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Fr.
Michael J. Carmody
Pastor
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Michael J. Carmody was born in
Baton Rouge, LA, and grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River.
As a Catholic school student, Mike enjoyed exploring the outdoors,
riding bikes, swimming, camping, hiking, canoeing and earning the
Eagle Rank required merit badges with the Boy Scouts, junior varsity
football and senior varsity statistician, varsity basketball and
scheduling and training the other altar servers at St. John the
Evangelist parish. He was named to the National Honor Society and
lettered in Academics. In January 1974, his senior year, the Dow
Chemical Company transferred the family from the Louisiana Division to
the Texas Division, so the transplanted Cajun enrolled in the local
Brazoswood public high school for his last semester. Because of his
schedule of classes Michael actually graduated with high school
diplomas from both Louisiana and Texas.
Enrolling in college
classes during the day and playing drums at night in various rock,
country and top 40 bands (yes, there was even a disco gig at the
Brazoria County Fairgrounds for a time), the long haired lad
eventually decided to change his Chemical Engineering major at U.T.
Austin in the middle of his junior year, after attending a weekend
vocations retreat at St. Mary Seminary in Houston.
In the Fall semester
1977, the transplanted Austinite enrolled as a seminarian and repeated
the junior year at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, in order to
complete the required Philosophy, Theology and Spanish credits. In
1979 Michael J. Carmody held a B.A. degree and joined his classmates
in a summer vacation to Florida. After only a week, the group
returned to discover that the price of gasoline had jumped over 35
cents a gallon, but finding it was another matter.
As a graduate student in
the U.S.T. Masters program the not-so-long haired theological
seminarian was able to leave behind the hot, dirty, outside summer
jobs for reasonably good pay at Dow Chemical and take a hot,
not-so-dirty, outside summer job as a chaplain at the Port of Houston
for substantially less pay. On the bright side, he was able to live
at St. Christopher parish where he could play his drums across the
street without bothering anyone. Too much. HPD was never called to
the scene, at any rate.
In May 1982 Mr. Carmody
was ordained at the co-cathedral of the Sacred Heart to the rank of
Deacon by Bishop John L. Morkovsky, of happy memory, with his
classmates Tom Rafferty and John Upton. Deacon Mike was sent to work
with Msgr. Edward Randall at St. Theresa parish near Memorial Park but
after a month Fr. Ed was assigned to St. Cyril of Alexandria and
Deacon Mike went to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to complete his deacon
assignment.
Deacons Carmody, Rafferty
and Upton were called to receive the consecration of priesthood at St.
Francis de Sales parish, Houston, on May 7, 1983 again by Bishop
Morkovsky. Before settling in to their first assignments the newly
ordained priests embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome where they met up
with St. Mary classmate, Deacon Frank Rossi, who would be ordained a
priest in August. Visiting the Vatican and the Eternal City was a
most excellent way for the newest diocesan clergymen to celebrate the
inauguration of their ministries.
Over the next 10 years
Fr. Mike would serve in a variety of Houston parishes as parochial
vicar and since 1993 he has been appointed pastor of St. Joseph on the
Brazos, Queen of Peace, St. Catherine of Siena, and in July 2009, St.
Mary Magdalene parish in Humble, TX, where he is currently writing
this autobiography. He has also served in positions as diocesan
director of respect life activities, diocesan social concerns
commission, U.S.T. alumni board, Brazoria ministerial alliance
secretary, Texas Department of Criminal Justice chaplain, Catholic
Daughters of America chaplain, and a dedicated Knights of Columbus
chaplain and / or friar to seven councils, two assemblies and the
Houston Chapter.
The full time pastor
likes to play golf on his day off and for almost 10 years occupied the
second chair percussion spot in the Lone Star Symphonic Band, a
volunteer community organization, which invites amateur musicians and
music lovers to meet several times a year for the simple joys of the
concert experience.
Having recently attended
the dedication of the magnificent new co-cathedral downtown during his
silver jubilee year, Fr. Carmody is ever more grateful for the
priestly vocation and encourages all Catholics everywhere to continue
to pray for priests and those discerning religious vocations. He
extends his blessings to all who have participated in his remarkable
journey of faith and asks God to encourage all people as we continue
this exciting third millennium of Christian discipleship.
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Rev. Msgr. Paul Procella
RETIRED 03/2008
"Thank you Monsignor Paul for 18
wonderful years at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church!"
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Msgr.Paul
Procella graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1956
with a BS degree in Chemistry/History.
He served two years in the Air Force, leaving with an
honorable discharge.
Msgr.
Paul entered the seminary in August 1983 after being International
Sales Manager for Spectra-Physics in San Jose, California.
Prior to that, he spent a combined total of 26 years in
analytical instrumentation used for performing chemical analysis.
Married
for 20 years, he and his wife, Bobbye spent most of those years in
Houston, except for six years spent in San Jose.
They had no children.
After Bobbye’s death in 1979, he became involved in his
parish, Sts. Simon & Jude in The Woodlands, and from that his
interest in priesthood began to develop.
Msgr Paul left a job he truly loved at the age of 50 and
entered Sacred Heart School of Theology, a second career vocation
seminary.
Msgr.
Paul was awarded the Master of Divinity Degree on May 15, 1987 from
Sacred Heart School of Theology in
Hales Corners Wisconsin.
He was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1987.
His first assignment was St. Edward’s Parish in Spring
Texas.
As
Pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Humble, Texas, Fr. Paul has
seen St. Mary Magdalene Parish grow from 1500 families to 3520
families in the last ten years.
Following parish goals and diocesan directives, the parish
opened a
Catholic school
in 2001.
He is active in vocation recruiting in the Diocese,
especially with second-career candidates. He has served on the
Presbyteral Council for Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza in the Diocese of
Galveston-Houston.
He continues to be supportive of The Sacred Heart School of
Theology where he served on the Board of Directors for 8 years. He
is the current dean for the San Jacinto Deanery and serves on the
Pension Retirement Commission. Our Holy Father named
Msgr. Paul Procella, the Prelate of Honor with the title of
Reverend Monsignor on February 16, 2000.
Msgr.
Paul retired as pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Parish after
18 wonderful years. He is now the ministering priest for the
sisters of the Carmelite Convent in Roman Forest.
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