Father John J. Paul, MSC died on June 2, 2020, at around midnight. He was 87 years old. He was born in Laureldale, Pennsylvania on October 8, 1932, to Walter A. Paul Sr. and Edith M. (Wenrich) Paul. He graduated from Holy Guardian Angels Parochial school, Reading, PA in 1946. In that same year, he…
Brother Joseph Keith Tesar, MSC died on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, at 8:40 PM, at Manor Care Nursing Home, Bethlehem, PA. He was 87 years old. He was born in Denver, Colorado on December 29, 1932, and was adopted by Stephen and Mary (Connor) Tesar, both now deceased. He received his primary education at St….
Brother George Farkas, MSC died on Friday, May 29, 2020, at about 1 AM, at Manor Care Nursing Home, Bethlehem, PA. He was 88 years old. He was born in Northampton , Pennsylvania on July 23, 1931, to George and Sophia (Baziak) Farkas. He graduated from Assumption Parochial school, Northampton, PA in 1945, and from Northampton High School in 1949. He attended Bethlehem Business School, Bethlehem, PA, in 1953-54. From 1955 to 1968, he worked at Cement National Bank in Northampton.
In 1970, he entered the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart novitiate in Shelby, Ohio, and made his first profession of vows on June 12, 1972. As a novice, he was assigned to the keeping of accounts, which he continued to do throughout his religious life. After the novitiate, he remained in Shelby until 1976, making perpetual profession of vows on May 22 of that year. Br. George was then assigned to Aurora, Illinois, where he was the provincial treasurer from 1980 until 1992. While in Aurora, in addition to his duties as treasurer, he regularly preached in the Mission Cooperative Plan throughout the United States. He was a member of the core staff of the provincial administration.
In September 1992, Br. George was assigned to Youngstown, Ohio, where he assisted in managing the financial affairs of the Youngstown community and the retreat house. In July 1996, he was assigned to Reading, PA for various community service ministries. In June 2000 Br. George returned to Aurora where he continued his community service ministry. He also participated in ministry to the Aurora community at large by working with the homeless at Hesed House, working the late evening and early morning hours overseeing the men’s sleeping quarters there. He later retired and moved to our community in Center Valley, PA. In 2015, he moved to Manor Care Nursing Home in Bethlehem, PA, where he lived for the remainder of his life.
Br. George had one brother, three sisters, and one half-sister who predeceased him. They were Andrew Farkas, Elizabeth Farkas, Anne Stackel, and Mary Andrews, and his half-sister Margaret Milander. He has numerous nieces and nephews and was a wonderful uncle.
He will be buried at St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Haycock, PA.
May Br. George Farkas rest in eternal peace.
Father Thomas Carney, MSC died on Tuesday afternoon, January 28, 2020, at Manor Care Nursing Home, Bethlehem, PA. He was 92. He was born in New Lexington, Ohio, on September 14, 1927, to Lewis Francis Carney and Helen (Kinsel) Carney. He graduated from St. Rose Parochial School in New Lexington in 1941, and from New Lexington Public High School in 1945. In 1947, he entered the novitiate of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Shelby, Ohio, making his first profession of vows on September 14, 1948. He continued with studies for the priesthood at Sacred Heart Seminary in Shelby, making perpetual profession of vows in 1951.
Fr. Tom was ordained a priest by Bishop George Rehring, D.D, in Toledo, Ohio, on May 29, 1954. His first assignment was as teacher and prefect of students at Sacred Heart Mission Seminary, Geneva, Illinois. In 1957, he became provincial vocation director. He was appointed chaplain at Mooseheart, Illinois, in 1963. During 1965, he served as parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Nazareth, PA, and then in parish supply ministry out of the former MSC community in Sparta, Wisconsin. In that same year, he began a Latin American ministry. He was successively parochial vicar in Lima, Peru, and Bogotá, Colombia. In 1969, he became pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Cali, Colombia. From 1975 to 1979, he again served as parochial vicar in Bogotá and Cali. He was then appointed sectional superior until his return to the States, in 1985, to study Clinical Pastoral Education in preparation for chaplaincy ministry in Colombia. On his return to Colombia he became pastor at St. Eugene Parish in Bogotá. In 1990, he came back to the USA to minister at Holy Family Parish in Nazareth, PA, for one year. Then he ministered as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Upland, California until July 1994. He was then assigned to the Aurora, Illinois community to join the development department. In August of 1997, Fr. Tom was assigned to the Youngstown, Ohio community and was appointed pastor of St. Rose of Lima in Youngstown.
Fr. Tom was co-founder of the parish of Santa Margarita Maria in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1967. He was fluent in Spanish. He had five sisters, Mrs. William Teeter (deceased), Mrs. Robert Boos (deceased), Mrs. Ramona C. Schneider (deceased), Mrs. Wes Styles (deceased), Mrs. Sharon Shahan, and two brothers, Richard J. Carney (deceased) and Arthur Carney. He had one cousin who was a Dominican priest and three cousins who were religious sisters of the Dominican and Franciscan orders.
Fr. Tom moved to Center Valley, PA in 2009 and became a resident of Sacred Heart Villa there. He recently moved to Manor Care in Bethlehem, PA, where he died.
Viewing hours will be on Sunday, February 2, 2020, from 4 PM until 5:30 PM, at Sacred Heart Villa, Center Valley, PA. This will include a wake service, at 5 PM.
A funeral mass will be celebrated for Fr. Tom on Monday, February 3, 2020, at 11:00 AM, at Sacred Heart Villa, Center Valley, PA. Fr. Richard Kennedy, MSC, Provincial Superior, will preside. Final committal of Fr. Tom’s remains will be in Ohio, at a family plot. Donations on behalf of the memory of Fr. Tom may be made to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
May Fr. Thomas Carney rest in eternal peace.
Brother Michael Patrick Tomcics, MSC passed away on May 16th at Manor Care in Bethlehem, PA. He was 76. He was the beloved son to the late Michael and Anna (Dugan) Tomcics. Brother Michael Tomcics was a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. …
Fr. Césaire Souissa Mounda, MSC, was born on Oct. 24, 1980, in Figuil North Cameroon, Africa. His father, Munda Dieudonné was a Police Commissioner. He died on Oct. 22, 2001. His mother is Asta Antoinette. Fr. Césaire was the third of seven children. He completed primary school and then entered the high school seminary at…