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From 1996 to 1999, he served as administrative assistant to the chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York. He also served briefly as administrator of Nativity Parish, Manhattan; chaplain for Bellevue Hospital at New York University Medical Center, Manhattan; teacher in St. Agnes Boys High School, Manhattan; and briefly as the temporary administrator of Blessed Sacrament Parish, the Bronx. In 2008, Father Euk was assigned parochial vicar in St. John the Evangelist Parish, White Plains. While he was a priest in the Archdiocese of New York, Father Euk was granted a leave of absence to work in the Diocese of Trenton to care for his elderly mother. From 2004 to 2005, he served as chaplain of the Catholic Center in Monmouth University, West Long Branch. From 2004 through 2007, he served as an adjunct priest in St. Jerome Parish, West Long Branch. In 2011, Father Euk returned to the Diocese of Trenton as parochial vicar in St. Dorothea Parish, Eatontown. He was incardinated to the Diocese in 2012 by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and in the same year was appointed pastor of St. Veronica Parish, Howell, a position he continues to hold. He was also selected by Bishop O’Connell as a Missionary of Mercy – one component of Pope Francis’ celebration of the Year of Mercy. With this designation, Father Euk has faculties conferred by the Holy Father which allow him “the authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See.”
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FATHER RICHARD R. SWEENY
Father Richard R. Sweeny was born in February 1934, in Trenton to the now-deceased Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Sweeny, whose home parish was St. Anthony, Hamilton (now part of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton). He attended St. Anthony Grammar School, where he first discovered his vocation to the priesthood. It was not until much later in life, however, that he followed the call to priestly ministry. Father Sweeny graduated from Trenton Catholic Boys High before attending Rider College (now University), Lawrenceville, to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an associate’s degree in accounting. He attended classes at night while working in the accounting department of Hill Refrigeration Company, Trenton. He continued working there for 27 years, advancing to the position of staff accountant. He began his studies for the priesthood at the age of 46, beginning with a year of pre-theology in St. Mary Seminary and University, Baltimore, before transferring to Sacred Heart Seminary, Hales Corner, Wis., which focuses on preparing men over age 30 for the priesthood. Father Sweeny was ordained a priest May 17, 1986, in St. Raphael Church, Hamilton, by Bishop John C. Reiss. He first served as associate pastor in St. Joseph Parish, Toms River, and then in Our Lady Star of the Sea, Long Branch(now part of Christ the King Parish, Long Branch), before taking a temporary assignment as chaplain for Morris Hall, Lawrenceville. Father Sweeny also served as parochial vicar for the parishes of Our Lady of Good Counsel, West Trenton; St. Mary, Deal; St. Maximilian Kolbe, Berkeley Twp.; St. Theresa, Little Egg Harbor; St. Justin the Martyr, Toms River, and St. Joachim, Trenton (now part of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Trenton). In 1993, Father Sweeny was assigned as temporary administrator in St. Joachim Parish, and later that year as parochial vicar in Nativity Parish, Fair Haven. Father Sweeny retired from active ministry March 1, 2004, and is now in residence in St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center, Lawrenceville.
MSGR. RICHARD D. LAVERGHETTA Msgr. Richard D. LaVerghetta, pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, was born in January 1959. He grew up in a faith-filled Catholic home in Cherry Hill with parents who made sure that he and his two sisters, Jane and Diane, attended Mass regularly in their parish of Christ the King. He attended high school and college in Ohio after his family moved there. He studied political science in Ohio University, where he was also involved in campus ministry. which helped him consider a vocation to the priesthood. When Msgr. LaVerghetta’s family moved back to New Jersey, they joined St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford. He would soon begin preparing for the priesthood, entering The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.,
and earning a master of divinity degree. He was ordained a priest by Bishop John C. Reiss May 24, 1986, in St. Charles Borromeo Church, Cinnaminson. As a young priest, he served first as parochial vicar in Epiphany Parish, Brick, until 1991, when he began serving as director of the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. In 1995, he was named pastor of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, and appointed to serve as a member of Bishop John M. Smith’s cabinet as secretary of Pastoral Life. In 2007, Msgr. LaVerghetta was named pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, where he continues to serve today. In 2008, he was named a Chaplain to His Holiness with the title of Monsignor by Pope Benedict XVI. In 2011, he was appointed by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., to serve on the bishop’s newly formed Episcopal Council. He has also been part of the diocesan Marriage Commission and, most recently, the Faith In Our Future Commission.
FATHER PABLO T. GADENZ
Father Pablo T. Gadenz was born in February 1967, in San Bernardo, Chile, the youngest of three children of Renato and Cecilia Gadenz, both Italian natives. The family moved to the United States when he was two years old. Father Gadenz grew up in Tinton Falls and graduated as valedictorian from Red Bank Catholic High School in 1984. He then attended Princeton University, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University and worked for three years at AT&T. Feeling a call from God, Father Gadenz left his job and studied for the priesthood in St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa. He was ordained a priest by Bishop John C. Reiss in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, May 18, 1996. Father Gadenz was first assigned to St. Ann Parish, Keansburg, where he served for two years before being appointed secretary and master of ceremonies to Bishop John M. Smith. While working for Bishop Smith, he served on weekends for four years in St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville. In 2002, Father Gadenz pursued advanced biblical studies in Rome, earning a licentiate in Sacred Scripture (S.S.L.) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute and a doctorate in theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical Gregorian University. Since 2008, Father Gadenz has been on the faculty of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University, South Orange. He is currently associate professor of biblical studies, teaching various New Testament courses as well as biblical Greek. He is also a member of the formation faculty, assisting in the other areas of the seminarians’ training for the priesthood. Moreover, since 2015, he serves as a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Translation of Scripture Text. He is also the author of various publications, including a forthcoming commentary on the Gospel of Luke in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series.
JULY 28, 2016 • TRENTONMonitor.com •
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