Home Page Home Page Events Events Photos Photos Diocese of Ogdensburg Home Page  
Follow Us on Facebook


Archives Year in review: A look back at 2022

January 4, 2023

With calendars now flipped over to 2023, the North Country Catholic looks back over the stories of 2022.

• Jan. 2 – Father Patrick J. O’Reilly, a retired priest of the diocese, died at the age of 84 at the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise, Ireland, where he had resided since 2014.

• Jan. 5 – Father Adrian Gallagher, then pastor of Holy Angels Church in Altona and St. Ann’s Church in Mooers Forks, died unexpectedly at the age of 58.

• Jan. 12 – Father J. Roger McGuiness, a retired priest of the diocese, died at age 82 after more than 55 years of service.

• Jan. 21 – A group of college students from the diocese traveled to the nation’s capital to participate in the March for Life.

• Jan. 26 – The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation awarded $160 million in grants, including 16 grants in the North Country.

• Feb. 11 – Face coverings, made mandatory during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, became optional at houses of worship around the state.

• Feb. 16 – The Diocese of Ogdensburg’s 150th anniversary. The diocese was established Feb. 16, 1872, by Pope Pius IX. While the anniversary Mass was celebrated later in the year, the occasion was marked with a Holy Hour at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

• Feb. 22 – Sister Kateri Rose, a Sister of St. Joseph, died at age 94.

• March 2 – After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, registration opened for Camp Guggenheim’s 2022 season.

• March 4-5 – Young adults from NET Ministries hosted confirmation retreats in Adams, Massena and Plattsburgh. Also that weekend, the stage at Immaculate Heart Central came alive after two years with no production, as the school’s students performed in “Aladdin.”

• March 8 – A fire devastated Riverview Towers, an apartment complex in Ogdensburg. The Diocese of Ogdensburg opened Wadhams Hall, the diocese’s former seminary building, to house displaced residents. Catholic Charities, outside agencies and volunteers also aided the residents.

• March 13 – Catechumens from around the diocese gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral for the Rite of Election, when catechumens enroll and publicly express their desire for baptism.

• March 16 – Bishop Terry R. Lavalley announced that Father Pedro Edgardo N. de la Rosa, known as “Father Jay,” had been incardinated as a priest of the Diocese of Ogdensburg.

• March 20 – Father Christopher J. Looby, pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Ticonderoga and Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Schroon Lake, was named Irishman of the Year by Knights of Columbus Council 333 in Ticonderoga.

• March 23 – North Country Mission of Hope reported raising $25,000 for Ukraine in just over a week.

• March 24 – Dr. Rose-Alma “Dolly” McDonald, a commissioned lay minister and communications liaison for St. Regis Mission Church, was featured in an article in The Globe and Mail as representatives of Canada’s Indigenous population traveled to the Vatican to discuss residential schools with Pope Francis.

• March 26 – Sister Jean Theresa Beyette, a Franciscan Sister of the Atonement from Graymoor, died at age 93.

• March 31 – Parishes, schools, communities of consecrated religious, organizations and individuals submitted reports outlining their participation in the Synod on Synodality throughout the winter and leading up to the March 31 deadline.

• April 2 – Youth from around the diocese gathered at High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid for the annual youth rally, themed “In HIS House.”

• May 1 – An icon of St. Joseph and the Child Jesus was blessed by Bishop LaValley at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse in Watertown. The icon then journeyed around the diocese as part of the Knights of Columbus Pilgrim Icon Program.

• May 4 –LaValley announced that the 2021-22 Bishop’s Fund Appeal had reached its goal of $1.3 million.

• May 7 – Diocese of Ogdensburg seminarian Tyler Fitzgerald wins the Pinter Scholar Award at the Pontifical College of Josephinum as he graduated magna cum laude from the school’s college of Liberal Arts.

• May 9-11 – Diocesan deacons gathered for the annual Deacon Assembly at Edgewood Resort in Alexandria Bay.

• May 11 – Bishop LaValley announced the appointment of Father Matthew S. Conger to the role of associate director of Vocations.

• May 13 – Bishop Terry R. LaValley announced priest assignment changes. Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin concluded his time as pastor effective June 29; Msgr. John R. Murphy retired effective Aug. 31; Father Douglas A. Decker was named pastor of The Catholic Community of St. Peter and St. Mary and St. Hedwig in Lowville, Glenfield and Houseville; Father James V. Teti was named Pastor of St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Tupper Lake, St. Henry’s in Long Lake and St. Therese in Newcomb; Father Tojo Chacko, of the Heralds of the Good News, was appointed pastor of St. Bernard’s and St. Edmund’s Parish in Ellenburg; Father Stephen T. Rocker retired to accept a teaching position at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts in Warner, New Hampshire; Father Garry B. Giroux was appointed pastor of St. Mary’s and St. John the Baptist churches in Waddington and Madrid; Father Shane M. Lynch was named pastor of Parish of the Visitation, St. Raymond and St. Patrick’s in Norfolk and Brasher Falls; Father Frank Natale, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, was appointed pastor of St. Mary’s and St. Paul’s churches in Evans Mills and Black River; Father Joseph Kanimea, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, was appointed parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Watertown; Father Thomas E. Kornmeyer was appointed pastor of St. Bartholomew’s and St. Anthony of Padua churches in Old Forge, Inlet and Raquette Lake; Father Medenel Angrand was appointed sacramental administrator at St. Mary’s of the Fort in Fort Covington, the Catholic Community of Chateaugay and Burke, and the Catholic Community of Constable, Westville and Trout River; Father Pedro Edgardo de la Rosa was appointed pastor of Holy Angels Church in Altona and St. Ann’s Church in Mooers Forks; and Father Legon Carlin was appointed parochial vicar in the Catholic Community of St. Alexanders and St. Joseph in Morrisonville, St. Augustine’s in Peru and St. James in Cadyville.

• May 16-19 – Priests of the diocese gathered for the annual priest assembly and retreat at Wadhams Hall.

• May 18 – As part of the Eucharistic Revival, a LEAD event was held in both the east and west sides of the diocese discussing the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

• May 18 – Bishop LaValley celebrated the Jubilee Mass, honoring priests of the diocese who have reached milestone years of service. Those honored included Father Mark R. Reilly and Father James V. Teti for 25 years; Father Daniel L. Chapin and Father Gerald A. Cerank for 50 years; and Father John P. Kennehan for 60 years.

• May 20 – Sister Gabriel Marie Meyer, a Sister of St. Joseph, died. She was 96.

• May 21 – Father Leagon Carlin was ordained by Bishop LaValley at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

• May 28 – Former and current Guggenheim staff and campers gathered at the diocesan camp to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

• June 6-7 – A two-day LEAD event focused on the Eucharist included Sister Mary Gregory Munger, a Sister of St. Joseph, presenting “Music as Prayer: Its Role in Celebrating Eucharist,” and Timothy O’Malley, Ph.D., author and director of education at McGrath Institute of Church Life and academic director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy, presenting “Eucharist: Remember. Celebrate. Believe.”

• June 10 – Clinton County Legislature presents a resolution celebrating the diocese’s 150th anniversary at a confirmation Mass celebrated in Champlain.

• June 10-12 – The Office of Family Life hosted a “Life-Giving Wounds Retreat” for adult children of separated or divorced parents.

• June 24 – The United States Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning its nearly 50-year-old decision in Roe. v. Wade. The ruling emphasized that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the U.S.

• June 25 – Lukas Gruber, a seminarian for the diocese, was ordained to the diaconate at St. Mary’s Church in Potsdam.

• July 3 – Father Peter M. Berg died July 3 in Bennington, New York. He was 81.

• July 10 – Bishop LaValley hosts the Celebration of the Body of Christ, which included an organ recital and Holy Hour, and confers the Bishop Edgar P. Wadhams Award for Distinguished Service to Mr. Bruce Paul Bombard, Mrs. Jane Ann Boyea, Mr. James Timothy Brady, Mr. Michael Burtch Bresnahan Jr., Mr. Glenn Robert Burdo, Ms. Starr Lynn Burke, Mr. David Michael Cline, Mrs. Valerie Rose Cline, Sister Sharon Anne Dalton, SSJ, Mrs. Ruth Carol Demarse, Mr. Joseph Edward Denoncourt, Mrs. Patricia Jane Fassett, Mr. Pasquale Anthony Fontana Sr., Deacon Gary Allan Frank, Mrs. Gayle Grace Frank, Mrs. Connie Marie Hatch-Young, Mr. Jeremiah Michael Hayes, Mrs. Eileen Kathryn Hayes, Mr. Gerald Joseph LaValley, Mrs. Darlene Mary Carolyn LaValley, Mrs. Barbara Claire Ludwig, Dr. Victor Werner Ludwig, Mrs. Leslie Ann Marvel, Mr. Angelo Eugene Pietropaoli, Mrs. Suzanne Rosemary Pietropaoli, Mrs. Elsie Lillian Scruggs, Mrs. Mary Catherine Spilman, Mrs. Donna Jean Steenberg, Mr. Daniel Joseph Sweeney, Sister Mary Christine Taylor, SSJ, Mr. Michael James Tooley, Miss Michelle Elizabeth Watkins and Mrs. Linda Young.

• July 17 – Knights of Columbus from around the diocese traveled to Isla La Motte, Vermont, for the 74th annual New York State Knights of Columbus Pilgrimage. At this year’s event, participants honored the memory of longtime pilgrimage organizer Bill “The Colonel” Ose, who died in April.

• Aug. 10 – Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York was the principal celebrant for the Diocese of Ogdensburg’s 150th Anniversary Mass, held on the Feast of St. Lawrence at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Cardinal Dolan was joined in celebrating the Mass by Bishop LaValley, priests of the diocese, as well as former bishops of the diocese and bishops from around the state and Canada, including Bishop Douglas J. Lucia, Diocese of Syracuse and originally a priest from the Diocese of Ogdensburg, Bishop Robert J. Cunningham, bishop emeritus of Syracuse and former bishop of Ogdensburg, Bishop Paul S. Loverde, bishop emeritus of Arlington and former bishop of Ogdensburg, Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito, bishop of Palm Beach and former bishop of Ogdensburg, Bishop Robert J. Brennan, bishop of Brooklyn, Archbishop Michael Mulhall, archbishop of Kingston, and Archbishop Marcel Damphousse, archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall, Bishop Noel Simard, bishop of Valleyfield.

• Aug. 13 – Father Rolland A. Hart died in Williston, Vermont, where he had been residing. He was 85.

• Aug. 14 – Deacon Lawrence “Larry” Morse died at Gouverneur Hospital. He was 76.

• Aug. 16 – Deacon James Carlin became executive director of North Country Mission of Hope, replacing the organization’s longtime director and founder, Sister Debbie Blow, who stepped down for health reasons.

• Sept. 2-4 – Rachel’ Vineyard, an after-abortion healing program, returned to the diocese after a two-year pause caused by the pandemic.

• Sept. 11 – Bishop Terry R. LaValley celebrated the Marriage & Consecrated Life Jubilee Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

• Sept. 11 – Sister Ronald Marie Hax, a Sister of St. Joseph, died at age 74.

• Sept. 16 – Bishop Terry R. LaValley served as the grand marshall of the Peru Applefest Parade.

• Sept. 23 – St. Bernard’s School in Saranac Lake was presented with a New York State Assembly Proclamation to commemorate the school’s centennial anniversary.

• Sept. 25 – Bishop LaValley celebrated the Blue Mass, honoring and praying for those who serve in law enforcement, corrections, EMS and fire departments at St. Mary’s in Clayton.

• Oct. 2 – Lifechains, peaceful, prayerfull protests, were held in Plattsburgh, Potsdam and Saranac Lake to kick off Respect Life Month.

• Oct. 14 – After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the annual Superintendent’s Day, a gathering of Catholic school teachers and administrators, returned. The 2022 event was held in Lake Placid.

• Oct. 23 – St. Mary’s Cathedral in Ogdensburg celebrates its 70th anniversary.

• Nov. 2 – Catholic Charities holds its Caritas Dinner for the first time since 2019. The event honored Catholic Charities staff; Caritas Award winners Annette Dame of Malone and the Loaves and Fishes Program run by St. Peter, St. Mary and St. Hedwig churches; Legacy Award winners Christian Gratto, Maria Tartaglia and Sharon Nebbia; and President’s Award winner Michael Tooley.

• Nov. 13 – Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Schools Sister Ellen Rose Coughlin, a Sister of St. Joseph, was awarded the Lighting the Fire for Catholic Education award from the Catholic School Administrators Association of New York.

• Nov. 19 – Msgr. Joseph G. Aubin died at CVPH in Plattsburgh. He was 94.

• Nov. 26 – Sister Cecilia Marie Hermann, a Sister of St. Joseph. She was 80.

• Nov. 30 – Deacon Elliot Shaw of Ticonderoga died at the age of 82.

• Dec. 21 – Bishop LaValley officially released the Diocese of Ogdensburg’s synod report.

North Country Catholic North Country Catholic is
honored by Catholic Press
Association of US & Canada

Copyright © Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg. All rights reserved.