St. Alphonsus Parish in Grand Rapids has nurtured an impressive number of Redemptorist vocations since it was founded in 1888. Since the locals first gathered to worship 134 years ago, the parish has been a focal point of family life.
The Redemptorists quickly established a parochial school to serve the neighborhood children. St. Alphonsus School opened on September 2, 1889 with four Dominicans in charge: Sisters Cyprian, Sabina, Ignatius and Alocoque. The first roll call listed 180 children.
Many of the students were called to religious life through the ensuing years. Quite a few young girls joined the Dominicans, while others were drawn to vocations with different orders of religious women. Sr. Mary Margaret Miller, who grew up on Page Street with four brothers who became Redemptorist priests, became a Redemptoristine and lived to the age of 102. That celebrated street also produced two vocations from the Grile family and five vocations from the Patin family.
The parish also nurtured the vocations of Tom Page and David Sacha, who were ordained to serve the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Br. Leo Patin, who produces the ROOTS project – the unofficial who, what, when and where of the Redemptorists in the American West since 1875 – kindly compiled the following list of Redemptorist vocations from St. Alphonsus Parish in Grand Rapids.
Although every effort has been made to be as inclusive as possible, this list may not be complete.
Redemptorist Vocations:
Joe Andre – Died in car accident before ordination
Bob Bek – Left after many years of ordination
Richard Bek – Left years after ordination
James Bek – Left years after ordination
Melborn Bohr
Robert Boucher
Gerry Boucher
John Boucher
Raymond Bowersox
Tom Brooks – Left years after ordination
Louie Brown
Frank Dalton
Richard Dalton
Frederick Dillenbeck
Leo F. Dillenbeck
Robert Dillenbeck
Joseph Earl – Left many years after ordination
Patrick Earl – Left before ordination
Robert Earl
Thomas Eggleston – Left before ordination
Tom Firestone – Incardinated into diocese
James Fish – Left years after ordination
Harry Grile
Patrick Grile
Donald Hamacher – Left before final vows
Tom Hillary – Left before ordination
Mike Hillary – Left many years after ordination
Robert Hillary – Left before ordination
Edward Jennings
James Kenna
Stan Ladwig – Left years after vows
Stan Ladwig – Left years after vows
George Lieselt
James Malone – Left many years after ordination
Aaron Meszaros
Donald Miller
Ernest Miller
Louis Miller
Raymond Miller
Robert Miller – Incardinated into diocese
Patrick Norton – Left before final vows
Edward Nugent
Jim Nugent
Liguori Nugent
William Nugent
John Otterbacher – Left before ordination
Raymond Palmiter – Left many years after ordination
Andrew Patin
Eugene Patin
Gerard Patin
Larry Patin
Leo Patin
Peter Patin – From Sand Lake, MI; left before final vows
Gus Peters
Steven Roback – Left before ordination
Bernard Rooney
Thomas Santa
Donald Schumaker
Clemence Schwartz – Left before ordination
Creston Smith – Left many years after ordination
Donald Symanski – Left many years after ordination