Msgr. Dennis Harrity“The reason he was brought to Star of the Sea in the first place was to rescue us, and he did that,” said Midge Culos, who worked with Msgr. Harrity as a member of the parish council. “We were in significant financial straits. We were on the verge of having to close our high school — very tumultuous times — and he weathered it well.”
Msgr. Harrity, who served as pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish from 1992-2004, died May 16 at the age of 79.
“If you have to close a high school, that can be very hard on a priest,” Culos said. “There was great heartache in that, but in that process Msgr. Harrity taught people and impressed upon them the meaning and absolute definition of consensus. He listened to everyone and acknowledged them gratefully and respectfully, but then he had to make decisions, and some of them were not easy.”
Another difficult decision was in raising money for a new church building when it was discovered the former church was not sustainable, Culos said. But Msgr. Harrity’s leadership — including his introduction of the concept of voluntary tithing — made it possible.
While not everyone was receptive to the idea at first, “I think it was about $4 million that that church cost, and it got paid,” Culos said. “How many churches do that?”
Besides his leadership, Culos recalled Msgr. Harrity as “a man who was large in so many ways.”
“He presented himself as a big grandpa. That’s really how he was. He had a beautiful singing voice and wonderful, powerful, reverberating, stick-with-you homilies. He was kind and social and smiling,” she said.
He also was quick to laugh, recalled Fr. Stanley Ulman, a friend and former poker partner. “Denny was a very jovial kind of person,” Fr. UIman said. “He was quick-witted and always had a joke to share. He was good to be with.”
Fr. Ulman, who worked with Msgr. Harrity as a member of the archdiocesan presbyteral council, said he witnessed a similar style of leadership from Msgr. Harrity.
“He was very patient. He was very pastoral as well. He tried to weigh all the issues and see things from everybody’s perspective. But he wasn’t afraid to make a decision,” Fr. Ulman said.
But through it all, every decision was made with his parishioners in mind, Culos said. “Christian service was his thing. It was a huge concern for him, meeting the needs of the people and tending to their needs,” she said. “My husband and I had the fondest of memories of him — loved him, respected him. Ask me about Msgr. Harrity, and I’ll tell you: He was missed since the day he walked out.”
Msgr. Harrity was born July 17, 1934, in Detroit to John and Geraldine Harrity, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit on June 4, 1960.
He served a year as associate pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Detroit (1960-61), before spending the next decade in education ministry, serving as superintendent of archdiocesan schools from 1961-65 and as principal of Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak from 1965-70. He also served at Bishop Foley High School.
He was appointed pastor of St. Dennis Parish, Royal Oak, in 1970, serving there for the next 17 years. He served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Auburn Hills from 1987-92, before becoming pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Grosse Pointe Woods, until he was granted senior priest status in 2004.
Msgr. Harrity also served as a member of the archdiocesan College of Consultors and Presbyteral Council.
He is preceded in death by his parents and a brother, William. He is survived by a sister, Joan Smith, as well as nieces and nephews. Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron celebrated a funeral Mass for Msgr. Harrity at Our Lady Star of the Sea on May 24. Burial is in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Detroit.
Condolences to Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, 467 Fairford Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, 48236.
