My story begins where I grew up in North Central Ohio, about five miles from the Major Seminary of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Shelby, Ohio. When I was in the fifth grade, one of our neighbors asked if I would like to accompany him to the “seminary,” where he would go to purchase homemade bread and butter.
That was my introduction to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. On these trips I got to know the priests, brothers, and seminarians who lived, worked, and studied there. Eventually I would spend an occasional afternoon with the seminarians performing their various jobs. I learned about the Missionaries and the foreign missions. Leon Weisenbeger, an MSC seminarian, adopted me as his “pen pal.”
From that time on those who knew me knew that I wanted to be an MSC priest.
While I was in junior high my parents took me to visit several high school seminaries. My mother wanted me to choose a seminary relatively close to home. Much to my parents’ displeasure I chose to apply to Sacred Heart High School Seminary in Geneva, Il., forty miles west of Chicago and 350 miles from home.
I thrived in the high school seminary program. The year of novitiate in Youngstown, Ohio, was an endurance test for me and my four classmates. I found the philosophy and theology studies in the “major Seminary” in Shelby, Ohio, to be difficult and challenging.
Sept. 30, 1967 my three classmates and I were ordained priests in my home parish in Mansfield, Ohio. Anton Ripp’s first assignment was to go as a missionary to our mission diocese in Kavieng, Papua New Guinea. Jack Evans was assigned to go to our parish mission in Bogota, Colombia. Mike Tobin was sent to study at DePaul University in Chicago. And I was assigned to lead the MSC Vocation Promotion Office in Geneva, Il.
Five years later I accepted a transfer to Shelby, Ohio, where the seminary was being developed into the MSC Center for Religious Education. At this time I was also able to fulfil one of my dreams – to teach high school religion at the local Catholic high school.
After three years I was sent to our community in Watertown, NY, where I taught for five years and then became pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish for the next seven years. This was followed by a sabbatical year at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
I was then able to fulfill another one of my dreams by going to Kavieng, Papua New Guinea, to teach school. After a three-year stint in PNG I returned to the USA and accepted the position of “Director of Education” at St. Peter’s High School, Mansfield, Ohio.
Seven years later I was able to return to Papua New Guinea. This time I went to East New Britain Province to become rector of the grade ten and eleven seminary known as St. Peter Chanel College.
Three years later I found myself returning to Watertown, NY to again become pastor of OLSH Parish. Nine years later I agreed to become superior of our retirement community in Center Vally, Pa. And then at the “ripe old age” of 77 I was elected by my MSC confreres to be Provincial Superior of the American Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. I was finally able to retire on Sept. 1, 2024, When Fr. Michael Miller began his new job as Provincial Superior.
I am now living very happily at our retirement community in Center Valley, Pa., unemployed and jobless!
By Fr. Richard Kennedy, MSC
Photo 1, L-R: Charles Sauber, Jack Evans, Anton Ripp, Mike Tobin, and Richard Kennedy (the “then” picture), Photo 2: Fr. Richard Kennedy, MSC (the “now” picture)
