By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

For Msgr. R. Vincent Gartland, it was most appropriate that he chose June 27 to celebrate his upcoming retirement with his parishioners.

That is the day the universal Church observes the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and for Msgr. Gartland, the feast day is one that has held special significance for him throughout his life and priestly ministry.

He was raised in Sacred Heart Parish, Camden, and served for 20 years as a Brother of the Sacred Heart prior to entering the seminary. He noted that it was on the Feast of the Sacred Heart when he was installed as pastor of St. Ann Parish on June 23, 1995. Now he will use the 2014 feast to commemorate his 19 years he served as pastor of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, and prayerfully usher in the newest chapter of his life -- retirement.

Priesthood – A Daily Celebration

Rather than citing one particular highlight of his priesthood, Msgr. Gartland speaks of having had the good fortune to find reason to celebrate his priesthood “every day.” It brings him great joy to gather with his parishioners for the celebration of Mass and other sacraments.

Reflecting on his call to a life in service to the Church, Msgr. Gartland says that ever since childhood he had always wanted to teach and had always felt close to the Church.

“When I think back on my life, I become overwhelmed with gratitude. All along I’ve been very blessed to have been around some very great people who were concerned about me and wanted the best for me,” he said, as he acknowledged a lengthy list, namely his parents, Robert J. and Marcella Gartland, to whom he was born July 6, 1939;  the community of Sacred Heart, his home parish, fellow Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and a countless number of other folks, including priests and current and former parishioners in the communities where he had been assigned.

Following his graduation from Camden Catholic High School, Msgr. Gartland earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Spring Hill College, Mobile, Ala., and a master’s degree in theology from St. John’s University, N.Y. He also completed graduate studies in counseling and education in Seton Hall University, South Orange.

He was an eighth-grader when he became familiar with the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and was inspired by the Brothers’ main mission of evangelization to young people, especially through the ministry of education. Two years after his high school graduation, Msgr. Gartland entered the order and made his profession of religious vows.

During his years as a brother, he was primarily engaged in secondary education. He served on the faculties of St. Joseph High School, Metuchen, and St. Mary High School, South Amboy, and as coordinator of adult religious education and the Catholic high school religion program in the diocesan Office of Religious Education.  He was also director of Inscape, a youth retreat house in Seaside Park.

It was through his work in Catholic education and encountering a host of people that led Msgr. Gartland to pursue a vocation as a priest. He was influenced by then Bishop George W. Ahr, of whom Msgr. Gartland said he will be forever grateful to for his encouragement and support; Father James McConnell, who was pastor of St. Mary Parish, South Amboy, during the three years Msgr. Gartland worked in the parish’s youth ministry program, and Msgr. George Ardos, who headed the diocesan Office of Religious Education.

Msgr. Gartland prepared for the priesthood in St. Mary Seminary, Baltimore, and was ordained a priest May 23, 1981, by Bishop John C. Reiss in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. His assignments as parochial vicar were St. James Parish, Red Bank; St. Raphael Parish, Hamilton, and St. Justin the Martyr Parish, Toms River. He also held diocesan appointments including a three-year term on the diocesan Continuing Education Committee and the Diocesan Liturgy Commission and the National Engaged Encounter team. He also served for six years as a minister to priests for the Diocese of Trenton.

In June, 1988, Msgr. Gartland began his seven-year tenure as Catholic campus minister in Rider University, Lawrenceville, an experience he found to be “very enjoyable” because it brought him into contact with people – students, faculty, staff – who were at various stages in their lives.

Mission-Minded Pastor

Of the many milestones that Msgr. Gartland has shared with the faith community of St. Ann Parish during his 19 years as pastor, he speaks namely of the partnership he helped to foster between St. Ann Parish and San Andrés Church in the Diocese of Quiché, Guatemala, 17 years ago. The partnership evolved after he traveled to Guatemala on a mission trip.

While the physical aspect of the partnership over the years has mainly been St. Ann Parish providing financial assistance to help San Andreas rebuild its parish church and establish a school, Msgr. Gartland emphasized that the impetus for St. Ann Parish entering into a partnership was necessary because it gave parishioners an opportunity to experience the Catholic Church where there were people who expressed themselves much differently. San Andreas had suffered tremendously as a result of violence and political turmoil.

With his St. Ann flock, he has also enjoyed observing milestones such as the parish’s 60th and 75th anniversaries. He smiles when he speaks of shepherding the building and dedication of the Faith Development Center, which houses staff offices and has multiple meeting rooms where educational and social events are held.  He is also proud of the parish school’s many accomplishments, including its  national recognition as a Blue Ribbon School.

Dear to Msgr. Gartland’s heart has been implementing a style of leadership with his staff that has been collaborative and team-building. It’s a style he learned from living in community with the Sacred Heart Brothers.

“It’s important to recognize the gifts of others and to allow people to do as much as they can as we work together to build up the reign of God,” he said.

Peggy Paul, a member of St. Ann Parish for 40 years, reflected on how present Msgr. Gartland was around the parish, always in attendance at various ministry meetings and gatherings.

“He’s going to be sorely missed when he retires,” Paul said. “He was much loved by all of us. We just loved him.”

After acknowledging the compassion and outreach that Msgr. Gartland showed to Robert Curtis following the death of his wife, Curtis extended his gratitude and best wishes to his pastor on his upcoming retirement.

“He was wonderful….His leaving will be a loss for us…You have to go a long way in order to beat him as a pastor,” Curtis said, “but I sincerely wish him a good retirement.”

Parish pastoral associates Gary Maccaroni and Mercy Sister Beth Dempsey spoke of their lengthy histories with Msgr. Gartland.

Noting that she first encountered Msgr. Gartland while serving in youth ministry in the Metuchen Diocese, Sister Beth said he is an effective leader because, “He always tries to draw people into the community and he has a radical sense of welcoming and hospitality.”

 “Vince is a prayerful man and lives out of that prayerfulness… He has a great love of the Church and its traditions. It’s those things that he has been able to weave so well in the fabric of this parish communities’ life,” she said.

Maccaroni was a graduate student in Princeton Theological Seminary when he and Msgr. Gartland first met in 1991.

“He became a real mentor for me,” said Maccaroni, noting that for two years he worked with Msgr. Gartland in Rider’s campus ministry. “He was extremely creative and had a unique vision of education and in educating for faith.”

Soon after Msgr. Gartland was appointed pastor of St. Ann, he hired Maccaroni as a pastoral associate and with Sister Beth, the three worked together as a team in building up the parish, creating structures for involvement and formation. 

“He is very present to the people and concerned for the people. He also sees the role of the pastor as servant, responsive to the needs and circumstances of others,” said Maccaroni. “He has taught me that leadership and ministry is relational, it is about touching lives, guiding into God’s presence, and giving people hope. He saw everyone in the parish as an important member of the Church and equal contributor to its mission. He saw his priestly identity as something within the community and not above it, that it was linked among the people whom he was called to serve. He respected differences, and had a unique way to bring unity from these differences, bringing all of it into something greater for God.”