Bishop, Diocese, honors Terry Ginther for three decades of faithful service
Top photo caption: Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., greets Terry Ginther following a Mass of Thanksgiving June 25 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, celebrating her 30 years of service to the Diocese of Trenton as family members, colleagues and friends look on. Ginther, diocesan chancellor and executive director of Pastoral Life and Mission, retired July 2. Mike Ehrmann photos
Updated July 3, 2026
By Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor and Rayanne Bennett, Associate Publisher
After months of being on the receiving end of countless expressions of gratitude, prayers and good wishes, Terry Ginther stood before a room full of colleagues and friends and shared her heartfelt perspective on the decision to retire.
PHOTO GALLERY: Terry Ginther Retirement Mass
Reading line by line from the Book of Ecclesiastes, “For everything there is a season,” Ginther said that the verses had become especially meaningful as her July 2 retirement date approached.
The Diocese’s long-time Chancellor and Executive Director of Pastoral Life and Mission, Ginther explained, “The wisdom tradition of the Church calls us to figure out which time is which.” She described the Gift of Wisdom received in Confirmation as “knowing when to act, when to listen, when to persevere and when to let go.”
Ginther’s remarks were the capstone of the June 25 Mass of Thanksgiving and dinner in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral and parish hall, Freehold, in celebration of her work and ministry. Scores of family members, friends and colleagues with whom she worked during her 30-year tenure with the Diocese gathered for the Mass, which was celebrated by Bishop O’Connell with some 40 priest concelebrants, many of whom benefited over the years from Ginther’s counsel and collaboration.
A Bishop’s gratitude
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell reflected on Ginther’s profound influence, adding that her leadership, wisdom and unwavering faith have touched countless lives throughout the Diocese. He noted the unexpected faith-filled path she journeyed that led her to become the Diocese’s first female Chancellor and only its second layperson to hold the office.
Throughout her career, Ginther helped guide initiatives that strengthened parish life, family ministry, evangelization and pastoral planning, the Bishop said, but emphasized that her greatest contribution was not found in the titles she held but in the way she exercised her gifts.
“She has brought wisdom to difficult decisions, patience to complex challenges, compassion to those in need and faith to every task entrusted to her,” he said. “Her leadership has always reflected a deep understanding that ministry is ultimately about people – about helping others encounter Christ and grow as his disciples.”
Having worked alongside Ginther for 16 years, the Bishop spoke personally about her thoughtful counsel, integrity and steadfast commitment to the Church’s mission, qualities that commanded the respect of priests, diocesan staff and parish leaders alike.
‘A deep love of the Lord’
During the dinner, Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, vicar general, reflected on Ginther’s extraordinary legacy.
“To each endeavor – to each adventure – she brought a deep love of the Lord, an ardent desire to promote the Church’s growth and its effectiveness and fruitfulness in the world,” he said. Describing her as “a reservoir of knowledge of nearly every aspect of the pastoral life of the Diocese of Trenton,” Msgr. Gervasio marveled at the grace with which she balanced countless responsibilities.
“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that we are a better Diocese, we are better priests, we are better persons because of Terry Ginther,” he added.
The evening also included a video tribute filled with photographs, memories and heartfelt messages from those whose lives she has influenced.
A new season
In her remarks Ginther noted the sunflower arrangements that adorned the Co-Cathedral’s sanctuary and each table at the dinner. She said the sunflower is her favorite flower and shared the story of the sunflower: When the sun shines bright, the sunflower turns to the sun to soak up the warmth and the heat. But when night falls, the sunflowers turn to each other to find the light in one another.
“That is how I think of all of you,” she said.
As a new season of life is set before her, Ginther expressed gratitude to God who “has cultivated a deep sense of gratitude in me.”
“We have done a lot of this work together my friends. There have been tears and there have been a lot of prayers. But there have also been times filled with joy and a sense of hope.”
“No one is more astonished than I am at what God has done in my life and all the unexpected ways that I have had to serve in this great Diocese,” Ginther said.
