Father David F. Stokes, 78

Posted: 10.09.09

SEBRING | Jesuit Father David F. Stokes, who helped with the Hispanic ministry at St. Catherine Parish, died Sept. 24. He was 78.

Father Stokes was born June 18, 1931, in Philadelphia to Francis de Sales Stokes and Mary E. Maloney. He graduated from St. Joseph University in Philadelphia and entered the Society of Jesus at the Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues in Wernersville, Pa. He pronounced his first vows Sept. 8, 1952.

He continued his studies and became a Jesuit scholar and taught English, French and religion at a school in North Bethesda, Md. He continued his theological studies at the Seminaire Des Missions in France and Woodstock College in Maryland. He was ordained a priest June 16, 1963. He completed his Tertianship in Canada and made his final profession in the Society of Jesus on Sept. 8, 1979, in Philadelphia.

Let Us Pray

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Father David Stokes, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen

After receiving a master’s degree in French, he served as a Minister of the Jesuit Community and teacher in schools in Scranton, Pa.; Towson, Md.; and Philadelphia. He then served as associate pastor at parishes in Philadelphia before working in the Hispanic Apostolate in Camden, N.J.; Philadelphia; Center Vineland, N.J.; and then as superior at Rutilia Grande House in Richmond, Va.

Father Stokes came to St. Catherine Parish in Sebring in 2007 and worked with the Hispanic community until his death.

He is survived by his sisters Celia Cooper of Franklin, N.C.; and Miriam Whitaker of Wynnewood, Pa.; and a brother, Philip Stokes of Melbourne; plus a number of nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 29 at St. Catherine Parish. Further services and burial were held at the Jesuit Center in Wernersville. Memorials may be made to St. Catherine Catholic School.

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Father Charles Mallen, 90

Posted: 09.03.09 | Updated: 09.11.09

VENICE | Father Charles “Charlie” Mallen will be remembered for his preaching and his love of others. He will also be remembered as an inspiration to many priests and laity in the Diocese of Venice; his legacy includes the founding of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat and Spirituality Center. (Please see, ”You’re a good man, Father Charlie Mallen.”

Father Mallen, a priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, died Aug. 30, at the St. John Neumann Residence in Tomonium, Md., with his friends and family at his side. He was 90.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane will celebrate Mass for Father Mallen’s soul at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. All are welcome to attend.

“It was his preaching and his love for the priests that stand out when I think of Charlie,” said Bishop Emeritus John J. Nevins, a friend of Father Mallen’s for 50 years. “He will be meeting me and welcoming me when I enter heaven because I know he is already there.”

Let Us Pray

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Father Charles Mallen, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Father Mallen was part of the original group of priests to join the Diocese of Venice when it was formed in 1984. His first assignment was to serve as the Vicar of Religious and director of continuing education for clergy.

He later became director of the Cursillo Movement for the Diocese and was then asked to create a diocesan retreat center on a piece of land on the Myakka River on the outskirts of Venice.

“I knew he was the man to do it,” Bishop Nevins recalled. “He held his own retreats for the priests and for the faithful and he was anxious to have a place to call his own.”

The 1995 groundbreaking for the retreat center, commonly referred to as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, was the realization of his dream.

The center opened in 1996 with two villas and a conference center. The volunteers who attend to the retreat center are affectionately called “Father Charlie’s Angels.” The St. Joseph Chapel was added in 2000. Father Mallen retired to Saratoga Springs in September of 2007.

Sister Carmella DeCosty, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, a friend and colleague for 40 years who is the current administrator of the retreat center, described Father Mallen as “bigger than life. He had a gift of preaching and he always wanted to be remembered that he preached the truth of the Gospel.”

Bishop Frank J. Dewane said Father Mallen “was indeed a priests’ priest, as well as possessing unique gifts of outreach to all who may have been suffering. Few people are a legacy in their own time; Father Charles Mallen was as a man of God. He will long be fondly remembered for his contribution to the growth and development of the Diocese of Venice in Florida.”

Diocese of Venice Chancellor Volodymyr Smeryk said Father Mallen served as an example to all who met him as a priest and as a person. “He was man of prayer! He gave a total commitment of his life to Christ, which was always evident in his actions and his life.”

Father Mallen was born June 8, 1919, in Corna, N.Y., to Charles and Elizabeth (Jemme) Mallen. He graduated from Xavier High School in New York City in 1936 and entered the Redemptorist Congregation that same year. He was a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Pennsylvania and then of Mount St. Alphonsus College in Esopus, N.Y. He also held a master’s degree in religious studies from Barry University in Miami.

He professed his vows as a Redemptorist on Aug. 2, 1939, at St. Mary’s Novitiate in Ilchester, Md. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 18, 1944, on the feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Prior to joining the Diocese of Venice, Father Mallen served as a parish priest in Ybor City and Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., then served in parish missions in the Archdiocese of Miami. He later became pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish and School in Opa-Locka. He conducted parish missions in the archdiocese as well as in Bolivia, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. He was then appointed to head the new Ministry to Priests Office in the Archdiocese of Miami and remained in that position until he joined the newly formed Diocese of Venice.

Father Mallen is survived by his brother, Father Jim Mallen, who is also a Redemptorist priest.

A funeral Mass was held Sept. 3 at the Stella Maris Chapel in Tomonium, Md. Burial was Sept. 4 at Mount St. Alphonsus in Esopus.

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Father William Edward Kekeisen, 79

Posted: 09.02.09

VENICE | Father William Edward Kekeisen, a retired priest from the Diocese of Springfield, Ill., who recently worked weekends at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Venice and San Pedro Parish in North Port, has died. He was 79.

Father Kekeisen was born June 16, 1930, and was a graduate of St. Meinrad Minor Seminary in St. Meinrad, Ind., and St. John’s Seminary in Little Rock, Ark. He was ordained May 24, 1958, in Springfield. He served at parishes in Quincy, Springfield, Wood River, Decatur, Bathalto, Edmundsville, Vandalia, Mount Olive and Jerseyville, all in Illinois. He retired in 1998.

Let Us Pray

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Father William Edward Kekeisen, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen

He is survived by two sisters, Janet Beasley and Louise Miller; and two brothers, Frank Kekeisen and Robert E. Kekeisen.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 2 at Mother of Good Counsel Home in St. Louis, with interment at Resurrection Cemetery. A memorial service is planned for Sept. 9, 10 a.m., at San Pedro Parish, and a similar service will be held at a later date at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.

Donations may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society or the American Heart Association.

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Sister Mary Urban Haughton, 96

Posted: 07.17.09

Let Us Pray

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Sister Mary Urban Haughton, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, she may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Sister Mary Urban Haughton, Sister of the Holy Child Jesus, formerly a pastoral minister at Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda and St. Andrew Parish in Cape Coral, died in Rosemont, Pa. She was 96.

Sister Mary Urban also served in the Philadelphia area for 30 years, hosting her own television show for two years, and in California for 17 years.

She served in Punta Gorda from 1982 to 1983 and then in Cape Coral from 1983 to her retirement in 1999 to Rosemont.

Sister Mary Urban held a bachelor’s degree in French from Immaculate Heart University in Los Angeles and a master’s degree in psychology and guidance from Fordham University in the Bronx. She is survived by nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and her religious community.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated July 11 in Rosemont. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus Retirement Fund, 460 Shadeland Ave., Drexel Hill, PA 19026.

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Father Louis M. Massanet, 75

Posted: 04.24.09

Let Us Pray

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Father Louis M. Massanet, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen

VENICE | The Diocese of Venice announces the death of Capuchin Father Louis M. Massanet, O.F.M Cap., who died April 16. He was 75.

Father Massanet was ordained on Oct. 9, 1993 in the Diocese of Bani, Dominican Republic. He was a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He served at St. Ann Parish in Naples and as temporary administrator of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish in LaBelle. Father Massanet most recently served in his retirement at St. William Parish in Naples. He recently served as one of the speakers at a Life in the Spirit Seminar at San Marco Parish in Marco Island.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. William Parish on April 20. Interment will be at Naples Memorial Gardens.

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Father Thomas Joseph Zedar, 69

Posted: 02.12.08

VENICE | Father Thomas Joseph Zedar, former pastor of San Antonio Parish in Port Charlotte, died Feb. 8 at his home in Port Charlotte. He was 69.

Father Zedar was pastor at San Antonio for 16 years before retiring in 2006. He also previously served at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Siesta Key, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish in Sarasota and at the Mission at Deep Creek in Port Charlotte, which later became San Antonio Parish.

Let Us Pray

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Father Thomas J. Zedar, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Father Zedar was born April 23, 1939, in Carbondale, Pa., to Joseph R. Zedar and Alice Haggerty. He grew up in Endicott, N.Y., and went to St. Andrew Seminary in Rochester, N.Y., and then to St. Bernard Seminary in Rochester, earning degrees in philosophy and theology. He also earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Scranton, Pa.

He was ordained May 1, 1965, in Syracuse, N.Y., for the Diocese of Syracuse. He worked in New York at parishes in Cortland, Binghamton and Windsor before coming to Florida in 1988.

Father Zedar was incardinated in the Diocese of Venice on Jan. 14, 1992.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane is scheduled to celebrate a funeral Mass at San Antonio Parish Feb. 13. A memorial Mass was scheduled for Feb. 16 for the parishioners.

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Father Vincente Ibanez Llaria, 74

Posted: 02.12.09

VENICE | Father Vincente Ibanez Llaria, former pastor of St. James Parish in Lake Placid, died Feb. 6 in Spain. He was 74.

Father Llaria served as pastor of St. James for 12 years. He previously served at St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton, Holy Cross Parish in Palmetto and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Grove City.

Let Us Pray

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant Father Vincente Ibanez Llaria, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. We pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen

He was born March 30, 1934, in Anguiano, Spain, to Vincente Llaria and Ursala Ibanez. He was educated at Seminario Conciliar in Logrono, Spain, eventually earning a degree in philosophy. He also earned a theology degree from Colegio Mayor Hispa–Americano in Madrid, Spain, and a master’s degree in family counseling from the University of Ipiranga in Brazil.

Father Llaria was ordained June 22, 1959, in Madrid into the Diocese of Calahorra, Spain. He served in parishes and missions in Spain and Brazil before coming to the United States in 1976. He was incarnated into the Diocese of St. Petersburg on May 27, 1976.

Father Llaria retired in 2008 and returned to Spain. A memorial service took place Feb. 11 in Lake Placid. He was buried in Spain.

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