Orlando 2025 priest jubilarians

ORLANDO  |  The following are short biographies of 13 priests who are celebrating jubilee anniversaries in 2025. The priests will be honored during the annual Chrism Mass Monday, April 14, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe at 11 a.m.

65 YEARS

Msgr. Fabian Gimeno

Ordained June 19, 1960, in Madrid, Msgr. Gimeno served at St. Lawrence and St. Blas parishes in Spain before arriving in the Diocese of Orlando in 1962.

He served as parochial vicar at St. James Cathedral in Orlando until 1969, when he became the parochial administrator of St. Peter in DeLand. From there he went to Blessed Sacrament in Clermont where he was pastor for more than a decade.

In 1982, he became pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Cloud. There Msgr. Gimeno oversaw the church’s renovation and the construction of a new parish hall, gymnasium and administration building. Under his direction, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School was built and opened in 1989. The school was the first in the diocese since its creation in 1968.

Msgr. Gimeno was instrumental in bringing the Spanish-language Cursillo in Christianity movement to the Diocese of Orlando. After attending a retreat in Miami, he invited local St. James parishioners to participate. Cursillo is a movement that fosters Christian community and intentionally living the Christian life.

In 2009, Msgr. Gimeno supported the opening of St. Thomas Aquinas Free Medical Clinic in St. Cloud. The clinic provides free medical care to uninsured Osceola County residents living at or below 200 percent of the poverty level. Today the clinic serves more than 1,000 patients annually.

Msgr. Gimeno retired in 2011, and returned to his homeland in Spain.

Father Robert Kurber

Father Kurber said his vocation “is a mystery” to him. Growing up two houses from his parish with a school next to it, he remembers the Church always being a part of his life.

The third of five children in a devout Catholic family, he became involved with church ministry early on. He recalled he was in eighth grade when he thought of priesthood and said to himself, “This might be an interesting life.”

That year he wrote to three different minor seminaries, trying to decide which he would pursue. Because he knew a Society of the Precious Blood priest who was always fun to be around, he applied to Brunnerdale Minor Seminary in Canton, Ohio. He was 13.

“It very gradually unfolded that this was where I was supposed to be,” he said. “I had questions and doubts but kept going back. I never felt a flash of light where God said, ‘I’m calling you.’” He recalled the bishop saying, “Those who wish to be ordained to the priesthood, please step forward.” And he did.

Ordained May 28, 1960, he first served at the minor seminary until he requested to work in a parish. He was assigned to Holy Angels in Dayton, Ohio, for three years, but stayed 13 years.

In 1976, he arrived in Orlando where he served as pastor of three Orlando parishes: St. Andrew, St. John Vianney, and Holy Cross until his retirement in 2003. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Orlando in 1994.

After receiving a request from Resurrection Parish in Winter Garden to assist a priest with his English, he began going weekly and loved it. He continues to serve as needed at Resurrection  Parish in Winter Garden.

Caring for the faithful in Orlando “has been an absolutely positive experience,” Father Kurber said. “I always felt being in Orlando was a special gift from God to encourage me and keep me looking forward.”

Of the Jubilee Year of Hope he said, “I think people really need to have something they can cling to that has permanent value. We try things — money, reputation, power, drugs, alcohol — but  after a while none of that satisfies and there is still an inside yearning for something more. Over the years we’ve lost the idea that it might be God. My hope is that people will again realize that’s where it all rests.” He also hopes, “young people realize how much a commitment to their faith life would really help them, help our world, help our country.”

Holy Cross Father Joseph Long

Ordained for the Congregation of Holy Cross June 5, 1959, Father Long first met the order priests in Kings College in his hometown of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he and his three siblings grew up. Attracted by the variety of ministries in which they served, he was certain there would be a place for him.

He spent his first 12 years as a teacher of Latin and religion at high schools in Connecticut and Massachusetts, while earning a master’s degree from Catholic University of America. Learning of a need for hospital chaplains, he moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1971, and served at Vassar Brothers Hospital until 1992. He then served as chaplain for the Wilkes-Barre, Virginia, Medical Center and other area hospitals.

After 35 years as a chaplain, he moved to Florida in 2003, for better weather and to reside with his Holy Cross community in Cocoa Beach. He assisted at Blessed Sacrament in Cocoa for more than a decade. In his retirement he assists at Holy Name of Jesus, Indialantic, Our Saviour in Cocoa Beach and Ascension in Melbourne. He also enjoys helping out at Florida Institute of Technology’s Catholic Campus Ministry, celebrating Mass at a local senior center, and taking Holy Communion to those in rehabilitation centers. Father Long also assists as a chaplain at Patrick Air Force Base.

Father Long spends his summers in the Diocese of Scranton, filling in where he can.

He loves being a priest and the variety of ministries keeps him on his toes. Of his fellow Holy Cross fathers, he said, “The whole community is one of faith and hope.”

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, he said, “I admire those who keep the faith. It’s important they understand we are ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, as the pope said.” Father Long hopes we all do our part. “It’s a combined effort of priests, deacons, sisters, and all the people who minister in the Church,” he said. “You do what you can, day by day. Each day is a gift from God.”

60 YEARS

Father Bernard Fernando

Father Fernando was born in Laoag City, Philippines, one of four children. He entered minor seminary at 13. Called to the Order of Franciscans Minor, he was ordained on May 26, 1965, in Calbayog City, Philippines.

His order needed priests in the United States, so he traveled to the Diocese of Newark, New Jersey, where he served Resurrection (St. Michael) in Jersey City as parochial vicar; Hackensack University Medical Center, Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, and St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Cedar Grove as chaplain. Father Fernando was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Newark in 1974.

After retiring in 2004, he moved to Orlando where his younger sister, Sister of Providence Deling Fernando lived. He began serving in hospital ministry through Holy Family Parish in Orlando at Orlando Health Dr. Phillips Hospital. He still serves celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation where needed and offers Anointing of the Sick – often late at night when fellow Filipino friends call. Currently, he is the spiritual director for the Ilocano Filipino Association, a cultural group from his homeland.

In 2016, Father Fernando performed as a stand-up comedian as part of a concert of fellow Filipino priests. It is tradition in the Philippines that seminarians host musical programs to raise funds for vocation formation. Father Fernando was eager to do his part.

“My favorite thing about him are his jokes,” said his sibling, Sister Deling. “He’s told them so many times, he laughs before the punchline.” She appreciates his faithfulness to prayer and daily Mass, noting “He is a very holy man.”

At age 91, his constant smile is contagious. You can often hear him saying, “If we are not going to heaven when we die, then our life is meaningless.”

Father Ken Metz 

Father Metz’s life journey has certainly been a far cry from his original vision back in Milwaukee where it all began. “It is way more than I ever thought it would be,” said Father Metz, now 86, and celebrating 60 years of ministry. “It was not what I planned, but it has been much better.”

Born into a Catholic household, he attended Catholic schools. “I heard the call to the priesthood when I was in grade school,” said Father Metz sensing the Lord’s desire for him to serve early on.

In his teen years, he entered St. Francis de Sales Minor Seminary and St. Francis Seminary. He was 26, when he stood before the bishop at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist receiving Holy Orders May 29, 1965, becoming a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. “There were 17 of us ordained that day,” Father Metz recalled. “We all agreed that we would serve in parishes. It didn’t work out like that.”

He started out in parish ministry and then after three years went into campus ministry before returning to school. At Marquette University in Milwaukee, he earned a doctorate in counseling and guidance.

“I was 70 when I came to Florida,” he said. All Souls Parish in Sanford became his new home for the next 14 years before retiring two years ago.

Father Metz said he is taking a break from flying after logging scores of hours as a licensed pilot, but he is fishing, brushing up on Spanish and playing golf. He began to test the multi-media waters during the pandemic years and is still delving into creating YouTube videos focused on evangelization.

He lives at Emmaus community for retired priests on the grounds of San Pedro Spiritual Development Center in Winter Park. He enjoys the four sandhill cranes that live on the property and helping with daily and Sunday Masses at the center chapel and surrounding parishes.

 “The virtues of courage and patience are important to practice,” he said. “Things never turn out the way you think they will. No one knows God’s plans. We continue to do His will.”

Msgr. Patrick Sheedy

Born in County Clare, Ireland, in 1940, Msgr. Sheedy set his eyes on running the family farm. The fourth of 12 children, God and his father had other plans. With three uncles who were priests and two aunts who were nuns, it made sense to enter the seminary at 17.

Unafraid of hard work and loving to be around people, while in seminary he worked in construction by day and served drinks in a pub by night. He said he worked in the pub “to experience life, to mix with people and see how they lived.”

He and his brother, Michael, were ordained the same day, June 13, 1965, in their home parish. Michael stayed in Ireland while Msgr. Sheedy headed to Florida. He served in the Diocese of St. Augustine at Resurrection and Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, and at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Upon formation of the Diocese of Orlando he served at Our Lady of Lourdes in Daytona Beach, St. Charles Borromeo in Orlando, and St. Joseph in Lakeland.

In 1988 he was assigned to Blessed Trinity in Ocala, where he still guides his community as pastor. The parish had about 2,700 parishioners and the elementary school had 222 students. With low enrollment, the council considered closing the school. Emphasizing a stewardship way of life and fervor for Catholic education, he helped turn things around. Classrooms were added along with a high school. Today’s total enrollment stands at more than 1,500 students from Pre-K to grade 12 and nearly 5,000 celebrate Mass every weekend.

During his tenure, mission churches of Christ the King in Citra and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Ocala were established, Perpetual Adoration began and two convents were built to house religious serving in various ministries.

In 2004, he and the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix inspired the building of a church in Uganda. The mission in Uganda to date has built 32 village churches, 22 village schools, 40 deep wells, two medical clinics, an orphanage and more.

“God gives of Himself,” Msgr. Sheedy told OSV News in 2024. “The highpoint of giving is the Mass – Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for our salvation. All giving flows from that. If you’re tuned into God, if you have a relationship, you will see the opportunities.”

As for the Jubilee Year of Hope, he said he believes pilgrimages are important milestones in the spiritual life. “They have the power to do more than just being holy here at home,” he said. “Regardless of the Jubilee Year, we are pilgrims and pilgrims are on a hope-filled journey. I don’t think it will be different this year than other years. At least it shouldn’t be. But I do hope it jolts us out of our routine. I do believe every person should lift the hope of others. As a priest, I am always trying to give people the joy of a hope-filled life.”

La Salette Father William Slight

Father Slight was a child when God planted vocations seed in his heart. “As a youngster, I always admired the priests I knew,” he said. The priests at his New Bedford hometown parish, his Oblate cousin, and a Franciscan friend of the family, exuded deep faith. “Then, I got introduced to the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette,” Father Slight said. “I entered their minor seminary in New Hampshire in 1953. From then on, my religious life under vows and my priesthood have been lived in their tradition and charism of reconciliation.”

Father Slight was 13 when he entered the La Salettes, dedicated to serving and spreading Mary’s message of reconciliation she delivered during an apparition in La Salette, France in 1846. He was ordained Dec. 11, 1965, and spent one year in Canada serving as a high school chaplain. In 1967, he went to the Philippines serving as pastor of several parishes for nearly 20 years, falling in love with people and culture and learning the Ilokano dialect.

In 1986, he returned to the United States to serve his congregation as vocation recruiter, mission office director and seminary rector.

At age 60, Father Slight learned Spanish and headed to Texas, where he served as pastor of St. Patrick in Lufkin. Eight years later he moved to Florida and joined Orlando’s Blessed Trinity parish family making it home for the past 15 years.

“When I look back over the years, I find the richness of my wonderful parents, their Catholic faith, my French-Canadian culture and entire bilingual religious formation. All of my missionary experiences have formed me into the priest I am today,” he said.

Father Slight is leading a pilgrimage to Rome this Jubilee Year “to pass through the Holy Doors,” he said. His hope is the Church will continue to have strong leadership. “Over the many years, I have been grateful to the popes for their leadership and teaching. It is Pope Francis who has really been my best guide and teacher, the one I identify with the most.” He is hopeful the priesthood will also grow. “My religious community is striving to increase its membership and deepen its spirit of reconciliation as captured in Mary’s apparition at La Salette. I am very happy and fortunate for being a member since 1960.”

50 YEARS

Father William Neumann

Born in Long Island, New York, July 11, 1949, Father Neumann attended St. Andrew Seminary High School, John Fischer College and St. Bernard Seminary — all in Rochester, New York. He was ordained for the Diocese of Orlando June 1, 1975, at St. Charles Borromeo Parish, which served as the cathedral at the time.

His first assignment was at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Winter Park until he left to serve Divine Mercy Parish in Merritt Island in 1978. Six years later he went to the Basilica of St. Paul in Daytona Beach, where he served for two years, before going to St. Joseph Parish in Winter Haven until 1990. The following year he served St. Joseph of the Forest Mission in Silver Springs.

Father Neumann’s longest tenure was while serving Our Lady of the Springs in Ocala. He pastored the faithful for 13 years as he continued to serve St. Joseph of the Forest and St. Hubert of the Forest Mission in Astor.

In 2005, he moved to share his talents at Prince of Peace in Ormond Beach, and in 2008 he served St. Augustine Parish in Casselberry and stayed for eight years. His final assignment before retiring in 2018 was St. Stephen Parish in Winter Springs.

Father Allen Stahl

Born in 1949 in Mansfield, Ohio, Father Stahl grew up in Eustis attending St. Mary of the Lakes Parish. The youngest of seven children, he was an altar server and received faith formation from the Sisters of Christian Doctrine. The pastor at the time made it possible for several young people to attend Bishop Moore Catholic High School, 35 miles away. Stahl was among them.

“It was a special time of grace,” he recalled. “My mother was very devoted to the Church. I entered seminary after high school. Year after year, it became clearer that this was the Lord’s choice for me.”

While in seminary during the Vietnam War, the Selective Service lottery came up. “My number was 360 out of 365, so I would be one of last persons to be called up,” he said. Though he was not asked to serve, he recalled thinking, “If my country needed me, I would go.”

His father served in the Navy during World War II and two of his brothers also served.

Ordained June 1,1975 for the Diocese of Orlando, his first assignment at Good Shepherd in Orlando was the foundation of his future ministry. “I found there many who were good shepherds to me and was blessed with helping at the parish school,” he said. He went on to serve at St. Mary Magdalen and Annunciation, both in Altamonte Springs, before leaving for four years to serve as a U.S. Army chaplain in Fort Lewis, Washington.

He returned to serve St. Paul Parish in Leesburg before departing again to serve as a U.S. Army Chaplain in Germany, Kentucky, Virginia, Korea, Colorado, Oklahoma and Georgia. He received the Legion of Merit for outstanding service.

With a great need for priest chaplains in the service at Fort Carson, in the missionary Diocese of Colorado Springs, Bishop Grady granted him leave upon retirement. Since then, he has helped fill in where needed, including as chaplain to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and the Sisters of St. John Bosco.

Noting there is never a retirement from the Lord’s service, he said, “My daily prayer to the Lord is this: I still want to do something significant and substantial for you, O Lord, and for Your Kingdom before I die. That is still my hope going into this Holy Year of Hope. Maybe this year it will be granted in one way or another!”

25 YEARS

Father Sajimon Muthirenthikal Chandy

Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception Father Chandy came to the United States from southern India Oct. 5, 2022, and has served as parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Winter Haven since Jan. 25, 2023.

In 2000, he was ordained at St. Mary Parish in India to serve as a priest of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception. “From the initial call to the formation years, I felt the joy of ordination, and the many blessings I have received in service to God and His people,” he said. “It has been a fulfilling journey.”

Father Chandy comes from a large Catholic family of nine children. “We belong to the Syro-Malabar Rite and are known as St. Thomas Christians, as St. Thomas the Apostle came to India in 52 A.D., giving Kerala a rich and ancient Catholic heritage,” he explained. “My parents, like their parents before them, were deeply rooted in faith.”

At an early age, he had a strong sense God was calling him to serve. “Even as a child, I had a deep love for the Church and the sacraments. I loved being at Mass, serving as an altar boy and learning about the faith. Though I didn’t fully understand it then, I now see that God was calling me and seeing the dedication and holiness of my parish priests deeply inspired me. I admired their service, their joy, and their love for the people.’”

Father Chandy entered his congregation at age 15 and was ordained at age 28. He served in formation, as provincial superior, retreat center director, in parish communities and among the poor in India and in Italy.

Nearly 9,000 miles away from home, he feels welcomed at St. Joseph Parish. He said, “I can say that I truly enjoy my ministry here. St. Joseph is a vibrant, multicultural, and multilingual parish with a strong sense of community. The liturgical celebrations and the opportunity to administer the sacraments give deep meaning and fulfillment to my priestly life. The parishioners have warmly welcomed me, and I feel truly blessed to be part of this faith-filled community.”

Reflecting on the Jubilee Year, he said, “My greatest hope for the Church is that it remains a place where people find comfort, healing, and a deep relationship with Christ. May it be a source of unity, especially in a time of division, and may its message of compassion, justice, and peace spread to all corners of the world.” He said, “My hope is that the priesthood continues to be a source of strength and guidance for the faithful. I pray that priests remain close to the heart of Christ and serve with humility, compassion, and unwavering commitment to their vocation, and that the priesthood attracts many young, zealous individuals who will answer God’s call with joy and dedication.”

Father Ralph DuWell

When Father DuWell was ordained for the Diocese of Orlando, he was ecstatic. During an interview, he said, “This is a dream come true. I know I’m where God wants me to be.” After 25 years, Father DuWell is still living his dream. “I still believe God wanted me here,” he said. “This is where I am supposed to be.”

A native of Pennsylvania, Father DuWell grew up in Florida and in the Episcopal Church. He was active in his church, but in his 30s, when he felt detached from God, he visited Ascension Parish in Melbourne. “I never left,” he said. “I attended Mass, and I continued to go back.” Father DuWell came into the Catholic Church in 1988 finding the Lord in the Holy Eucharist. “The Eucharist is the summit of our faith,” he said. “This was what I didn’t have in the Episcopal Church.”

He finished studies at the University of Florida and worked in banking for 16 years when his life journey shifted. “I began thinking about becoming a priest,” he said. He talked to friends and visited the diocesan vocations director. He entered St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in 1994, at age 39, and found seminary life was a good fit. Ordained for the Diocese of Orlando on May 27, 2000, he said, “It has been a good 25 years.”

Father DuWell’s journey has taken him to Our Lady of the Lakes in Deltona, where he served as administrator pro tem, and then as parochial vicar at Holy Family in Orlando, St. Joseph in Winter Haven and St. Timothy in Lady Lake. In 2011, he served as parochial administrator of Nativity in Longwood before being assigned pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Orlando in 2014. In 2022, he returned to St. Timothy as pastor. “I hope to stay here until I retire,” he said. “I am here walking with families through the sacraments. The sacraments are so important to me.”

When asked about his hope for the Church and priesthood this Jubilee Year, he turned to his own ministry. “I hope I can continue to walk with the families and administer the sacraments for the Church.” His message of hope for his flock? “The message I give people is to put trust in the Lord. He is our hope. He is the one in control.”

Father Nazaire Massillon

Born in Haiti, Father Massillon is the sixth child in his Catholic family of 11 children. He attended Catholic school, and his family was active at their parish. “My dad served as a sacristan all his life, and his dream was always to have one of his children become a priest,” said Father Massillon. His father didn’t miss a day without praying to the Lord, asking Him to call one of his boys to the priesthood. “He used to wake up everybody in the morning to pray before leaving to work,” said Father Massillon. The call finally came. Young Nazaire was a teen attending Mass when he heard the Lord calling through his pastor’s homily. “His preaching touched me. I said to myself, ‘I want to be a priest like him.’ When I decided to go to the seminary, it was a great day for my dad.”

Seminary studies began in Haiti with aims on becoming a Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary mission priest. He studied philosophy, and then, took part in a two-year internship in Brazil. His theology studies were at the Universidad Pontificia de Mexico, Mexico City. Ordination ceremonies were July 22, 2000 in Port au Prince. Returning to Brazil, he began parish ministry until 2008 when he was assigned to Florida to serve St. Catherine of Siena Parish in    Kissimmee.

After experiencing another call from God, Father Massillon felt like the Diocese of Orlando was where he was supposed to be. He was incardinated April 13, 2018 to serve the diocese. “Here I am very happy,” he said. “My favorite part of the priesthood is celebrating Mass and anointing the sick. With the sick people, I experience the presence of a merciful and compassionate Lord.”

During the Jubilee Year Father Massillon encourages all to be disciples of the Lord. “My message is that we use all our strength and wisdom as Christians to sow the seed of hope in a world without hope, but we need to do it not only by word, but by actions and testimony.” He trusts the Church will remain a beacon of light reaching out as Jesus did and continues to do. “My hope for the Church is that it continues to stand beside the most vulnerable in our society, to be the face of Jesus, who says whatever you do for the little one you also do for me.”

Father Luis Osorio

Father Osorio’s life path led him from western Colombia to North Carolina, and then, south to Florida, where he found home. “It has taken me some time to get settled,” said Father Osorio, pastor of Holy Spirit in Lake Wales.

Father Osorio, from a Catholic family of eight children, originates from Pereira, Colombia. “My parents had a great devotion to Our Lady of Carmel. They usually had an altar for her at home,” he said reflecting on his parent’s deep faith, rosary prayers, church activities and devotions. After finishing Catholic school, Father Osorio entered the University of Colombia earning a political economics degree.  

He was 32 when his life journey took a turn. “I came to live in the United States on Feb. 25, 1990,” he said. Leaving all behind, he travelled to North Carolina, found work and St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Parish in Statesville where he became involved in charismatic retreats, workshops and lay ministry programs. Still, he wanted more.

“One morning, I heard God’s call in my heart saying follow me. I was 36 years old when I went to the seminary,” he shared. Father Osorio entered St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach as a Diocese of Charlotte seminarian. He was ordained on June 3, 2000, at age 42. He served Our Lady of Lourdes in Monroe, Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro, Holy Infant in Reidsville, St. Michael in Gastonia and St. Vincent de Paul and St. Gabriel in Charlotte.

After nearly a decade and upon approval, he transferred to Florida in 2009 and was incardinated in 2018. He has served at Our Lady of Lourdes in Melbourne, St. Mary in Rockledge and Centro Guadalupano Mission in Wahneta joining its large Spanish- speaking family. “I did not use too much English,” said Father Osorio, a little rusty with his second language. Now serving Holy Spirit, he said, “The Anglo community at Holy Spirit has been very patient and supportive. I feel blessed,” he said.

This Jubilee Year, he hopes the Church and priesthood will continue to grow and diversify. “It’s a feeling that words cannot describe,” he said about his own vocation. He encourages all to give hope to others through witness of faith as his parents gave him. “The Lord continues to give us a boost to continue to give witness as people of God. We are together in this. That’s the mystery of the presence of God in our world.”

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