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This article is reprinted from the Summer 1998 issue of The News Bee, the newsletter of Neighborhood B in the parish of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. |
Gerry Creedon Celebrates 30 Years as a Catholic Priestby Christine Schaefer
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On this first Saturday in June, 1998, the cloudless sky over Arlington, Virginia, has delivered the gift of brightness at cool, pre-Pentecost temperatures--with no hint of the region’s infamous humidity. It’s a fine day for golf, but the pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church wouldn’t know it. Instead of taking to the greens as he sometimes does to relax, Father Gerry Creedon is having a busy day even by his standards.
This morning, beyond his usual agenda of weddings and other parish-based activities and services, the energetic Irish-born priest went to an Arlington county board meeting to persuade officials to preserve affordable housing for low-income residents whose apartment complex had been slated for a major redevelopment.
Since returning from that meeting--which resulted in a compromise plan that will displace a much smaller percentage of the poor households in the complex--Creedon has been at his computer composing prayers that recall the social justice ideals of Robert F. Kennedy. He’ll offer these later today at Arlington National Cemetery, as celebrant of a communion service marking the 30th anniversary of the assassination of the former U.S. attorney general.
In the two decades since Creedon met the family of Ethel Kennedy while serving as associate pastor of St. Luke’s Church in McLean, he’s also performed numerous weddings for them. The prayers he’ll say today, which are based on writings by R.F.K’s son, Maxwell, touch on issues dear to his heart; he says Kennedy’s vision of a just society “had a lot of influence on me growing up.”Coincidentally, in this month of the 30th anniversary of R.F.K’s untimely death, Creedon celebrates the 30th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. And it’s his life as a priest that he’s agreed to talk about now in an interview with a parishioner.
In reflecting on his vocation, Creedon remarks that he doesn’t think that, in calling one to join a religious order, God usually works in the dramatic way that St. Paul experienced on the road to Damascus. In his own case, the desire to serve as a priest apparently unfolded in a more mundane fashion in the course of his family life and education.
He says that both his father--who died in 1986--and his mother, who still lives in Ireland, profoundly influenced the development of his Catholic faith. “Both were very expressive of their faith. My father in particular expressed his faith in a deep love for the community, especially the downtrodden. He had great heart, and he exhibited that in a thousand different ways.”
“My mother always had a strong sense of fairness,” he says. “She was quick to unmask hypocrisy and had tremendous stamina and determination.”
“My parents never talked explicitly about a vocation with me,” he concludes. “But they were very close to the church, so the idea was natural.”
At the age of 12, Creedon began attending a boarding school in Limerick run by the Redemptorist order. At that time, he explains, public education was not yet offered in his homeland, so his parents had to pay to send him. At the school, he was inspired by a Redemptorist brother who shared his name, Gerard. (Incidentally, Creedon now goes by “Gerry” because Americans, being more familiar with the name “Gerald,” commonly mispronounce “Gerard”--which is correctly accented on the first syllable, not the second.)
Creedon explains that the ethos of his high school encouraged students to give consideration to being a Redemptorist missionary. Yet, “I decided at age 17 that that was not for me.” One reason: he had a new sister at home, which increased his wish not to travel too far from his large, closeknit family (he has 13 siblings). More importantly, Creedon decided against joining the Redemptorist missionaries because he didn’t want to be a teacher as much as a parish priest.
Upon graduating from high school with the intention to become a priest, Creedon faced the choice of attending a seminary in Maynooth, Ireland, or--like an older brother who was serving as a priest in the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia--going to All Hallows College in Dublin. He decided on the latter course, which landed him at University College, Dublin, for his first studies. Although some peers at All Hallows were studying philosophy, the seminary allowed Creedon to study literature, recognizing his gift in that area. (Creedon continues to write poetry and is proud to have had some of his work published in a prestigious journal, Ireland Literary Review, in recent years.) In 1964, he received a bachelor of arts degree in Latin and English. Four years later, he completed his studies in theology at All Hallows and was ordained.
In July of 1968, he came out to the United States to serve his first assignment in the Diocese of Richmond, which had a relationship with his seminary in Dublin. In those years before 1974, the Richmond diocese encompassed many northern Virginia parishes that today are part of the newer Diocese of Arlington. These included Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria, which became Creedon’s premier post as an associate pastor, from 1968 to 1975.
At Blessed Sacrament, Creedon helped develop a strong ministry program. At the same time, he served the Richmond diocese by directing activities aimed at overcoming racial intolerance in general and harmoniously desegregating high schools in particular.
Jim and Evelyn Weber are among those who knew Creedon when he was at Blessed Sacrament and have stayed in touch with him through the decades, traveling to St. Charles in Arlington regularly these days to hear him say mass. What’s more, when the couple went to Ireland, they visited Creedon’s mother in the village of Inchigeelagh and stayed at the Creedon family hotel that’s now run by one of his brothers.
After 30 years, Jim Weber can still name numerous projects in which Creedon had an active hand while at Blessed Sacrament. “He was instrumental in developing the folk mass,” he begins. “Most of all, though, his focus was on social action. He was very active in supporting the social concerns committee at Blessed Sacrament, and was especially supportive of ALIVE [Alexandrians Involved Ecumenically]. He was a strong stimulus to it; he had many great ideas and suggestions and really pushed it along.”
Creedon’s next assignment, from 1975 to 1978, was to St. Luke’s Church in McLean. Among his accomplishments in those years, he worked closely with the housing authority in Fairfax County to ensure affordable housing for low-income residents and helped develop a board of directors to launch Catholics for Housing, a non-profit organization with which he continues to be involved as an honorary board member.
Long-time parishioner Jim Lebherz fondly recalls Creedon’s involvement with St. Luke’s youth group, for which Lebherz organized activities. “Gerry was good at attracting the kids to come and getting them enthused...he has that charisma so the kids all liked him--he was like the Pied Piper bringing the kids in.”
Creedon also started the St. Luke’s Senior Adults group, which continues to meet regularly, holding masses and luncheons and hosting speakers. Says Lebherz, “It’s still flourishing and highly attended.”
Lebherz, whose wife is Episcopalian, found Creedon’s skill in making a success of interfaith activities remarkable, too. “He was always good at ecumenical things,” he says, and then describes an annual Good Friday meal held during Creedon’s years at St. Luke’s that brought Catholic and Episcopalian priests in McLean together. [Today, Creedon’s involvement in ecumenical activities includes serving as president of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.]
While at Blessed Sacrament, Creedon enrolled in a master’s program in religious education at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “I went to graduate school primarily because I was interested in assisting the diocese [as director of religious education in the Alexandria area],”Creedon explains. “But about half-way through the program, I discovered that it was more of a theological education program than religious education...they were not teaching pedagogical methods...” He transferred to Washington Theological Union, which offered a program that was more flexible, and received an MA in theology in 1978.
That same year, he took up residence as an associate pastor at St. Agnes Church in Arlington and returned to Catholic University, this time to study social work. This second master’s degree, which he completed in 1981, helped to prepare him for his seven-year tenure as executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington--as well as diocesan director of Catholic Relief Services and of the Campaign for Human Development.
From 1979 to 1991, Creedon also served as pastor of Good Shepherd Church in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria. At Good Shepherd, his extraordinary “people skills” enabled him to resolve a conflict among the parish, diocese, and Vatican concerning the rights of the laity and prerogatives of pastors. According to Jean Larson, a Good Shepherd parishioner then and now, Creedon “was responsible for significant growth in the parish.” Although there was a division among parishioners before he came, she says, “He was a healing force--a reconciler. He brought people back together, listened to their concerns, and then really developed the parish.”
Larson, who served as head of Good Shepherd’s youth ministry for several years and then chaired the church’s development committee while Creedon was pastor, recalls that he spearheaded a program called Lenten Listening in which parishioners went out and sought each other’s opinions to determine their needs. “We were in a multipurpose center,” she says, “and the main thing everyone wanted was an actual church building.” The feedback from Lenten Listening led to the building of a church, and later, a complex that included common areas, offices, a kitchen, and classrooms. Creedon “was instrumental in getting it all done,” says Larson.
In reflecting on Creedon’s accomplishments at the parish, she adds, “The number of parishioners grew significantly while he was there. And he enabled the parishioners to develop numerous ministries. One in particular that he’s remembered for is Circle of Caring, which encompasses several ministries, and reaches out to people who are homebound, seriously ill, or bereaved.” Larson also comments, “He’s very much a visionary, and he’s good at delegating. He’s a very good motivator.”
While at Good Shepherd--and Catholic Charities--Creedon continued to work on innovative ways to establish housing for the poor, including Gabriel Homes, a non-profit organization he founded that provides group living accommodations for developmentally disabled adults.
After 12 years at Good Shepherd, where parishioners dedicated and named the hall for him, Creedon left the country for his most challenging--but evidently, exhilarating--parish assignment yet.
From 1991 to 1995, Creedon was in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, heading the Arlington diocese’s missions in Banica and Pedro Santana. “Probably the most important part of my ministry was in the Dominican Republic,” he says. “I found that learning a new language [he’s now fluent in four: Spanish, French, English, and Gaelic] and being involved in a less materialistic culture with a lot less technological advantages was very important as a faith experience.”
“I learned a lot from the people in the Dominican Republic about spiritual values and also about how they linked their faith to struggling for a better world. So it was a much more holistic experience of church.’”
While Creedon recalls that, as far back as his years at Blessed Sacrament, he had an interest in building neighborhood-based parish activities, it was in the Dominican Republic that his vision of a church alive in the community really took root and grew. There, he says he discovered the neighborhood-based structure of Latin American parishes, called “comunidades eclesiastes de base” in Spanish.
The challenges of the Dominican Republic missions for Creedon included frequent involvement with government and international organizations to help Haitian refugees fleeing the war in their country. “I was dealing with Dominican military leaders, the U.N. Commission on Refugees, the Dominican government, as well as local church authorities to resolve refugee issues,” he remembers.
Among the forces that uplifted Creedon during his four years in the Dominican Republic was the close friendship he developed with the local bishop, José Grullon. “We became like soul brothers.”Another highlight, in his final year at the missions, was being elected by the diocesan assembly to direct the “pastoral social”--the social justice ministry: “I really miss that kind of involvement,” he says, “where I was involved in systemic change--human rights, economic development--but from a faith perspective.”
Back in the states, Creedon spent several months at St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax, serving as interim administrator during the difficult period in which his good friend, the pastor, Father Tony Casey, was dying. Creedon “really cared for Father Casey during his illness, as well as ran the parish,” says Pat Seiler, who coordinates St. Mary’s social action ministry. “He didn’t just try to maintain things as they were though—he tried to keep them moving ahead. He really helped the parish to grow while he was here.” Despite the fact that he was there less than a year, she says the theme of the parish’s farewell party for him was “Father Gerry Creedon: You’ve Made a Difference” and remembers that many representatives of different ministries stood up and talked about how he’d affected their work.
“With all his charisma, he’s the kind of person people want to follow,” Seiler says, adding that his legacy to St. Mary’s was “caring, empowerment, and affirmation.”
At St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington, Creedon has been pastor only a couple years, but his focus on building ministries and neighborhood-based church communities already has transformed the parish. St. Charles currently has 79 activities involving parishioners, organized around six core ministries. The parish is now comprised of neighborhoods designated as A-E, and each initiates activities of its own.
Creedon sees the strength of the neighborhood structures he’s fostered at St. Charles reflected in two recent incidents. First, he mentions that, this morning, parishioners wearing “Neighborhood B” T-shirts attended the county board meeting at which he spoke to show support for low-income housing. Second, he says that occasionally, people who live outside the parish boundaries tell him, “I’m from Neighborhood F.” Clearly pleased by such developments, he says he sees the parish as “very dynamic.” He adds, “Every parish has its strengths and weaknesses--it’s always growing, in the process of becoming.”
A gifted speaker, Creedon is popular for peppering his homilies with endearing stories and jokes that frequently tap his experiences in Ireland. His extraordinary singing ability and mandolin and fiddle playing may be lesser-known talents, but they’re much appreciated by those who’ve heard him perform at special events. Jim Weber of Blessed Sacrament says that “right from the beginning, of course, he played his mandolin and sang his ballads often at parish activities.” This past spring, Creedon’s skillful strumming and beautifully pitched vocals received enthusiastic applause from the crowd at an Arlington night club, Clarendon Grill. On that evening, Creedon shared his musical gifts for the benefit of Borromeo Housing, Inc., a non-profit organization in the diocese that provides housing, guidance, and other forms of support for poor unmarried, pregnant women and their children.
Another of Creedon’s talents--to which his high energy levels no doubt contributed--was hurling, a wildly popular sport in Ireland. Creedon had a successful stint on the New Jersey Hurling Team, which even paid for the priest to travel to competitions. But he retired from the sport when he became pastor of Good Shepherd parish.
Asked if there’s a down side to his strong personality, Creedon offers, “My impatience--I want everything done yesterday. I have a lot of energy and want to do many things because I believe it’s possible to do many things.”
But his democratic style of ministry tempers this, he thinks: “I’m strongly committed to empowerment, which has to do with fostering the gifts of others and trusting them.” Exemplifying this, St. Charles’ parish budget this year was decided through the input of its ministries. “Hopefully,” says the pastor, “what I do best is to encourage others.”
According to Lloyd Lemois, executive director of Catholics for Housing, Creedon continues to advise not only his organization but does the same, on an informal basis, for a number of other area non-profits, including SALT [Social Action Linking Together.]. “He’s valuable to the diocese because he’s one of the most committed persons doing this kind of work here,” says Lemois. “And he’s helpful to organizations like ours in a very important way because he’s got a lot of political savvy and he knows the diocese well.”
Lemois, who first met Creedon in 1976 while working as a VISTA volunteer at Christ House in Alexandria, concludes, “His priesthood in the diocese has been a tremendous blessing for the poor people of northern Virginia--and for everyone who’s come into contact with him.”