Msgr. Edward QuinlanAs Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Harrisburg, Msgr. Edward Quinlan gave no second thought when Bishop Timothy Senior requested to meet with him privately after a Diocesan-wide priests’ meeting in late February.
Whether confidential, impromptu or scheduled, meetings with the bishop are typical for Msgr. Quinlan’s role in the Diocese, which he was appointed to in September. But the conversation with the bishop on February 28 was one that took him by surprise.
The news was that he and five other Diocesan priests had been named a Chaplain to His Holiness with the title of Monsignor.
“I was quite surprised to hear it. I had no idea about it at all,” he said of the endeavor, which included keeping him, as Vicar General, out of the loop. “It certainly wasn’t on my radar, so I was very surprised and deeply honored.”
From the Italian monsignore, which means “my lord,” the title is one of honor in the Catholic Church and is bestowed upon priests who have served in an exemplary way. Six priests in the Diocese were given this title on February 28; in addition to Msgr. Quinlan, they are: Msgr. Peter Hahn, Msgr. Francis Karwacki, Msgr. Edward Lavelle, Msgr. Lawrence McNeil and the late Msgr. Daniel Mitzel, who entered into eternal rest on March 30.
A title granted by the pope at the recommendation of the bishop, “Monsignor” is an honorary title in the Catholic Church. Monsignori are entitled to wear distinctive vestments indicative of the honor, however the title does not impact their duties or ministry.
The occasion has given Msgr. Quinlan pause to reflect on the gift of the priesthood and his service to the Diocese since his ordination in 1978.
“When I reflect on it, I always go back to the idea of why we are ordained,” he told The Witness. “We are ordained not for ourselves but for the service of the Church. I’ve always tried to live that. I’ve not requested assignments, and I don’t refuse them. It was never about seeing a particular thing I’d like to do, or a career path that I was going to angle for. In the secular world, that’s how life works, but that’s not the Church and that’s not why we’re here.
“Because of that, I’ve been surprised,” said Msgr. Quinlan, whose first assignment 47 years ago was at Good Shepherd Parish in Camp Hill, the same parish – and the same room – where he is now in residence.
During his time there as a new priest, he met Sister Marilou MacDonald, IHM, who was serving as Diocesan Assistant Superintendent of Schools at the time and would eventually become Superintendent, a position Msgr. Quinlan would eventually fill.
“Sister one day asked me about whether I was interested in working in our schools. And my second assignment, that’s where I went,” said Msgr. Quinlan, who would go on to serve at Holy Spirit School in Mount Carmel, Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, and Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg. In the Diocesan Secretariat for Education, he served for 22 years as Secretary.
Msgr. Quinlan was a pastor, too – at St. Joseph’s in Danville, St. Matthew’s in Dauphin and Holy Name in Harrisburg; the latter from 2010 until Bishop Senior appointed him as Vicar General last fall. In this role, Msgr. Quinlan assists the bishop in coordinating the pastoral governance and ministries of the Diocese and is charged with leading the Diocesan offices and ministries in the fulfillment of pastoral goals and objectives set forth by the bishop.
That’s a long way from the first thought he ever gave to the priesthood, when he was a fourth-grader at St. Peter’s School in Merchantville, New Jersey.
“We had Franciscan Sisters promoting vocations, and they handed out brochures about Franciscan priests. I remember their promotion and thinking at the time I should become a priest,” he said.
In high school, he began considering a military career; while studying history at Rutgers, he signed up for a platoon leaders class with the Marine Corps and spent several weeks one summer at Quantico for the first part of the training. He was also working at the local A&P grocery store, where his boss approached him about becoming a manager for the company.
Despite these opportunities at his feet, he still felt something was missing. So he went to Mass.
“I was sitting in the pew and the priest, during his homily, said, ‘I have a couple thoughts to share on vocations. There are those who either have a vocation and don’t know it, or those who have a vocation and don’t accept it.’ I thought, “Oh my. He’s talking to me,’” Msgr. Quinlan recalled.
Within a few months, he was meeting the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Trenton. In 1978, four years after his family relocated to central Pennsylvania, he was ordained by Bishop Joseph Daley as a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg.
“I could never say this was just coincidence,” he said of his discernment. “At every turning point, something else intervened and put me on the path to the priesthood.”
That’s why he’s never sought out nor turned down any assignment, making full space for the will of God instead.
“Every role has a connection with other people you’re serving – whether it’s parishioners, students, faculty, other administrators, pastors. It’s about being able to provide for them what they need from me as their priest,” he said.
“Day in and day out, when I sit to pray and I look at the tabernacle, I always keep coming back and saying, ‘This is where the Lord wants me. This is where I need to be,’” he said. “I’ve never had the question as to whether I should be somewhere else.”
(Solemn Vespers to mark the occasion of the six priests who have been named a Chaplain to His Holiness will be held at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Sunday, May 18 at 4 p.m. The public is invited to attend.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
