Father Emmett Carroll remembered for his great faith, fortitude, loving kindness
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
Family, friends, fellow Conventual Franciscans and diocesan clergy gathered with hundreds of faithful in St. Junipero Serra Parish Aug. 25 to celebrate the legacy of Conventual Franciscan Father Emmett Joseph Carroll, who died Aug. 20 at age 93.
“He showed us how much he loved us, and he allowed us to show it back … Nothing separated him from the love of God,” Conventual Franciscan Father Michael Lorentsen, administrator of the Seaside Park parish, said in his homily.
Although he was weakened by illness at the end of his life, Father Carroll still clearly conveyed to all that his bond with Jesus and the Blessed Mother did not diminish, Father Lorentsen said.
Father Carroll, Father Lorentsen said, shared his faith with everyone, from his Franciscan brothers who worked with a hospice team to ensure that he was comfortable, to his family and parishioners who were present during his final days.
‘A Priest in the Heart of Christ’
The funeral Mass and reception that followed were held in St. Catharine of Siena Church, Seaside Park, one of two worship sites of the newly merged parish (the other being Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Seaside Heights). Burial followed directly after the Mass in St. Joseph Cemetery, Toms River.
Celebrated by Conventual Franciscan Father Michael Heine, vicar provincial of Our Lady of Angels Province, and concelebrated by more than 20 of his fellow Conventual Franciscan priests and diocesan clergy, Father Carroll’s 70 years as a member of the Franciscan community and 64 years of priestly ministry were fondly recalled.
Father Lorentsen also spoke in his homily on the Beatitudes from Matthew’s Gospel, 5:1-12, and how Father Carroll had lived out his life and ministry in ways that reflected those simple yet powerful pronouncements of Jesus.
The determination to do so was found in words of thanks Father Carroll had shared on typewritten pages with those attending the first Mass he celebrated as a newly ordained priest in Toms River’s St. Joseph Church 64 years ago, Father Lorentsen said.
In the notes, written June 13, 1954, Father Carroll expressed gratitude to God for his vocation, to those who guided him through the seminary to the priesthood, to his family and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he remained devoted throughout his priesthood.
Father Lorentsen read that the young Father Carroll closed by asking everyone to “please pray for me that I may be a priest in the heart of Christ.” After all these years, Father Lorentsen said, it is clear that the “people who were there to hear him then” and all those who shared in his priestly ministry since, “know those prayers were answered.”
Service & Devotion
Father Carroll, who would have celebrated his 93rd birthday Aug. 31, began life in Toms River as the son of the late Joseph and Mary “Mollie” (Murphy) Carroll. A graduate of St. Joseph High School there, now known as Donovan Catholic, he prepared for the priesthood in St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary, Rensselaer, N.Y.
After professing his temporary vows in 1948 and his solemn vows in 1951, he was ordained to the priesthood in Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Albany, N.Y., on June 12, 1954, and was assigned to teach in Trenton Catholic Boys High School from 1954 to 1960.
Reassigned by his order to Toronto, Canada, he was the associate editor and promotion manager of the Companion Magazine. In 1968, he became parochial vicar in Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Albany. There, he is well remembered as the founder of two Samaritan shelters for underprivileged teenagers, one of which was named Emmett House in his honor.
Returning to the Trenton Diocese in 1975, Father Carroll served two terms as pastor of St. Catharine of Siena Parish, from 1976 to 1988, and from 1991 to 1997. Other parishes in the Diocese where he served as pastor included Immaculate Conception (now part of Our Lady of the Angels), Trenton, from 1988 to 1991, and as pastor and delegate superior of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Seaside Heights.
He returned to St. Catharine of Siena Parish in 2005 and was named to sacramental ministry within the parish. The worship aid prepared for his funeral noted that this was a role he fulfilled “as his energy [which was dauntless] allowed until the time of his death.”
On a diocesan level, Father Carroll served on the Council of Priests and as a judge on the diocesan tribunal for two decades. In 2000, while at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, he and the parish received the Archbishop Peter L. Gerety Award for Outstanding Parish and Priest.
Fond Reflections
After the Mass, family and parishioners shared memories of Father Carroll’s life. In addition to his parents, Father Carroll was predeceased by a brother and two sisters.
His surviving sister, Eileen Garbe, attended the Mass with many family members including her son, Patrick, who spoke for the family.
Describing his uncle as “an important part of our lives,” Patrick Garbe said that “as a relative and for his spirituality, when you were with him, you always felt you had his full support.”
Mary Britanak said she first met Father Carroll in 1979 as a newlywed when she became a parishioner of St. Catharine of Siena Parish. From the beginning, she and her late husband, Dave, were struck by the late pastor’s warmth, friendliness and collaborative nature.
In a move that would ultimately set the course for her own life, she spoke of the religious education program in the parish, which had a small year-round population.
“I went to him to ask if he could appoint someone to be in charge, and he answered, ‘That would be you!’” she recalled.
That decision called her into ministry, she said, reflecting one of Father Carroll’s greatest gifts – his ability to empower parishioners.
“He empowered me. He sent me for certification to the Diocese,” said Britanak who stayed in the field and is the current coordinator of faith formation in St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville.
“He was all about [the Church] being there to serve,” said Britanak, whose five children were raised in St. Catharine of Siena Parish. “He created an atmosphere that everybody belonged. He truly believed that Catholic means universal and he was willing to try anything if it meant bringing people closer to God and yet never breaking the rules.”
Memorial donations may be made to the Franciscan Education Burse, 12300 Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City, Md., 21042.
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By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
Family, friends, fellow Conventual Franciscans and diocesan clergy gathered with hundreds of faithful in St. Junipero Serra Parish Aug. 25 to celebrate the legacy of Conventual Franciscan Father Emmett Joseph Carroll, who died Aug. 20 at age 93.
“He showed us how much he loved us, and he allowed us to show it back … Nothing separated him from the love of God,” Conventual Franciscan Father Michael Lorentsen, administrator of the Seaside Park parish, said in his homily.
Although he was weakened by illness at the end of his life, Father Carroll still clearly conveyed to all that his bond with Jesus and the Blessed Mother did not diminish, Father Lorentsen said.
Father Carroll, Father Lorentsen said, shared his faith with everyone, from his Franciscan brothers who worked with a hospice team to ensure that he was comfortable, to his family and parishioners who were present during his final days.
‘A Priest in the Heart of Christ’
The funeral Mass and reception that followed were held in St. Catharine of Siena Church, Seaside Park, one of two worship sites of the newly merged parish (the other being Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Seaside Heights). Burial followed directly after the Mass in St. Joseph Cemetery, Toms River.
Celebrated by Conventual Franciscan Father Michael Heine, vicar provincial of Our Lady of Angels Province, and concelebrated by more than 20 of his fellow Conventual Franciscan priests and diocesan clergy, Father Carroll’s 70 years as a member of the Franciscan community and 64 years of priestly ministry were fondly recalled.
Father Lorentsen also spoke in his homily on the Beatitudes from Matthew’s Gospel, 5:1-12, and how Father Carroll had lived out his life and ministry in ways that reflected those simple yet powerful pronouncements of Jesus.
The determination to do so was found in words of thanks Father Carroll had shared on typewritten pages with those attending the first Mass he celebrated as a newly ordained priest in Toms River’s St. Joseph Church 64 years ago, Father Lorentsen said.
In the notes, written June 13, 1954, Father Carroll expressed gratitude to God for his vocation, to those who guided him through the seminary to the priesthood, to his family and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he remained devoted throughout his priesthood.
Father Lorentsen read that the young Father Carroll closed by asking everyone to “please pray for me that I may be a priest in the heart of Christ.” After all these years, Father Lorentsen said, it is clear that the “people who were there to hear him then” and all those who shared in his priestly ministry since, “know those prayers were answered.”
Service & Devotion
Father Carroll, who would have celebrated his 93rd birthday Aug. 31, began life in Toms River as the son of the late Joseph and Mary “Mollie” (Murphy) Carroll. A graduate of St. Joseph High School there, now known as Donovan Catholic, he prepared for the priesthood in St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary, Rensselaer, N.Y.
After professing his temporary vows in 1948 and his solemn vows in 1951, he was ordained to the priesthood in Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Albany, N.Y., on June 12, 1954, and was assigned to teach in Trenton Catholic Boys High School from 1954 to 1960.
Reassigned by his order to Toronto, Canada, he was the associate editor and promotion manager of the Companion Magazine. In 1968, he became parochial vicar in Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Albany. There, he is well remembered as the founder of two Samaritan shelters for underprivileged teenagers, one of which was named Emmett House in his honor.
Returning to the Trenton Diocese in 1975, Father Carroll served two terms as pastor of St. Catharine of Siena Parish, from 1976 to 1988, and from 1991 to 1997. Other parishes in the Diocese where he served as pastor included Immaculate Conception (now part of Our Lady of the Angels), Trenton, from 1988 to 1991, and as pastor and delegate superior of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Seaside Heights.
He returned to St. Catharine of Siena Parish in 2005 and was named to sacramental ministry within the parish. The worship aid prepared for his funeral noted that this was a role he fulfilled “as his energy [which was dauntless] allowed until the time of his death.”
On a diocesan level, Father Carroll served on the Council of Priests and as a judge on the diocesan tribunal for two decades. In 2000, while at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, he and the parish received the Archbishop Peter L. Gerety Award for Outstanding Parish and Priest.
Fond Reflections
After the Mass, family and parishioners shared memories of Father Carroll’s life. In addition to his parents, Father Carroll was predeceased by a brother and two sisters.
His surviving sister, Eileen Garbe, attended the Mass with many family members including her son, Patrick, who spoke for the family.
Describing his uncle as “an important part of our lives,” Patrick Garbe said that “as a relative and for his spirituality, when you were with him, you always felt you had his full support.”
Mary Britanak said she first met Father Carroll in 1979 as a newlywed when she became a parishioner of St. Catharine of Siena Parish. From the beginning, she and her late husband, Dave, were struck by the late pastor’s warmth, friendliness and collaborative nature.
In a move that would ultimately set the course for her own life, she spoke of the religious education program in the parish, which had a small year-round population.
“I went to him to ask if he could appoint someone to be in charge, and he answered, ‘That would be you!’” she recalled.
That decision called her into ministry, she said, reflecting one of Father Carroll’s greatest gifts – his ability to empower parishioners.
“He empowered me. He sent me for certification to the Diocese,” said Britanak who stayed in the field and is the current coordinator of faith formation in St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville.
“He was all about [the Church] being there to serve,” said Britanak, whose five children were raised in St. Catharine of Siena Parish. “He created an atmosphere that everybody belonged. He truly believed that Catholic means universal and he was willing to try anything if it meant bringing people closer to God and yet never breaking the rules.”
Memorial donations may be made to the Franciscan Education Burse, 12300 Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City, Md., 21042.
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