Monsignor Sweeney's passion for the Lord, the Blessed Mother recalled at funeral Mass

Friday, Oct. 14, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — Monsignor Lawrence P. Sweeney, who served the Diocese of Salt Lake City for 62 years, was laid to rest on Oct. 8. He died Sept. 28, at the age of 87.

During the Oct. 7 vigil service, Father Ken Vialpando, who had known the monsignor for 25 years, said that some people might think it was coincidental that the vigil service was celebrated on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, in a parish whose patroness is our Lady of Lourdes, in a month dedicated to Mary, but “for you and I who know Msgr. Sweeney, we believe it is nothing but providential.” 

Msgr. Sweeney had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, said Fr. Vialpando, who drew chuckles from those attending the vigil at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish when he added that the monsignor “wasn’t stubborn, bullheaded or opinionated in any way, shape or form. In fact, he was determined, focused and driven. He had a passion and a love for our Lord and our Blessed Mother like no other.”

Msgr. Sweeney was ordained a priest at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish on Jan. 24, 1954.

In addition to his dedication to the Blessed Mother, Msgr. Sweeney was devoted to the Eucharist; he initiated a regular Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Holy Family Parish while he was pastor there, said Fr. Vialpando, who is pastor of Saint Marguerite Parish.

Also, “out of his love for the Eucharist, Monsignor never missed saying the Mass even if it was his day off,” Fr. Vialpando said. “Monsignor knew that he didn’t have to say the Mass; he was privileged to say the Mass. For him it was a gift, and he wanted to share that gift of the Mass with his parishioners whenever, wherever he could. … Msgr. Sweeney didn’t just keep the faith, he went out and shared that faith with you and me.”

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the Cathedral of the Madeleine on Oct. 8. Fr. Vialpando was the celebrant and homilist. The Mass was concelebrated by Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, diocesan administrator; Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general emeritus; Father Martin Diaz, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine; Monsignor Joseph M. Mayo, pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish; Monsignor Rudolph A. Daz, retired; and many priests of the diocese. Assisting on the altar were Deacon John Kranz and Deacon George Reade.

Msgr. Sweeney received an early education in the faith by attending Cathedral Grammar School, Roosevelt Junior High School and Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Fr. Vialpando said in his homily. “With those seeds of faith planted in him by his parents and within the schools he attended, young Larry Sweeny was off and running with the Irish prayer which is true to his family name: May the wind be always at your back, and may the sun shine warm in your face.”

Msgr. Sweeney entered the seminary when he was 16. While other boys were dreaming about getting their driver’s license and attending prom, he was attending Mass, opening the Bible, praying the rosary, learning Latin, reading about the early Church fathers and discovering the 2,000-year history of the Church, “all while wearing a black cassock and a white surplice, with a rosary wrapped around his hands,” Fr. Vialpando said. “Therefore it’s probably fair to say that during his early years of life, Larry Paul Sweeney was being primed and prepped to be not just a nominal Catholic priest who would go with the flow, but an active Catholic priest who would always be willing to put God first through his love of the Mass, through his strong devotion to the Eucharist, through his faithfulness to a daily Holy Hour, through his willingness to surrender his priesthood and ministry into the hands of our Blessed Mother.” 

During his six decades of ministry, Msgr. Sweeney was a teacher at Judge Memorial CHS, served as assistant pastor of Saint Joseph Parish, Ogden and Saint Patrick Parish, Salt Lake City; as pastor at St. Patrick Parish, Saint Helen Parish in Roosevelt, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Magna, and Holy Family Parish in Ogden; and as chaplain at the University of Utah’s Newman Center, and was editor of the Intermountain Catholic Register (now the Intermountain Catholic). He also wrote a book, On the Other Side of the Street, about his experiences in two metropolitan cities as he learned what it was like to be homeless.

“From that experience he ascertained that we can’t just proclaim the Gospel in church, we have to take it into the streets,” said Fr. Vialpando, pointing out that Msgr. Sweeney also was active in social justice and ecumenical activities.

Msgr. Sweeney was buried in the priests’ plot at Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery, about 40 feet from the plot where his parents are buried, his brother said.