“Wonderful things happen when God is a part of our lives. I believe a deepening awareness of God’s presence is one of the gifts of old age. It is His way of getting our undivided attention.! It moves you to deeper prayer and reflection. What will I say I have done with my life when I stand before God? My answer will be: I tried to be a good priest and to bring others to Christ. It might sound simple, but it’s what it all comes down to.”
That was the message of Monsignor Vincent Topper, the oldest and longest-serving priest in the United States, on the 80th anniversary of his ordination on May 24 in St. St. Catherine Labouré Church in Harrisburg, according to the Diocese of Harrisburg.
“We are all united to each other as children of God. Whether you are a relative or friend, religious sister, or my brother priest or deacon, I thank God that He put you in my life and made it happier because of you. I am so grateful for your prayers, love and goodness!”
Monsignor Topper died Oct. 7 at St. Catherine Laboure, the Diocese of Harrisburg said. He was 104, and the diocese said that, according to Zenit News, he may have been the longest ordained diocesan priest in the world. The Archbishop Emeritus Peter Leo Gerety of Newark, N.J., born July 19, 1912, was previously the oldest bishop in the world, according to the National Catholic Register. He died Sept. 20.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him…
