Sun Catholic Sun the Cath the Last one is reversed type ‘He was just being a faithful priest’

‘A faithful priest’

Fr. Christopher Celentano’s ties to St Daniel’s are long and deep; his mother grew up as a member of the parish. She married her husband Joseph (now Deacon Joseph) and the new family would become parish members. Fr. Chris, a parishioner since birth, remembers Monsignor from a very early age. How did he influence Fr. Chris in his own vocation? The answer is simple and subtle.

“When I was growing up, he said the Mass with passion and reverence. He was diligent in his duties as a priest.” That included visiting the sick, lending an ear to those in need, visiting the school. “He stood and spoke on matters that were important, even if it was against the prevailing

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Father Chris shared that other priests would ask Monsignor what he did differently to inspire so many vocations. In his reply, Monsignor could not identify a process or strategy because there was none. He simply lived as a priest and taught by example.

“What was happening here was a faithful priest who loved the Church, loved the people of God. And he served him. And he did it until his dying breath,” Father Chris observed. What lesson did he impart to this young priest?

“What I learned from him was to do what the Lord is asking and be faithful to it. He was always present.” He also told the Sun that Monsignor never brought up the subject of a priestly vocation in conversation.

“When he spoke to me about a vocation was when I spoke to him about a vocation.” That was the process for Monsignor in many ways, and Father Chris added that other priests would ask how he inspired so many altar servers and men in seminary.

“And Monsignor laughed … ‘I’m not doing anything.’ Of course, he was doing something, but he wasn’t doing programs. He wasn’t doing speeches. He didn’t need a Vocation Committee. He was just being a faithful priest.”

A family affair

Deacon Joseph Celentano is Fr. Chris’s dad, and, like his son, the deacon was similarly influenced to seek his vocation.

“It’s not what he said or what he did, it’s who he was,” Deacon Joe shared. “And in his prayerfulness as a priest, as I said the weekend that he died, he was definitely a man of the Eucharist.” Deacon Celentano added that the Eucharistc was always central in the life of his pastor.

Also like his son, Dc. Joe was never directly asked by Monsignor to consider a call to the Holy Order of Diaconate.

“He never said to me ‘do you think you have a call to be a deacon?’ But when I talked with him about applying he was very, very supportive of it and was a strong advocate for me. He did everything that he could to make sure I had a successful formation.”

Dc. Joe shared that Monsignor instilled in him a love and reverence for the proper form of the liturgy. Monsignor also made sure that the deacon had his priorities in order.

“Family first, jobs second. And third was the diaconate. He was always very sensitive to that.”

Catholic gentleman

Similar to Father Celentano, Fr. Cliff Auth was raised at St. Daniel and has kindergarten memories of Monsignor.

“He had a significant impact on my life in the very beginning. He was always a presence.”

Fr. Auth shared, though, that his vocational experience with Monsignor was more direct. He said, with a hearty laugh, that it probably “points to the fact that I was going slower than that other guy and he had to be more explicit with me.”

During Father’s vocational journey, he was struck by reading the work of St. John Cardinal Henry Newman and his description of a “Catholic gentleman.”

“If you read that, that’s Msgr. Yennock,” he said. “When I was ordained, I talked to him about that. He said, ‘That’s who we are called to be. We don’t need to tell people, This is who we are, we just need to live it.’ It’s him to a T.”

Happy priests

Fr. Daniel Caruso is also from the St. Daniel family tree, but he was a high school student when Monsignor arrived.

“Bishop (Thomas J.) Costello announced at my Confirmation that we no longer had a pastor. That was in March of 1981 and in June was when Monsignor arrived, so I was 15 when he got there.”

It did not take long for Msgr. Yennock to have a profound influence on Fr. Caruso, though.

“He came in in June and Father (Edmund) Castronovo came in July,” he shared. “And it was the first time I had ever seen priests happy and enjoying what they did, being with the people.”

He nudged young Caruso to become involved as an altar server in junior high school.

“And I would just talk to him about priestly life. Then I was at Le Moyne, and I would often talk to him about what I was