Deacon Roger Pry, the first deacon to be ordained for the Diocese of Columbus since the permanent diaconate was restored by Pope St. Paul VI in 1967, retired effective July 31.
Deacon Pry was ordained on March 25, 1975 at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral by Bishop Edward Herrmann. Also ordained on that day were two seminarians who eventually became priests – Father Daniel Ochs and the late Father Rodric DiPietro.
Deacon Pry’s diaconal service was divided almost equally between two parishes – Columbus St. Augustine Church, where he served from his ordination until 2001, and Canal Winchester St. John XXIII Church, where he was stationed from 2001 until retiring.
“I’m 84 years old, and I’ve been praying and talking about retirement for a while,” Deacon Pry said. “This seemed like the right time because I’m still in good health and will be able to spend more time with my family on weekends.
“I’ll still be helping out around the parish, doing things like visiting the sick and the homebound. It just will be nice to be able to plan weekends and other activities without being on call all the time.”
Deacon Pry is one of seven deacons who retired at the end of July. Also retiring were Deacon Charlie Miller, also of St. John XXIII Church, who has been a deacon for 14 years; Deacons Phil Paulucci (32 years) and Hector Raymond (16 years) of Columbus St. Peter Church; Deacon Mickey Hawkins (11 years) of Westerville St. Paul Church; Deacon Don Poirier (17 years) of Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare Church; and Deacon George Zimmerman (14 years) of Columbus Holy Spirit and St. Philip churches.
Deacon Pry, a native of Crestline in north central Ohio, grew up in a Lutheran family and became a Catholic in 1957 at age 18. He spent 30 years as a teacher in the Columbus public schools. He has four daughters with his first wife, Charlotte, who died in 1970, and two daughters with his second wife, the former Mary Margaret “Midge” Roberts, whom he married in 1971.
In his youth, he had considered becoming a Lutheran pastor. Being married precluded his being a priest, but he was very interested in becoming a deacon when that possibility arose after Pope Paul’s restoration of the diaconate as a permanent order of its own, rather than only as a steppingstone to the priesthood.
The Diocese of Columbus didn’t begin its own diaconate training program until 1974, so Deacon Pry’s training took place in the Diocese of Toledo’s program from 1972 until his ordination.
Deacon Pry was encouraged in his diaconal studies and ministry by Father Earl Holtzapfel, Msgr. Colby Grimes and Msgr. Anthony Frecker, his pastors at St. Augustine.
“I always treated him as if he was my associate pastor. We made all the decisions (for the parish) jointly because of his experience,” Msgr. Frecker said.
Msgr. Frecker eventually was reassigned to Chillicothe St. Peter Church, and in 2001 received the appointment as the first pastor of St. John XXIII Church, the most recent parish to be founded in the diocese.
“I needed a deacon and called Roger and asked him if there was any way he would ask to be assigned to John XXIII,” Msgr. Frecker said. Columbus St. Augustine and St. Gabriel churches had merged into one parish at that point, and “after much frustration and pain of leaving Sts. Augustine and Gabriel, he finally did say, ‘Yes,’ and so we were together another 15 years prior to my retirement.
“Roger was not only the first deacon of the diocese, he was one of the best – a real churchman. He was totally dedicated to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and was very committed to pastoral ministry. I was very glad to work with him.
“He showed me the ropes, you might say,” Deacon Miller said. “I always marvel at how many priests he knows in the diocese; of course, he was the first ordained deacon for the diocese. … Roger has a heart for the ministry to the sick and has brought comfort to many parishioners.
“Not only have Roger and I shared our ministry at St. John XXIII, we have also become family. … We do not miss many opportunities to share both our ministerial and family life on Wednesday evenings. While we have both retired, I expect our relationship will continue through the coming years.”
Deacon Frank Iannarino has been director of the diocesan Office of the Diaconate for the past 30 years and said Deacon Pry has been of great help to him.
“Deacon Pry is truly the deacon pioneer in our diocese,” he said. “He has seen it all regarding the development and restoration of the diaconate as a permanent order.
“Deacon Roger has always been right there when I needed any help, advice or support. He came on the scene as a permanent deacon when many of the priests and people were very uncertain about the changes that were being developed and implemented by Vatican II.
“When I was assigned in 1992 to oversee the newly developed Office of the Diaconate and the revised diaconal formation process, I knew I could count on Deacon Roger and Midge to advise me on the wonderful experiences and the challenging issues about being a married deacon. They were always a phone call away especially as I was helping men discern the diaconate at a time when their children were young.
“Over the years, I have always relied on Deacon Pry to be honest and forthcoming about the fraternal nature of the deacon with his pastor and parochial vicar. He saw the ups and downs that go with those pastors and religious who have truly accepted the ministry of the deacon, as well as those who felt ordaining deacons was a waste of time.
“Needless to say, Deacon Pry and many of the earlier deacons from the 1970s and 1980s ‘took the bullets’ for all of us who have become deacons over 50 years since the restoration by Vatican II.”
“I’ve enjoyed everything about being a deacon, whether it’s preparing parents for baptism; getting young people ready for their first reception of the Eucharist, first reconciliation and confirmation; or doing marriage preparation for couples, but above all, it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to be able to assist with the liturgy and to preach homilies,” Deacon Pry said.
“I’m always encouraging whenever men ask me about the possibility of becoming a deacon. The most important things for them are to be already involved in their parish, to have a supportive wife if they are married and to have a strong desire to serve the people of God.
“Being a deacon is a calling, something a man can’t ignore if he has the call. If anyone is hearing that kind of call, I urge him to listen and to prayerfully consider the possibility.”