The Church of the Annunciation community, Bloomsbury, formally welcomed Father James W. McGuffey, March 10, when Bishop James F. Checchio celebrated the Mass of Installation making him their pastor.
Bishop Checchio served as principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass. Joining Father McGuffey as a concelebrant was Father James A. Kyrpczak, pastor, St. Joseph Parish, High Bridge.
In his homily, Bishop Checchio shared with the congregation that in his almost 20 years in Rome, both as a student and later as vice-rector and rector of the North American College, he had the opportunity to hear Pope St. John Paul II many times. He remembers that once the Holy Father said, “The first duty of a priest is to be a believer, to be someone his people can believe with, not in, but with.”
“As your Bishop I want you to know that I happily do believe and I also happily entrust you to another believer, your new pastor, Father McGuffey.” The Bishop mentioned the many times in a parish’s life when the pastor stands with his people, both individually and in community, from Baptism, through the other sacraments and all of life’s events.
Father McGuffey was the third of five children born to Drake and Rita McGuffey. He was born in Carle Place, Long Island, where he attended St. Brigid School and Carle Place High School. While receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Queens College he discerned a call to the priesthood.
Father McGuffey worked for a number of years while discerning his vocation. During that period he also worked as a lay missionary in Mexico. After entering the Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., he completed his studies for the priesthood. He received a Master of Divinity degree and was ordained in 1995.
Prior to being named pastor at Annunciation Parish, Father McGuffey served as a parochial vicar at the parishes of St. Mary, Alpha; St. Ambrose, Old Bridge; St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg; Our Lady of Lourdes, Milltown, and Immaculate Conception, Spotswood. Father McGuffey also served as pastor of the Carteret parishes of St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth.
Father McGuffey described Annunciation as, “A true parish family caring for one another.” He described being appointed pastor, “as one of the many moments of grace that I have been blessed with throughout my life. Having a parish dedicated to Mary is more than a blessing, because our consecration to her is, I believe, the renewal of the priesthood.”
Bishop Checchio also expressed the need for more men to consider a call to the priesthood and asked the congregation to continue praying for an increase in vocations. Before the Final Blessing the Bishop introduced a member of the congregation as one of the Diocese’s new seminarians. Kevin Synarsky, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Parish, Spotswood. Synarsky will begin his propaedeutic year of preparation this summer. This year is designed as a period to help ease the transition from the secular world to seminary life for young men beginning their journey towards priesthood.
At the end of the Mass, Father McGuffey expressed his gratitude to Bishop Checchio for his confidence in appointing him as pastor, and thanked parishioners for their very warm welcome and support. Father McGuffey recalled visiting the parish 20 years ago and how impressed he was at that time. Last year, after being informed by the Bishop that he would be named as pastor, he decided to pay an informal visit to the parish. “As I was driving up Main Street I had this feeling that I was coming home,” he said.
The closing hymn of the Mass was sung by Father McGuffey’s older brother, Rob, who was also the composer. He wrote the hymn, “I Will Follow You,” in honor of his brother’s Ordination and for his Mass of Thanksgiving the next day. Rob recalled, “I knew my brother was gong to be a priest. What other nine-year-old do you know who reads the ‘Imitation of Christ’?”