May 31, 2023 Seven priests of the Diocese of Ogdensburg were honored for reaching jubilee years of service in the annual Jubilee Mass held May 23 at High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, part of the Presbyteral Assembly. Msgr. C. John McAvoy was honored for 60 years of service; Father J. Michael Gaffney and Msgr. John R. Murphy were honored for 50 years of service; and Father Sony G. Pulickal, Father Robert L. Decker, Father Richard D. Demers and Father Patrick A. Ratigan were honored for 40 years of priesthood.
60 YEARS Msgr. C. John McAvoy The first several years of his priesthood were spent in Ogdensburg, where he served as assistant at the cathedral, procurator of Wadhams Hall, and assistant chancellor and vocation director for the diocese. In 1972, Msgr. McAvoy was appointed administrator at the Potsdam Newman Center, administrator in Madrid and administrator in Saranac Lake. In 1973, Father McAvoy was name pastor in Saranac Lake, a position he held until 1986, when he was names pastor of St. John’s in Plattsburgh. He was named a Prelate of Honor with the title monsignor in 1993. In 1999, he moved to St. Joseph’s in Malone, where he served as pastor for four years. Finally, in 2003, he was named pastor of St. Patrick’s in Port Henry and All Saints in Mineville. Msgr. McAvoy retired in 2007 and currently resides in Saranac Lake.
50 YEARS Father J. Michael Gaffney Early in his priesthood, he served as an assistant in at St. Alphonsus in Tupper Lake, St. Peter’s in Lowville, Notre Dame in Malone and St. Anthony’s in Watertown. From 1980 to 1995, Father Gaffney served as a faculty member at Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertown. During a portion of that time, from 1985 to 1995, he also served as pastor in Chaumont. He later served as pastor at St. Agnes Church in Lake Placid, St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s in Massena, and at the Roman Catholic Community of Brownville and Dexter and St. Andrew’s Church in Sackets Harbor. He retired in 2021.
Msgr. John R. Murphy His first assignment was as assistant pastor of St. John’s in Plattsburgh and head of the religion department at St. John’s Central School. In 1976, he was named assistant chancellor of the diocese and assistant pastor in Canton. He returned to Rome in 1978 and earned a degree in moral theology from Academia Alfonsiana. He later earned a master’s degree in church administration from Catholic University in Washington. Upon his return to the diocese in 1982, Msgr. Murphy was named vice-chancellor and administrator in Morristown and Brier Hill. Later that year, he was named chancellor for the diocese and pastor of Morristown and Brier Hill. He served the diocese as chancellor from 1982 to March 1990. He was also pastor in Madrid from 1988 until his appointment as pastor of St. Mary’s in Potsdam from 1990 to 1994. In 1992, he was named a monsignor by Pope John Pope Paul II. He also served the diocese as dean of St. Lawrence Deanery. In 1994, Msgr Murphy was named Moderator of the Curia and Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Services. He served as administrator in Canton for a short time in 2002 and was named pastor in Heuvelton and Lisbon in 2003 before becoming full-time Moderator of the Curia later that year. In 2011, he was named administrator of the Church of the Visitation in Norfolk and St. Raymond’s Church in Raymondville. In 2012, he was named pastor in Norfolk and Raymondville with additional responsibilities as pastor in Norwood. Seven years later, he was appointed pastor of of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Old Forge and St. Anthony of Padua Parish of Inlet and Raquette Lake. He retired from that position in August of 2022.
40 YEARS Father Sony G. Pulickal He was ordained April 14, 1983, and he was named was parochial vicar of St. Mary’s Metropolitan Church in Changanachery, Kekala. In 1984, after studying Italian, he became parochial vicar of St. Ambrose Church in Segratte, Milan, Italy, and later served as parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary Basilica, Rome, Italy. He returned to India for one year, when he was in charge of philosophy students, and then from 1991 to 1994, in charge of Theology Study House in Shilong, India. Father Pulickal came to the United States in 1996 and has served the Diocese of Ogdensburg as parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Church in Massena, St. Peter’s Church, Lowville, and also served at St. Augustine’s Church, Peru. In 2001, he was named pastor in West Leyden and Fish Creek and, in 2004, pastor in Indian Lake and Blue Mountain Lake. In 2011, he was named pastor of St. Ann’s Church in Wells and St. James Major Church in Lake Pleasant. Father Pulickal was incardinated into the Diocese of Ogdensburg on July 23, 2003.
Father Robert L. Decker He entered seminary at Wadhams Hall and also attended Christ the King seminary. He was ordained May 7, 1983, at St. Mary’s Cathedral by Bishop Stanislaus J. Brzana. He served as a parochial vicar at Holy Family Church in Watertown, St. Mary’s in Clayton, St. John the Evangelist in Lafargeville, Sacred Heart in Massena, and St. Agnes in Lake Placid before being named pastor at St. Therese Church Newcomb and St. Henry’s in Long Lake in January 1995. has also served as pastor at St. Francis Solanus Church in Harrisville with St. Henry’s Oratory in Natural Bridge; St. Hubert’s Church in Star Lake with St. Michael’s Oratory in Fine and St. Anthony of Padua Oratory in Newton Falls; St. Paul’s Church in Black River and St. Rita’s Church in Deferiet. From 1998 to 2003, Father Decker served as a missionary for the Ogdensburg Peruvian Apostolate in Mollendo, Peru. He currently serves as pastor St. Cecilia’s Church in Adams with its mission Queen of Heaven Church in Henderson.
Father Richard D. Demers He was ordained by Bishop Stanislaus J. Brzana on May 7, 1983, in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Ogdensburg. He served as a temporary associate pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Potsdam and Notre Dame Church in Ogdensburg. Father Demers was released to serve as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force. He served as a pastor of St. Lawrence Church in Louisville and St. John the Baptist Church in Madrid. He is currently retired and resides in Indiana.
Father Patrick A. Ratigan Father Ratigan studied at Wadhams Hall and the North American College in Rome. He was ordained by Bishop Brzana on Sept. 24, 1983, at St. Bernard’s Church, Saranac Lake. He has served as associate pastor at St. Mary’s Cathedral, as parochial vicar of St. Alexander’s Church, Morrisonville, and at Sacred Heart Church, Massena. Father Ratigan served as a U.S. Army chaplain from 1988-2005, including one-year deployments to both Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. His military assignments included Fort McClellan, Alabama, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Meade, Maryland, Fort Stewart, Georgia, Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, two one-year assignments in South Korea, and a one-year assignment in Egypt, as well as deployments to Haiti and throughout Central and South America. He was named pastor in Brasher Falls and North Lawrence in 2005, and appointed pastor in Adams and Henderson in 2010. He later served at St. Bernard’s in Saranac Lake and the oratories of St. Paul’s in Bloomingdale and St. John of the Wilderness in Lake Clear until his retirement in 2019. After his retirement, he was appointed temporary administrator for six months at St. Elizabeth Church in Elizabethtown, St. Philip of Neri Church in Westport, and St. Joseph’s Church in Essex. Again retired, he resides in Hannawa Falls. |
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