Hundreds of parishioners, past and present, gathered with prelates, clergy, family and friends to celebrate the life and legacy of Msgr. Joseph C. Shenrock Feb. 28 in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting, where he served as pastor from 1987 until his retirement in 2008.

Scores more had attended a Rite of Reception in the church in the heart of the Pinelands on Feb. 27 for Msgr. Shenrock who died Feb. 23 at the venerable age of 90.

During the Mass and the reception that followed in Monsignor McGovern Hall, Msgr. Shenrock was recalled as a man of deep faith, compassion and concern for the less fortunate and the ill, with a gift for empowering the clergy and laity around him to make the most of their faith in service to Church.

Indeed, regard for the man and his inspiring vocation was apparent as 40 of his brother priests concelebrated the Mass of Christian Burial with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who was principal celebrant. Also present were 10 deacons and the homily was preached by Archbishop Donald J. Reece, archbishop emeritus of Kingston, Jamaica.

Archbishop Reece, who had developed a long and supportive relationship with Msgr. Shenrock during the time the archbishop was the leader of the impoverished Diocese of St. John’s-Basseterre in the West Indies, in his homily, had captured the faith that moved his brother in Christ to “touch the lives” of so many in “so many different ways.”

“It is my conviction that each one of us has a contribution to make to the Church and the wider community of humanity,” Archbishop Reece said, “and Msgr. Shenrock has certainly made his particular contribution.”

Noting his friend’s longevity, he spoke of how “the Psalmist proclaims: ‘The years of a man is seventy years (three score and ten), or eighty (four score) if he is strong. I should like to paraphrase the Psalm in this way: ‘The years of an active parish priest might reach their ceiling in the 70s, but for those who are very strong, they march on into the 80’s. … Msgr. Shenrock was indeed very strong.”

Deliberately keeping his homily brief in honor of his friend whom, he said, favored brief homilies, he focused on “just three points: The Man! The Message! and The Mission,” recalling Msgr, Shenrock’s gifts for relating to others whether at large liturgical celebrations or small, every day occasions.

The archbishop noted that on Msgr. Shenrock’s many visits to the Caribbean, he “would strike up a conversation with strangers at the drop of a hat. His friendly demeanor won him many friends” in the islands. His winning smile, the archbishop said, “prepared others for receiving the message of Christ through the human touch.”

Referring wryly to his old friend as “a priest of his vintage,” he called Msgr. Shenrock’s embrace of the Second Vatican Council “amazing,” noting that he implemented its reforms in “so many different ways: the liturgy; the re-introduction of the diaconate and the promotion of ministries among all of God’s people.”

The missionary spirit that energized so many “spanned both parochial and diocesan, as well as international boundaries to affect innumerable lives,” the archbishop said. “That missionary spirit is rooted in Monsignor’s love of people, but above all, in his awareness of God’s great love for all humankind. … It is the tremendous love of God that made Monsignor – and makes every priest – a true missionary whether at home or abroad.”

Bishop O’Connell, speaking in the name of all the “priests who are here in such great number,” welcomed Archbishop Reece “home to the Diocese of Trenton” where, at the behest of Msgr. Shenrock, he often visited and offered his assistance, presiding over Confirmations and other liturgies. “Your sermon was beautiful and fitting for the man we come together for today,” Bishop O’Connell said.

He thanked Msgr. Leonard F. Troiano diocesan episcopal vicar for planning, for his devotion in the “last few years” to Msgr. Shenrock. “You have been so kind and so faithful in the last few years as he started to decline,” the Bishop said, noting that some have called his passing, “the end of an era.”

 A Life of Devotion and Service

Born in 1926 in Oxford, Msgr. Shenrock prepared for the priesthood in St. Charles College, Catonsville, Md., St. Mary Seminary and University, Baltimore, and St. Mary Seminary, Roland Park, Md. He was ordained a priest May 30, 1953, in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, by Bishop George W. Ahr.

As parochial vicar, Msgr. Shenrock served in the parishes of Sacred Heart, Mount Holly; St. Paul, Burlington; St. Mary of the Lake, Lakewood, and St. Joseph, Toms River. He served as administrator of St. Pius X Parish, Forked River, in 1970 and then was named to his first pastorate in St. John Vianney Parish, Colonia, in December of that year. In September, 1971, Bishop Ahr named him pastor of Blessed Sacrament (now Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd) Parish, Trenton, and director of the diocesan ecumenical commission shortly thereafter.

As commission chairman, he worked tirelessly to foster ecumenical cooperation with major events and grassroots efforts. Examples of those efforts include a Mass in the Princeton University Chapel marking the 10tth anniversary of the signing of the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism in November, 1974. Closer to home, he worked tirelessly to nurture good relations between Lutheran and Catholic congregations in the Ocean County area.

A great believer in lifelong education, he went on to pursue post-graduate studies in Princeton Theological Seminary, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and the Ecumenical Institute of Tantur in Jerusalem.

On Sept. 19, 1978, Pope John Paul I named Msgr. Shenrock an Honorary Prelate to His Holiness with the title of Reverend Monsignor. In 1986, he was named by Bishop John C. Reiss to serve as diocesan vicar for social services, another ministry dear to his heart.

In January of 1987, he was named to his third pastorate in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. In 1992, when Bishop Edward U. Kmiec left the Trenton Diocese to assume the leadership of the Diocese of Nashville, Bishop John C. Reiss asked Msgr. Shenrock to assume Bishop Kmiec’s role as chairman of the diocesan Faith in Service campaign. In 1993, he was honored by Pope John Paul II with the title of Protonotary Apostolic.

His scholarly passion for learning, especially in the field of Catholic history, led to his 1990 appointment by Bishop Reiss to the New Jersey Catholic Records Commission. He also served as the archivist of the Diocese and edited Upon This Rock, a comprehensive history of the Trenton Diocese, in 1993.

As a writer, he had also contributed to books on priests who sacrificed their lives in service to the Church including Father John P. Wessel. He wrote the introduction for “No Greater Love” by Karin Burke, which tells how Father Wessel was killed while trying to help a distraught Vietnam Veteran.

Msgr. Shenrock would also be instrumental in introducing a cause for sainthood for Father Wessel which remains in progress.

A book he authored, Three Good Shepherds, told the stories of Msgr. Richard T. Crean, who died along with two housekeepers in the fire that ravaged St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, in 1956; Father Francis X. Donovan, who gave his life while serving as a missionary in South America, and Father Wessel.

Among other honors and privileges bestowed on Msgr. Shenrock included his having an opportunity to greet Mother Teresa of Calcutta at the 1976 Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia. He was received in an audience by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in Rome in 1979 and was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in 1999.

Reflections and Remembrance

At the repast that followed the Mass, hundreds gathered to break bread and speak of the legacy of the man who had been such a faithful and energetic presence on the diocesan landscape.

Among them was Msgr. James H. Dubell, longtime pastor of St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, who is now retired.

Msgr. Dubell first became acquainted with the newly ordained Father Shenrock that would have a great impact on his life in 1953. “He was just out of the seminary,” said Msgr. Dubell. “He was assisting at Sacred Heart Parish in Mount Holly, my hometown. That was the same year that I went into the seminary.”

“We followed the same path,” Msgr. Dubell said, recalling that Father Shenrock had mentored him throughout his 12 years of study and “guided me after I was ordained in 1965. He was always a role model and he was always a people person.”

“The thing I remember most is that he took care of young priests, looked after them and offered them assistance,” Msgr. Dubell said. “He extended himself to everyone. He would visit families in their homes, join them for meals. He had a lot of energy.”

Msgr. Dubell spoke of how that energy extended to advancing the cause for sainthood to the young Father Wessel who lost his life trying to help a distraught man. “He took up the cause,” which, he said, “is still out there.”

Perhaps what struck Msgr. Dubell most about his late mentor and guide was Msgr. Shenrock’s “ability to just be himself. He was very collaborative with people, he (always) saw the good in people and the gifts they had and guided them along the way.”

Father James F. O’Neill Jr., parochial vicar in Visitation Parish, Brick, was another young person that Msgr. Shenrock reached out to. He spoke of meeting Msgr. Shenrock when he arrived at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in 1987.

“I was almost 15 and he was there for my formative years,” said Father O’Neill, who said Msgr. Shenrock, by example, inspired his own vocation.

“I don’t think he ever asked me” to consider a vocation, Father O’Neill said. Instead he offered the 19-year-old freshman at Stevens College a temporary job working on “Upon this Rock,” the massive history of the Trenton Diocese he designed and edited – that would last two years.

During those two years Father O’Neill said he became inspired by watching and working with Msgr. Shenrock. He feels a sense of gratitude for the priestly example that helped pave the way to his own priestly vocation.

“He was the key figure,” Father O’Neill said.

Msgr. Shenrock was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Toms River.