Church in Bethel. His first position as pastor was at St. Gabriel Church in Stamford. On January 1, 1972 he was installed as pastor of St. Pius X Church, retiring on January 1, 2002. Most recently Msgr. Scull had been a resident priest at St. Joseph’s Church in Brookfield.
He enjoyed golfing with family and friends. Survivors include his sister, Mary Anne Dolan of Milford, four nephews; five nieces and ten great-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Joseph Scull; a sister, Marguerite Cleary a brothers-in-law, Joseph Dolan and Francis Cleary and a sister-in-law, Veronica Scull.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by the Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at 11 am at St. Pius X Church, 834 Brookside Drive, Fairfield. Interment will be in St. Michael Cemetery, Stratford. Friends may call Tuesday from 4-8 pm in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in memory of the Scull family to St. Augustine’s Cathedral, 359 Washington Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604.
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Dee Maggiori
Doris (Dee) Maggiori, one of the founding editors of Fairfield County Catholic and a noted Catholic journalist, died on Thursday, June 2, 2016, in St. Vincent’s Medical Center.
She was the daughter of Florence and Maurice McGrath and beloved wife of the late Herman J. Maggiori. They resided in Trumbull for many years.
“For years Dee’s monthly column, filled with practical advice and amusing stories, was the highlight for many readers of Fairfield County Catholic,” recalls Dr. Joseph McAleer, who edited the paper from 1998-2009.
“She was an editor’s dream: always on time, perfect grammar, solid catechesis, and never dull. We are indebted to Dee for her yeoman’s work founding the newspaper with Msgr. Grieco, launching a new era of evangelization for generations of Catholics in our diocese.”
In 1984 she became one of the co-founders, along with Msgr. Nicholas V. Grieco, of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s Fairfield County Catholic newspaper where she served for 13 years as assistant editor before retiring and becoming a columnist in 1997. For more than ten years, her column “In The Spirit” appeared in the Fairfield County Catholic newspaper, and the Catholic Journal of Edgewater, Florida. She also served as a free-lance reporter the Catholic News Service.
Her work as a journalist and free-lance writer included articles that appeared in many national magazines and newspapers. For 12 years, she wrote feature articles for the Catholic Transcript in New Haven and also for the former Bridgeport Sunday Post.
Born in Bridgeport, Maggiori became a Trumbull resident in 1959. She was the founder of the Trumbull Woman’s Club and served as its first president. She was also a co-founder of the Trumbull Youth Association (TYA), served as a judge on the Trumbull Arts Commission’s Literary Competition for nine years, and was a faithful volunteer for the American Red Cross Blood Bank for 27 years.
In I986, she was chosen as “Connecticut Woman of the Year” by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs for her extensive community volunteer work, and in l99l she was awarded the “Pro Ecclecia Et Pontifice” Medal by Pope John Paul II for her many years of service to the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Bridgeport where she worked with drug addicts and alcoholics through the Manpower and Training and Development Program and sewed as coordinator of the Diocesan Commission on Aging and as the chairperson of the Commission on Laity for the l970 Synod.
At the time of her death, in addition to her monthly column, “In The Spirit,” Maggiori was an active member of the board of directors of the Fairfield County Branch of the National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW), a professional organization of writers, artists and composers, where she served as Membership Chairperson. She was also the coordinator of “Talking Writers” and facilitator of the “Advanced Writers’ Workshop” in Westport, as well as a co-producer and frequent host of the TV program, “Creative Women, Today.”
She was a long-time member of the League of St. Joseph’s Manor and served as a Eucharistic Minister at Christ the King Church in Trumbull for more than 20 years. She enjoyed writing, playing the piano and water-color painting. Maggiori was predeceased by her beloved husband of 47 years. Herman J. Maggiori, an International Marketing Executive with whom she traveled to 76 countries. He was the author of the book “How To Make The World Your Market,” which she edited.
She is survived by two nieces: Michele Desmond of New Boston, NH, and Sharon Paradiso Ph.D., of Northampton, MA; a grand-niece, Nina Paradise of Northampton, MA; and a beloved godchild, Lisa Keller of Lakeville, CT. She is also survived by several members her dearly beloved adopted families, the Robert Schmidle, Sr. family of Newtown and the Eugene Rodgers family of Mountainside, NJ.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 11 am, meeting directly in Christ the King Church, 4700 Madison Avenue, Trumbull, with a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Monsignor Joseph Potter, The Brazilian Children’s Fund at the Diocese of Bridgeport, 238 Jewett Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06606. Arrangements by the Redgate – Hennessy Funeral Home, Main Street and Gorham Place, Trumbull.
Father Robert J. Usenza
BRIDGEPORT—Reverend Robert J. Usenza died on Sunday, April 17, 2016.
Father Usenza’s body will be received on Thursday, April 21 at 6 pm at Saint Mary Church, 5 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT 06505, and will lie in state until 8 pm.
There will be no Vigil Mass. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held there on Friday, April 22, 2016 at 9:30 am. Monsignor Thomas Powers will be the main celebrant. Burial with military honors will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 1056 Daniels Farms Road, Trumbull, CT 06611. Clergy present at the Funeral Mass will wear diocesan vestments.
Father Usenza was born on September 21, 1934 in Brooklyn, NY, son of Frank and Fannie Naste Usenza. He attended P.S. 89, Queens and Saint Agnes Academic High School, Rockville Center, NY. He was prepared for the priesthood at Saint Mary’s College, Saint Mary’s, KY, Saint Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield and Saint Mary Seminary, Baltimore.
He was ordained to the priesthood by the Most Reverend Lawrence J. Shehan at Saint Augustine Cathedral, Bridgeport on May 20, 1961.
Father Usenza was assigned as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Grace, Stratford; Saint Mary, New London, CT; and Saint Andrew, Bridgeport. He also was a priest in residence at Our Lady of Grace Parish, Stratford and Saint Joseph Parish, Shelton, and temporary administrator at Saint Andrew Parish.
Father Usenza served as the Spiritual Director at Saint Joseph High School and Cathedral Girls’ High School, Bridgeport. In addition, he was appointed Priest Chaplain at Norwalk Community College. Father did graduate studies in counseling at Fairfield University.
Father Usenza attended Naval Chaplains’ School in Newport, RI. He served as a U.S. Navy Chaplain until 1969, when he became a chaplain in the Naval Reserve Training Center, Bridgeport. He was released to do military service again in 1976, this time in the U.S. Marines and Army, which continued until 1984. He retired from active priestly ministry in 1988 and was generous with his time, helping at parishes near his West Haven home.
Father Usenza is mourned by his brothers, Frank (Cathy) Jr. and Ronald J. Usenza and his nephew and nieces, Frank Usenza III, Anna Maria Stewart, and Jaclyn Doyle. Condolences to his family may be sent to his brother, Frank Usenza, 1520 Islamorada Boulevard, Punta Gorda, FL 33955. Memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey, 5804 West Monastery Road, Hulbert, OK 74441. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Usenza and for the consolation of his family.
Deacon Harold Lynch
EASTON—Deacon Harold J. Lynch, 79, a deacon at Notre Dame Parish in Easton, died at home in the care of his family on April 13 after a battle with cancer.
“He had been a member of our parish for over 30 years and faithfully served the Notre Dame Community for 27 years as a permanent deacon,” said Father Michael Lyons, Notre Dame’s pastor. “Deacon Hal will be greatly missed.”
Harold Lynch graduated in 1954 from Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan. He joined the United States Marine Corps the following year. He served from 1955 to 1963, attaining the rank of Sergeant.
In 1965, he received his bachelor of science degree from Fordham University and enjoyed a long and successful career as a sales and marketing executive of primary metals for Anaconda, AMAX and ASARCO. During his retirement he consulted with SIDICH, Belgium.
In 1989, he was ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Bridgeport and served in this capacity at Notre Dame of Easton and at Our Lady of Victory in Manhattan. As a deacon, he most enjoyed serving as a facilitator for the Prepare Enrich Program and pre-baptismal classes.
He was passionate about world news and politics and would share his views with anyone that would listen. He was an enthusiastic reader, a diehard Giants fan, an avid golfer and—most important—the number one cheerleader and supporter of his granddaughters at all their sporting and musical events.
Deacon Lynch will be brought into Notre Dame Church the afternoon of Tuesday, April 19. Calling hours will be held from 3-5 pm and 7-9 pm. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 20, at 11 am. Msgr. Thomas Powers, vicar general of the Diocese of Bridgeport, will be the celebrant. Father Lyons will deliver the homily. Interment follows at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Trumbull.
Deacon Lynch is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carmen Barraza Lynch, three children and three granddaughters.
Father Emidio Gregori
BRIDGEPORT – Father Emidio O. Gregori, a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport for over 58 years, passed away on Monday, April 11, 2016 in Stratford at the age of 92. Father Gregori was ordained on May 3, 1958 at St. Augustine Cathedral by the Most Rev. Lawrence J. Shehan, first Bishop of Bridgeport.
Father Gregori’s body will be received by Reverend Nicholas Pavia on Monday, April 18, 2016 at 3 pm at Our Lady of Peace Church, Stratford, and will lie in state until the Vigil Mass at 7 pm. Monsignor Thomas Powers will preside and Reverend Nicholas Pavia will be the homilist. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held there on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at 11 am. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will be the main celebrant and Reverend Richard Murphy will be the homilist. Interment will be at Saint Peter Cemetery, 71 Lake Avenue, Ext., Danbury.
Father Gregori was born on May 19, 1922 in Collagna, Italy, to Peter Gregori and Maria Cristina Pulsoni Gregori. He attended Danbury High School, the Junior College of Bridgeport, and Syracuse University. He was prepared for the priesthood at Saint Mary Seminary, Saint Mary, KY and Saint Mary Seminary, Baltimore. Father Gregori did post-graduate studies at the University of San Francisco. He also served on the Diocesan Presbyteral Council and was active as a director of District CYO in Greenwich. He retired from active ministry in 1997. Father Gregori was assigned as Parochial Vicar at Saint Roch, Greenwich; Saint Mary, Stamford; Saint Raphael, Bridgeport; and Saint James, Stratford. He also served as temporary administrator at Saint James Parish. He celebrated his 50th Anniversary as a Priest in June, 2008.
Father Gregori is mourned by his brother and sister-in-law, Oreste and Joanna Gregori. Condolences may be sent to Mr. and Mrs. Oreste Gregori, 23 Sunnyview Drive, Redding, CT 06896.
Father Frederick Saviano
BRIDGEPORT—Father Frederick Saviano died on Saturday, April 9, 2016 at Bridgeport Hospital after a long struggle with illness.
Father Saviano’s body will be received into his home parish of the Church of the Assumption, Westport, on Friday, April 15, at 3 pm by Father Robert Kinnally, Chancellor of the Diocese, and will lie in state until the Vigil Mass at 7 pm.
Msgr Thomas Powers, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bridgeport, will preside at the Mass and Father Thomas Thorne, Assumption’s pastor, will be the homilist.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, April 16, at 10 am. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will be the main celebrant; Msgr. Nicholas Grieco will be the homilist. Interment will be at Assumption-Greens Farms Cemetery, Greens Farms Road, Westport.
In a 2002 profile of Fr. Saviano in Fairfield County Catholic, he reflected on his work as a priest while serving as Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Danbury.
“The priesthood is like the Incarnation. When Jesus took on a human nature, He became a part of us, no matter how deeply we upset Him, no matter how badly we behave,” he said
“As priests we live where we work and we’re always available to our people. I love them. I’m part of them, I am their priest. It’s all-absorbing. No matter how difficult this job is, you have to see God’s presence all around you.”
Father Saviano was born on November 5, 1941 in Norwalk Hospital. The son of John and Mildred Romano Saviano, he grew up in Westport. He was prepared for the priesthood by the Missionaries of LaSalette at LaSalette Seminary, Hartford, LaSalette Seminary, Altamont, NY and LaSalette Seminary, Ipswich, MA.
He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Thomas J. Riley at the La Salette National Shrine in Ipswich, MA on May 5, 1968. He then ministered for many years as a missionary in Argentina and Peru.
Coming back to his home diocese, he was assigned as parochial vicar at Saint Benedict/Our Lady of Montserrat Parish in Stamford and subsequently was incardinated into the Diocese of Bridgeport in 1995. In 1996, Father Saviano was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Danbury.
He served there until 2005, at which time he accepted a year-long pastoral assignment in parish mission work in Peru.
Father Saviano became the director of the Office for the Propagation of the Faith in 2006, and served in that capacity at the Catholic Center until his retirement in 2015. During this time he was in residence at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Weston and was the administrator of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish, Shelton.
Father Saviano also served on the diocesan Presbyteral Council.
Father Saviano is mourned by his sister-in-law, Hazel Saviano, and several nieces and nephews. His memory will be cherished by his many friends in South America with whom he kept contact through Skype and social media. Condolences may be sent to Hazel Saviano, 3 Saviano Lane, Westport, CT 06880. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Fred and for the consolation of his family.
Father Hribsek, former pastor of Holy Cross Parish
FAIRFIELD – Father Aloysius Hribsek, former pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Fairfield, died on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, September 14, in Stamford Hospital. He was 92 years old.
Father Hribsek, who lived at the Catherine Dennis Keefe Queen of Clergy Retired Priests’ Residence since 1996, served as pastor at Holy Cross Parish for twenty-three years.
Born on October 28, 1921 in Yugoslavia, he attended local schools there. His studies for the priesthood were done at the Pontificio Ateneo Salesian in Turin, Italy and Salesian College, Aptos, Calif. His ordination to the priesthood as a Salesian took place at Mary, Help of Christians Church, Watsonville, California, on June 29, 1949. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Bridgeport in 1959.
His first assignment for the diocese was as a faculty member at the former St. Mary High School in Greenwich, while in residence at Saint Michael Parish, also in Greenwich. Later he was an assistant at Sacred Heart Parish, Byram, and administrator and pastor at Holy Cross Parish. He lived at St. Luke Parish, Westport as well.
Father Hribsek spent part of his early years of retirement in his native Slovenia assisting Salesian Fathers working in that newly formed, independent country. On his return he was appointed administrator of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Shelton and later chaplain at Villa Maria Retreat House in Stamford.
In addition, Father Hribsek served on the Priests’ Council and did advanced studies at Fordham and Columbia Universities, and the Catholic University of America.
Father Hribsek’s body will be received at Holy Cross Church on Wednesday, September 17, at 4 pm where it will lie in state until the Vigil Mass at 7 pm. The celebrant and homilist will be Reverend Alfred Pecaric, the current pastor.
The Mass for Christian Burial will be celebrated for Father Hribsek on Thursday, September 18, at 10:30 am at Holy Cross. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will be the main celebrant. The homilist will be Msgr. Nicholas Grieco. Burial will follow at Saint Michael Cemetery, Stratford, in the Priests’ Circle.
Msgr. Frank Wissel, beloved Pastor of Saint Mary Parish
GREENWICH – Msgr. Frank C. Wissel, 76, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Greenwich, died peacefully yesterday evening (June 19) in Greenwich Hospital.
News of his death has been greeted with sadness by people throughout the diocese. His commitment to education and his devotion to the people entrusted to his care made him a towering presence both in Greenwich and among the inner-city students he had served in in Bridgeport.
Msgr. Wissel’s body will be received into Saint Mary Church on Monday, June 23 at 10 am, where it will lie in state until the Vigil Mass there at 7 pm. The celebrant and homilist for the Mass will be Msgr. William Scheyd, pastor of St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Msgr. Wissel in St. Mary’s on Tuesday, June 24, at 11am. The celebrant will be Bishop Frank J. Caggiano; Msgr. J. Peter Cullen, pastor of St. Michael Parish in Greenwich, will deliver the homily.
Burial will follow at Saint Mary Cemetery, in the Priests’ Circle.
Msgr. Wissel had retired as pastor less than a week earlier, on June 15, after serving the parish for 17 years.
To honor the occasion of his retirement, a marble statue of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal had been erected outside the church, overlooking Greenwich Avenue. It was donated anonymously by a parish couple in honor of Msgr. Wissel and in gratitude to Our Lady for her intercession in the healing of cancer patients.
The statue was dedicated by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano on a festive Mother’s Day, May 11, with many parishioners and well-wishers looking on. Carved from Carrara marble by the Arrighini Family of Pietrasanta, Italy, the one-ton statue is an exact replica of the one in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the Rue de Bac in Paris, France. The chapel is where Our Lady appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830, encouraging her to create the medal.
Msgr. Wissel believed the statue would be the source of many blessings, as well as a powerful witness to passersby on the busy shopping street. “It’s beautifully done, a unique gift given by a very special couple,” he said on that happy day. “I never expected it to be dedicated to me. In Brooklyn you’d have to be dead 30 years for that to happen!”
A native of Brooklyn, Msgr. Wissel, 76, was ordained to the priesthood in 1977 by Bishop Walter Curtis. He holds a doctorate in psycho-theology and ministry from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, CA.
Msgr. Wissel was the principal of Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport from 1981-1991. While there he founded the St. Maximilian Kolbe House of Studies for Boys in Bridgeport, designed to educate young men in a family setting. In 1991 he was named Chaplain to His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, carrying the title of Monsignor.
Appointed pastor of Saint Mary’s in 1997, Msgr. Wissel expanded the number of parish programs and organizations and established a fund to assist the needy, including the large immigrant community. All of this was accomplished, he notes, through the “overwhelming” generosity of parishioners in devoting their time, talent, and resources.
His trademark style of running a successful parish, Msgr. Wissel had noted, was to build a team effort between clergy and qualified lay people. “You have to delegate, and you have to affirm people when they are doing a good job,” he said.
Most of all, he always insisted, a pastor needs to be present. “Serve and love the people,” he said. “Try and absorb all their pains and sufferings. And let them know you really do love and care about them, and you’re happy to be there.”
For many years Msgr. Wissel wrote a popular column in the Greenwich Citizen newspaper. Recently, he offered sound advice that expresses his philosophy of life. “God has given us the Bible,” he wrote. “We are, indeed, our brother’s keeper. We have a choice, being blessed with many things, but unless we share them with the needy, all is for nothing.”
Bishop Caggiano has named Father Cyprian LaPastina, formerly pastor of Saint Gabriel Parish in Stamford and a former parochial vicar at Saint Mary’s, as the new pastor.
Msgr. William Loughlin dies at 87
TRUMBULL – Msgr. William Loughlin died on May 26 at St. Joseph Center in Trumbull, where he lived in retirement. He was 87 years old.
William Loughlin was born on March 3, 1927 in Wharton, N.J. He attended St. Mary’s School there and Bayley High School in Morristown. Thereafter he attended the Oratory Preparatory School in Summit, N.J., and Seton Hall University, attaining BA and MA degrees. He completed his seminary studies and received a Master of Divinity degree from Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.
He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Walter W. Curtis in St. Mary Church, Greenwich, on May 3, 1969.
His first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Newton. He also served at Assumption Parish in Westport, St. Philip Parish in Norwalk, St. Augustine Cathedral Parish in Bridgeport and St. Mary Parish in Greenwich.
In the summer of 1983, he was named pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Shelton. That fall, he was appointed director of the newly formed Office of Diocesan Pilgrimages, a position he held until his poor health prohibited travel. He was named a Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope John Paul II, with the title of Monsignor, on July 14, 1988.
While continuing as director of the pilgrimage office, he served as parochial vicar of St. Mary’s in Greenwich, St. Luke Parish in Westport and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Fairfield. In addition, Msgr. Loughlin served on the Priests’ Council.
An evening Vigil Mass and a Mass of Christian Burial will celebrated for Msgr. Loughlin at St. Bridget of Ireland Parish in Stamford. The date and time is still to be determined. Bishop Frank J. Caggiano will celebrate the funeral Mass.
Msgr. Loughlin will be buried with his family in St. Mary Cemetery, Dover, N.J.
