Pete looking over Saint Vincent de Paul

Intermountain Catholic

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Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, (center, back row) listens as children sing ?Oh, How I Love Jesus.? IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — Father Thomas Kaiser, who served as associate pastor at Saint Vincent de Paul Parish prior to his death in 2008, was fondly remembered Aug. 28 during a dedication ceremony for a statue depicting his guardian angel, Pete, shown at left.

The statue was installed in a flower garden between the church and school with a plaque that reads "In loving memory of Rev. Thomas Joseph Kaiser, July 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008. Ordained June 4, 1949. His guardian "Pete" watching over St. Vincent de Paul School and Parish. Donated by St. Vincent de Paul Knights of Columbus, school and parish."

The statue, which is about four feet tall, was handmade in Tonala, Mexico.

Fr. Kaiser spoke often of Pete, and told unruly children that when they misbehaved, Pete would speak to their guardian angel.

"Pete was his guardian angel who just hovered over him and hovered over everybody," said St. Vincent de Paul parishioner Michael Goleniewski, who was an altar server for Fr. Kaiser and considered him a mentor and surrogate grandfather. "He was so close to this parish. This was his home for such a long time."

Among his memories of Fr. Kaiser is how, at Christmas Eve Mass, the priest "would invite all the kids to stand up and sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jesus," said Goleniewski, who joined the Knights of Columbus at Fr. Kaiser’s suggestion and now is a Fourth Degree Knight.

At the dedication ceremony, Pam Grant said she loves and misses Fr. Kaiser. She was the coordinator for the 8 a.m. Mass, which Fr. Kaiser regularly celebrated. "He really deepened my faith in the Church," she said, adding that some of her favorite memories are that the priest had the religious education children gather for a rosary on May 1 and also at the end of the year.

"Fr. Kaiser was very popular with the children at the school and, actually, with everybody," said Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, St. Vincent de Paul pastor. "We pray that Fr. Kaiser and the angel, which has been installed by the Knights of Columbus and by the school, will watch over Saint Vincent’s parishioners and also the students of St. Vincent’s school."

After Msgr. Mannion blessed the statue, a group of children led by Scott Larrabee sang a song that Fr. Kaiser often sang: "Oh, How I Love Jesus."