Guests from far and near celebrate Fr. Flegge

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

Fr. William Flegge, fresh from a trip to California, welcomes members of the St. Francis of Assisi contingent who traveled from Provo.IC photos by Barbara S. Lee

SALT LAKE CITY — Friends and colleagues from near and far gathered Aug. 24 at the home of David and Lisa Spatafore to celebrate the retirement of Father William Flegge.

Fr. Flegge attended St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif., and St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif. He was ordained for the Diocese of Salt Lake City April 30, 1960. He has served the Diocese of Salt Lake City at St. Patrick Parish, Salt Lake City, St. Elizabeth Parish, Richfield, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Cathedral Parish, Salt Lake City, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, St. James Parish, Ogden, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Provo, and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish most recently. He also has served as dean of the Northern Deanery and of the Wasatch Deanery.

Fr. Flegge is 78 years old.

"I’m going to do what I can to help out," Fr. Flegge told the Intermountain Catholic. "I’m going to try not to get too scheduled.

Fresh back from a trip to California, Fr. Flegge welcomed guests from as far away as Ogden and Orem. "Everyone has been so generous and so helpful," he said. "It’s wonderful to see so many people here."

Father J.J. Schwall, who succeeded Fr. Flegge as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, and the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Council have established an endowment with the Catholic Foundation of Utah in honor of Fr. Flegge. The purpose of the endowment is to provide financial assistance to students of Our Lady of Lourdes School.

David Spatafore said he will always remember Fr. Flegge for his deep faith and his love for a certain Italian restaurant in Provo.

"He loves to eat at Ottavio’s Restaurant. The food there is so good we had it brought down here for this celebration. And Gastronomy provided the dessert and the bartenders.

Kathy Scott of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, said she will never forget how excited Fr. Flegge was when he went to see the pope. "And I love it when he blesses the children," she said. "He is also a wonderful story teller.

Jody Ipsen, Fr. Flegge’s niece, said she’d never forget when a little boy asked him about his collar. Fr. Flegge took it off so the child could examine it. The boy then inferred it was a tick and flea collar. Ipsen said Fr. Flegge often told the story of himself as a boy living at St. Ann’s Orphanage. "He said he used to sit on the step and wait for his father to come. Of course, his father never came, but as a priest he would compare his father to God who never leaves us."

Mary D’Iarte of Ogden said whenever he saw her, Fr. Flegge would say, "Here comes trouble," and he teased her and her friend Emily Ann Watkins whenever they went to St. Joseph Church for Mass.

"Fr. Flegge married my husband and I," said D’Iarte.

Benedictine Sister Danile Knight, prioress of St. Benedict Monastery in Ogden recalled working with Fr. Flegge on centering prayer workshops. "I have good memories," she said.

Liz Ollmann remembered Fr. Flegge promising to cook an Italian meal for the person who sold the most tickets to St. James Parish’s fall festival.

"The person who won the contest sold about 500 tickets, but when they went to the Italian dinner, it wasn’t Fr. Flegge who cooked, it was Father John Norman. I’ll never forget that."