SHAMOKIN - The Rev. Dennis Grumsey, who served as pastor of Mother Cabrini Church for 15 years and will always consider Shamokin his second hometown, received a rousing homecoming Sunday from his former parishioners, friends, relatives and fellow clergy during a special Mass and reception celebrating his 25th anniversary in the priesthood.
The 54-year-old native of Springfield, Mass., who became the first pastor of Mother Cabrini Church in 1995 and guided his new congregation through a challenging consolidation of Catholic churches in the Shamokin area, served as celebrant of the 11 a.m. Mass at his former church, which was filled to capacity.
Grumsey was ordained into the priesthood on May 24, 1986, and was initially assigned to Most Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., before serving as a parochial vicar for three years for the Tri-Parish of St. Stanislaus, St. Mary's and St. Michael in Shamokin.
Father Dennis also served eight years on the Council for the St. Anthony of Padua Province in Ellicott City, Md.
In August 2010, Father Dennis was reassigned to serve as pastor St. Casimir Church in Baltimore after 18 years in Shamokin.
The Rev. Daniel Fink, Grumsey's Franciscan seminary classmate and former parochial vicar at Our Lady of Hope Church in Coal Township, was the homilist during the 90-minute Mass. He also chanted the gospel.
Fink described his longtime friend as a holy priest, outstanding speaker, dedicated worker, great leader and very compassionate and friendly person who is always willing to listen to his parishioners and help them in their time of need.
Fink currently serves as director of the St. Hyancinth Filial House in Chicopee, Mass.
Concelebrating the Mass with Grumsey were two other seminary classmates, the Revs. Richard-Jacob Forcier and Timothy Kulbicki. Other participants were the Rev. Martin Kobos, who succeeded Grumsey as pastor at Mother Cabrini, and the Rev. Adam Ziolkowski, longtime parochial vicar at Mother Cabrini. Also attending the Mass was Grumsey's good friend and missionary, Brother Michael Duffy.
During remarks at the end of Mass, Kobos commended Grumsey for his dedicated service to the people of Mother Cabrini and also applauded his classmates for their many years of service to the priesthood.
Grumsey thanked everyone for attending his silver jubilee Mass and gave special praise to those who organized the festivities, including his good friend, Judy Surak, religious education coordinator at Mother Cabrini.
The friar also commended Kobos and Ziolkowski for their fine hospitality over the weekend and particularly thanked his family members from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Massachusetts who traveled to Shamokin to be part of his special day.
The reverend praised his parents, Norman Grumsey, of Springfield, Mass., and the late Julia Grumsey, for raising him well and supporting his decision to enter the priesthood. His parents were born and raised in Wilkes-Barre.
The Franciscan priest also commended his brother, Norman, for taking special care of their father, who has been ill for many years.
Father Dennis shared several memorable moments from his pastorship at Mother Cabrini with the congregation and said he was honored to serve them.
He closed his remarks by encouraging the younger generation in attendance to strongly consider religious vocations.
Surak read an inspirational poem that recalled her working relationship with Grumsey.
Surak and a relative of Grumsey, offered the scripture readings, while Grumsey chanted special intercessions.
Several of the friar's relatives presented the offertory gifts.
Clara Bartlinski, a very active member of Mother Cabrini Church who serves as chairperson of the annual Father's Day Picnic and is in charge of scheduling the lectors, eucharistic ministers and altar servers, was a special eucharistic minister at the Mass.
After the Mass, more than 300 people attended a reception at Masser's Banquet Hall in Paxinos to honor Grumsey on his 25th anniversary in the priesthood.
At the banquet, Shamokin Mayor George Rozinskie Jr. presented the friar with a proclamation declaring Sunday, May 22, 2011, as "Father Dennis Grumsey Day in the City of Shamokin."