One Hundred Years of Service: St. Augustine's Honors Two Priests

by Bill McGuire

(May 15, 2004) When last we looked in on St. Augustine’s, the church was celebrating the 75th anniversary of its Larchmont Avenue building. That was last spring, and now this current season brings what is in many ways an even more imposing occasion, and as it turns out, a double distinction.

Monsignor Walter F. Kenny

The church was packed Saturday evening, May 15, at 5:00 p.m., for a concelebrated mass to mark the 50th anniversary of the ordinations of both the pastor, Monsignor Walter F. Kenny and of the associate Pastor, Father Joseph DeSanto. The priests were in the same seminary class at St. Joseph’s in Dunwoodie, NY and were ordained together on May 14, 1954 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Msgr. Kenny has served as pastor of St. Augustine’s since July 15, 1986. Fr. DeSanto joined the Larchmont parish September 1, 1975. He has also enjoyed a long association with Iona College, New Rochelle, as a faculty member.

Father Joseph DeSanto

Joining the two Fathers in the celebration of the Mass Saturday were three additional members of their 1954 class, and present and former clergymen of St. Augustine’s, including Adjunct Pastor Father Antony Gatt, and past Pastor Father William V. Reynolds. The long procession of priests and acolytes made its way to the flower-festooned altar as the congregation and choir, under the direction of Michael P. Ward, sang “Alleluia, Alleluia! Let the Holy Anthem Rise.”

Following the reading of the Gospel (John 14: 23-29), Monsignor Kenny’s homily centered on the idea of service as an outgrowth of God’s love for us. He said that human celebration too, is a reflection of that love. Noting that the expression of love requires work, he said, “We priests love the work that we do.” The Monsignor punctuated his remarks with personal references. He tied the idea of “God’s love being mediated by the love of others, who help us in our work,” to the many people living and dead who touched his life and his years at St. Augustine’s.

Father DeSanto closed the mass with a personal reflection which, unusually for him, he said, he had actually written down, “So I won’t make a fool of myself.” “Fifty years of the priesthood,” he began; “Wow. Who would have thought!” He recalled that while teaching at Iona he had a hard time finding a parish to take him in. He thanked Father Reynolds and Monsignor Kenny for allowing him to hang his hat at St. Augustine’s for what became 29 years and counting. “I was like “The Man Who Came To Dinner,”” he quipped. His thoughts then turned to “All the people. Family. Loved ones. Friends, living and dead,” and the almost constant stream of encounters in the life of a priest: “From the sacraments, to counseling, to brief off-handed exchanges.” “Hopefully,” he concluded, “I may have done some good, more than harm. I thank God for all these experiences and reflections, and all of you.”

Before the Pastor’s final blessing, the congregation heartily applauded the two men. And the sustained applause swelled on to become a standing ovation.

Jerry Baum with Monsignor Kenny and Father DeSanto holding their proclamations from the
Town of Mamaroneck and Village of Larchmont     photo courtesy Kate Fleming

Further honors and warm words followed the mass at a truly gala reception in the St. Augustine’s auditorium. Speakers included parish representatives Jerry Baum and Joseph Vandernoot, followed by Mamaroneck Town Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe and Larchmont Mayor Ken Bialo, who acknowledged the contributions of the two honorees to the community. They also informed the more than 400 guests that they both brought proclamations declaring May 15 “Monsignor Kenny and Father DeSanto Day.”

In addition to the events of this past weekend, the church has announced that a special children’s appreciation for the two Fathers will take place Sunday, May 23, at the 10:30 a.m. family mass.

Further biographical information on Fathers Kenny and DeSanto is available on the St. Augustine’s website.

Bill McGuire is a St. Augustine parishoner.