Jesuit Father Paul McCarthy prepares to depart diocese

Friday, Jul. 04, 2014

SANDY — After 14 years as parochial vicar at Saint Thomas More Parish in Sandy, and having celebrated his 90th birthday in June, Jesuit Father Paul McCarthy is moving to his order’s retirement home in the Bronx, N.Y.

Last year, his superior suggested the move, “and it felt right,” Fr. McCarthy said. “They like us to come in while we can offer something to the community.”

He will play the organ for the community’s religious services, he said, and he is looking forward to catching up on his reading, particularly books on language and music. In addition, he recently bought several volumes of commentaries on the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. 

“I’m going to study those a little more,” he said. “Will I be using them for homilies? I don’t know. Certainly for meditation, but I may not be giving many homilies any more. And the lives of the saints are always interesting. They give you a big lift.” 

He’s also relearning the board game cribbage. “It’s not a trivial game,” he said. “It’s the best two-person game there is, and it’s not simple.” 

For lighter entertainment, he has a set of Mexican Train Dominoes. “It’s a fun game that 6-year-olds can play, and adults, and everybody has a wonderful time,” he said.

Fr. McCarthy was ordained a priest in 1957 for the Society of Jesus. For 35 years he was a chemistry professor, first at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J., then at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. Starting in 1975 he began to visit the Diocese of Salt Lake City to help fill in for diocesan priests; one of the things that attracted him to Utah, other than the ministry, was the skiing, a sport he continued until about three years ago.

As the years went on, his schedule changed so that he was teaching only half of the year; the remainder of the time he spent in parishes in Utah. In 1995 he began longer stays in the diocese and became a permanent resident in 2000.

After 70 years as a priest, Fr. McCarthy still counts his ordination as one of the highlights. He also enjoyed the chemical research he did, especially his sabbaticals at the Ørsted Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark and the University of Bern in Switzerland, he said; some of his work resulted in publications that he co-authored. 

Being a researcher “was really stimulating, and you keep up with your field if you’re doing something at least minimally original,” he said.

Teaching was also fulfilling, he said. “I did enjoy teaching, especially if you got students who were excited about chemistry. They were rare, but I got some occasionally.”

Fr. McCarthy sees no contradiction in being a scientist as well as a religious man. 

“I think they go together,” he said. “You’re exploring the world, which God made. Science is a very essential part of our knowledge and it belongs to the Church as well as to anybody else. Teaching of any subject is a part of humanity, and making people more human and more Christ-like.”

After 35 years in academia, “I didn’t want to do any more teaching, certainly, and the research was petering out, so I said, ‘I’ll work out here [in Utah],’ and I became a parish priest,” Fr. McCarthy said. “I’ve enjoyed the parish work very much, helping people.”

The best part of being a parish priest is presiding at the liturgy, he said, as well as celebrating the other sacraments with the people.

“I think I’ve been of some help to people; done some good,” he said. “I’m humbled by the fact that they say, ‘We’re going to miss you.’ I’m just an ordinary priest.”

Although he has loved living in Utah, he is ready to retire, he said, but looking back over his life he would be a Jesuit, a teacher, a researcher, and a parish priest again.  “I feel blessed with the calling I have had.”

Nora Kennedy, the parish secretary, said Fr. McCarthy will indeed be deeply missed. “He is truly an inspiration. He is so gracious, and he has always been willing to help people within the parish community.”

A farewell gathering for Fr. McCarthy is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20, at St. Thomas More Parish, 3015 E. Creek Road, Sandy.