We are happy to share a report from Father J.C. Garrett that his kidney transplant on July 22 was successful and that his new kidney is functioning well.
The Monitor will post further details on both Father Garrett and Niurka Gonzalez as they become available.
Photo caption: Father J.C. Garrett is pictured during Holy Thursday Mass at St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown, in 2024. After years of dialysis and prayers for a donor, Father Garrett is scheduled to receive a kidney transplant July 22 through a living donor exchange. Mike Ehrmann photo
By Carol Olivieri And staff reports
A long-prayed-for day has arrived for Father J.C. Garrett, who is scheduled to undergo kidney transplant surgery in a local hospital July 22. Remarkably, the surgery has been made possible by a local parishioner who offered a compassionate gift to a priest she didn’t know and a special organization that arranges kidney donation exchanges.
Father Garrett, now 61, was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in 2022, requiring him to undergo dialysis treatments three times per week and pull back from active ministry in the Diocese of Trenton. Because of the physical toll that dialysis takes, Father Garrett began a multi-faceted campaign to find a kidney for transplant, getting on a waiting list for a cadaver’s donated kidney and exploring the possibilities of a live kidney donation. Neither option promised a quick turnaround.
Difficult Journey
A native son of the Diocese of Trenton, Father Garrett has served as parochial vicar in St. James Parish, Red Bank; Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton; St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor, and St. Mary Parish, Barnegat. He was last assigned to Resurrection Parish, Delran, first as administrator and then as pastor.
Readers first heard about Father Garrett’s health journey in November when he wrote a column for The Monitor about “casting a wider net” to find a kidney donor. In the column, Father Garrett described the difficult effects of dialysis.
With a waiting list of 100,000 prospective recipients, it can take more than five years to receive a kidney transplant, with the majority of donations coming from people who die from motor vehicle accidents, head injuries or other fatal events. For some, the long wait can be devastating. Father Garrett participates in a national Facebook group for dialysis recipients and every week or so, someone cannot continue to endure the effects of dialysis and stops treatment. Without it, they likely die within a few weeks.
To shorten the waiting period, people try to identify a living donor, turning to their family and community. No one Father Garrett knew was both a match and medically eligible.
So he decided to be more proactive in finding a donor and created a webpage. He continues to assist at St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown, and Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Bordentown. He started sharing his story there.
Compassion Connection
Niurka Gonzalez, who usually attends Mass in St. Raphael Parish, Hamilton, happened to go one weekend to St. John the Baptist Church where she learned about Father Garrett’s plight. Compelled to help, she underwent the testing and was medically eligible but not a match.
However, Gonzalez didn’t let the story end there. Instead, she enrolled in the Paired Exchange Program, an organization that helps when a potential donor and a recipient do not match. The Paired Exchange Program works to find a compatible recipient for that donor and a compatible donor for the patient. The program works because people are willing to donate to help someone, even if that someone is not the person they set out to help initially. Father Garrett was familiar with this program but hadn’t been optimistic that anyone would want to do it.
Father Garrett and Gonzalez entered the Paired Exchange Program. A few weeks ago, Father Garrett learned that a match had been found for him. The new kidney will come from a woman in Utah who recently underwent removal. On July 22, it will be transplanted into Father Garrett. Father’s recovery will involve five to seven days in the hospital, followed by weeks of frequent medical appointments, two months of isolation to prevent rejection, and a lifetime of taking anti-rejection drugs.
Beyond the recovery period, he looks forward to returning to active ministry since, as he says “Being a priest is not what I do. It’s who I am.”
Call for Prayers
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued a call for prayer in advance of Father Garrett’s surgery. He writes, “I invite all the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Trenton to join me in prayer for one of our priests, Father J.C. Garrett, who has, at long last, located a kidney donor for transplant surgery on July 22.”
The Bishop continued, “Father J.C. has patiently endured his kidney disease for a long time now while still ministering in local parishes. Let us all pray for him, for the success of his transplant surgery and recovery, and for his surgical team. Let us also offer grateful prayers for the donors who have made this kidney transplant possible. May our Blessed Mother intercede for you, Father J.C., as her beloved Son watches over you and brings you his healing strength.”
For his part, Father Garrett is amazed by and grateful for the generosity of so many people who have offered to help him throughout this period. He welcomes the ongoing prayer support for himself and invites the faithful to pray especially for the kidney donors and all the health care providers who will be caring for them and performing these life-giving surgeries.
The Monitor will provide updates as they become available.