Father Kenney remembered as an advocate for the deaf, hard of hearing

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

Father Michael Joncas said he now realizes how important a pastor is for a new priest — in his case, it was Father William “Bill” Kenney who had such an impact.

Following his ordination in 1980, Father Joncas was assigned associate pastor of Presentation of Mary in Maplewood, where he served for four years with its pastor, Father Kenney. “Bill was such a pastoral guy that he really taught me a lot about what it is to be a parish priest,” Father Joncas said. “And I still operate off of models that he gave me back then.”

Father Kenney died July 11 at 93, after serving the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis since 1956.

Father Joncas, the homilist at Father Kenney’s funeral July 22, said he had the privilege of anointing and giving Father Kenney Communion about two days before he died. Father Joncas recalled being a new priest at Presentation when Father Kenney, as pastor, invited him to dinner with friends who were deaf or hard of hearing. Everyone conversed in sign language — except Father Joncas.

“I thought to myself, ‘this is a wonderful experience because Bill is teaching me how these folks react in hearing situations (where) they could feel excluded or almost voiceless,’” Father Joncas said.

Father Kenney served, and was an advocate for, the deaf and hard of hearing in the archdiocese for decades. When Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Minneapolis was at risk of closing due to decreasing parishioner numbers, he encouraged parishioners to invite the deaf community to join them. He told The Catholic Spirit last November that serving the deaf or hard of hearing is a reminder “that we should be mindful of those who are not able to use the normal avenues to make contact with their religious faith.”

Father Joncas also remembered how Father Kenney presented himself as pastor at a new parish. Father Kenney told the congregation there were two things parishioners could count on from him: First, “I am a man of faith, I believe in Jesus, I believe in his resurrection and I will always be a man of prayer.”

And second, which Father Joncas recalled with some emotion: “I will always try to be kind.”

And “that’s exactly what I saw,” Father Joncas said, and “the model I want to live up to.” Father Kenney also had “a wonderful sense of humor,” he said, and a love for priests and the priesthood.

Joan Gecik, executive director of Mendota Heightsbased The Catholic Cemeteries, had known Father Kenney since the day in 1980 she started serving Presentation as a Sylvania Franciscan sister. She recalled the priest as friendly, personable, down to earth, “a big reader,” history buff, compassionate, someone who had a knack for getting people to feel comfortable, and someone who “always had a twinkle in his blue eyes.”

“And of course, he always loved the people he served,” Gecik said. Even after he retired, she said he kept “a special phone” so members of the deaf community he served could keep in touch with him that way.

Father Kenney also had an ability to listen compassionately, Gecik said. “I learned a lot from him in that way, just how he interacted with people.” And he was great at helping people discern their gifts and provide direction, Gecik said.

Sharon Horgan, 78, a parishioner of St. Thomas More in St. Paul, met Father Kenney in 1977 at Presentation, a parish she said was “very traditional” then — with a “standard men’s club, women’s club, Scouts.” But the time Father Kenney served there was “transformative.”

The parish started a parish council; introduced standing committees, including one for social justice; hired a lay staff; and settled a refugee family from Vietnam, Horgan said. When Father Kenney learned of Loaves and Fishes, he told Horgan — then chair of the social justice committee — “We need to be part of that.”

Father Kenney’s service to the local Church started in 1956 with a series of four assignments as assistant pastor — St. Mary in Waverly (1956-1958), St. Peter in North St. Paul (1958-1960), St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul Park (1960-1965) and Immaculate Conception in Faribault (1965-1967). He also served as vicarius adjutor at Sacred Heart in Belle Plaine in 1965 and as chaplain (deaf chaplaincy) at Faribault State Hospital from 1966 to 1969. Father Kenney then served in several positions at the Chancery in St. Paul: as executive secretary for Priests Personnel from 1969 to 1973, representative for the Chancery’s Commission for Chaplains of Hospitals and Other Institutions from 1970 to 1999, and chaplain for the Office for the Deaf from 1973 to 1976.

Father Kenney also served as chaplain in Pastoral Care at then-St. Mary’s Hospital from 1973 to 1977, associate director for the Chancery’s Office for the Deaf from 1976 to 1985, pastor of Presentation of Mary in Maplewood from 1977 to 1985, director of the Office for the Deaf (1985-1999), executive secretary of Priests Personnel at the Chancery from 1985 to 1990, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Minneapolis from 1986 to 1999, and sacramental minister at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1999-2005). Father Kenney retired Sept. 1, 1999, but returned to serve as parochial administrator of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for seven months in 2002. Father Kenney is survived by nieces and nephews, Gecik said, “and a billion friends.”

By Dave Hrbacek

The Catholic Spirit

A 1964 newspaper article illustrates the qualities Father John Siebenaler brought to his priestly ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He died July 9 at the age of 88.

The Minneapolis Star published an article by Abe Altrowitz in its March 4, 1964, edition about the murder of Susan Lawson. A janitor assaulted and stabbed Lawson several times while she worked an evening shift. She was brought a few blocks to General Hospital (now Hennepin County Medical Center) in downtown Minneapolis. One of Lawson’s coworkers, who was with her and helped her after the stabbing, testified in court that Lawson said, “I am dying. Call the priest.”

The call went out to St. Olaf, just blocks away from the hospital, and Father Siebenaler responded. His brother, Father Martin Siebenaler, recalled that Father John drove his Volkswagon Beetle hastily to the hospital.

“He drove down the sidewalk to get close to the front door of the hospital,” Father Martin, 90, said, noting that his brother was “a very conscientious priest. If that was his duty, in the middle of the night, he was going to do it.”

Later, Father John told his family — his parents, Mathias and Christine, and his eight siblings, including Father Martin, the oldest. Altrowitz’s article described his search for the priest who responded to the call. He wrote that the call was made to St. Olaf at 9:23 p.m., and he later learned that Father John arrived at around 9:30. Lawson died just a few hours later.

“We were very impressed” with Father John’s quick actions, Father Martin said. “That’s why my mother saved that article. … It’s been in our scrapbook all these years.”

Father Martin was able to be by his brother’s side when he died after battling health issues and dementia in his later years. He said Father John’s virtues were formed while growing up on the family farm two miles north of New Trier. Father Martin and the second oldest brother, Father Leonard, went off to Nazareth Hall together and both were ordained to the priesthood in 1959 (Father Leonard died Jan. 16), making Father John the oldest male sibling. That made him an important part of the farming operation.

“He was always a hard worker,” Father Martin recalled. “He had to be Dad’s primary helper after the older boys left the farm for seminary. He was very faithful in his barn duties. He had that work ethic about him, and (was) very conscientious about doing what he was expected to do — and that’s the way he was as a priest.”

In 1949, he followed in his older brothers’ footsteps and came to Nazareth Hall. He was ordained in 1961 and served at the following parishes until his retirement in 1997: Christ the King in Minneapolis (1961-1962), St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony (1962-1963), St. Olaf (1963-1968), Corpus Christi in St. Paul (19681970) and St. Augustine in South St. Paul (1970-1974), all as assistant pastor; St. Thomas in St. Thomas (later merged with St. Anne in LeSueur; 1974-1977) and St. Nicholas in Elko New Market (1977-1987), both as pastor; and St. John the Baptist in Dayton, first as parochial administrator (1989-1994), then as pastor (1994-1997). He also served as chaplain at two hospitals in the archdiocese.

Father Martin noted that his brother was a good athlete, fast on his feet and fast on skates. He once ran to catch a team of horses that had run away pulling a wagon with no rider after they were startled by the sound of a threshing machine. Father John jumped to his feet and took just the right angle to catch up to the wagon. He then hopped into the wagon and grabbed the reins, bringing the horses back under control.

“We were all amazed, that’s for sure,” Father Martin said.

The youngest sibling in the family, Bernie, was born when Father John was 14. He watched and admired his older brother’s “discipline and focus.” But there was another side to Father John that Bernie also deeply admired.

“I thought he was very kind ... how he cared for the sick — very empathetic and helpful, a good listener, polite to a fault,” said Bernie, 73. “After a big Thanksgiving dinner, everybody else would go in a room and play poker. He would help my mother (wash the dishes).”

Father John also enjoyed humor, Bernie noted. “He had an infectious laugh. When he giggled, his whole face would shake. If Father Leonard would tell a good story, he would really giggle and carry on. I remember him almost having to cover up (his mouth) because he’d get into it so much.”

The funeral Mass for Father John was held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings, with Archbishop Bernard Hebda as the celebrant and Father Martin as the homilist. Interment was at the parish cemetery.

“My sister Donna and I were with him at 1:22 a.m. (the) Sunday morning when he breathed his last, and it was a very powerful moment,” Father Martin said. “It was a moment of peace and joy to me that he was now gone and gone home. That brought joy to Donna and me. He’s at peace and with his Lord.”