Archdiocese’s most senior active priest hasn’t even thought about slowing down

DETROIT — Fifty years ago, Msgr. Peter Lentine had a hard time finding St. Philomena Parish on Detroit’s east side.

Five decades later, he has just as much of a hard time leaving.

“For a half century, we’ve prayed to get through all difficulties,” Msgr. Lentine told his congregation Dec. 11. “During the time you’ve been with me, you’ve challenged me, as I have challenged you. I feel I’m a better priest because I’m here.”

Inside the small church, which was originally intended to be the school gymnasium, the St. Philomena community listened to the 97-year-old priest, the oldest active priest in the Michigan, as he celebrated his 50th anniversary at the parish, an accomplishment Msgr. Lentine thinks is unprecedented.

“I’m not familiar with any other priest being at the same parish for 50 years, this should make the Guinness Book of World Records,” Msgr. Lentine said in an interview with The Michigan Catholic.

While not quite long enough for a record — Flint’s Msgr. Anthony Majchrowski, who passed away last year, served that city’s All Saints Parish for 69 years — Msgr. Lentine’s tenure at St. Philomena has seen remarkable change in the 50 years he’s been at the corner on the border of Grosse Pointe.

The parish was established in 1951 by Cardinal Edward Mooney, and the community quickly found itself in debt due to its small geographic boundaries and competition for parishioners with surrounding parishes.

In 1966, Cardinal John Dearden tasked Msgr. Lentine with turning St. Philomena around.

“I wanted to be an obedient servant,” Msgr. Lentine said. “The cardinal felt I could handle it, so I accepted the challenge and happy to do so. We had about 15 families from Grosse Pointe, the rest were from Detroit; crossing Mack Avenue proved to be difficult. Today, it’s just the reverse.”

Msgr. Lentine made his first, and only, pastoral assignment a welcoming place, both physically and spiritually.

It was during the time of Vatican II, when the Catholic Church was going through historic transformation. “I attempted to make the parish grounds more inviting,” Msgr. Lentine said. “We were supposed to build a new church, but decided to beautify the gymnasium and beautify the surrounding grounds to make it more inviting.”

The parish hosted many outdoor events on what Msgr. Lentine claims is the “biggest deck in the Archdiocese of Detroit.”

Over the years, Msgr. Lentine has attracted a loyal army of followers to assist him with day-to-day tasks.

Four years ago, the priest’s liver started failing him, requiring him to go to dialysis three times a week for three-and-a-half-hour sessions. The future of his ministry was in doubt, until a dedicated group of parishioners volunteered to take him where he needed to be.

“He has a remarkable memory, especially when rattling off staff instructions,” said Joanna Saady, who’s been Msgr. Lentine’s parish administrator for 24 years. “I remember my job interview. I was hired to the front office, got a 30-day trial, then after 30 days, he said, ‘As long as I’m here, you’ll have a job.’ I thought, OK, I’ve got 18 months. Twenty-four years later, here we are.”

Msgr. Lentine joked that his friends say he will retire when he’s “like this,” holding out his hands in a straight line, indicating a flat line on a heart monitor.

In 1989, Msgr. Lentine, then 70, had a meeting with Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka about his plans for the future.

Given the size of St. Philomena and his health, Msgr. Lentine was allowed to stay on as an active pastor, providing he submit a letter to Cardinal Szoka and his successors each year indicating his intentions.

Twenty-seven years, and 27 letters, later, Msgr. Lentine said he still has no plans for retirement.

“When I was ordained, it was in my mind, that I was going to be a priest for however long as I was going to live,” Msgr. Lentine said. “Priesthood was always going to be part of my life. I didn’t think of any shortcomings, and moments where I wouldn’t be a priest.”

During the Dec. 11 Mass, Fr. Don Worthy gave a tribute to Msgr. Lentine for guiding St. Philomena through all its changes.

“I remember when he just started here, people asked, ‘Peter, who would want to go to St. Philomena’s with all these other parishes which have great things going on?’” Fr. Worthy said. “Peter said, ‘They come here when they don’t want to dress up.’”

For 50 years, Msgr. Lentine has been pastor of people who “don’t like to get dressed up,” welcoming people where they are and inviting them into what he insists is the community’s parish.

Msgr. Lentine’s arrival at St. Philomena might seem like forever ago, but he remembers even further back than that. In 1950, he recalls, he was late to his own ordination Mass when his friend Ed Hastings forgot to drive him from the seminary to the cathedral, hitching a ride with Bishop Edmund Donnelly, the rector of the seminary, instead.

Since then, Msgr. Lentine has more than made up for his late start. Saady said Msgr. Lentine and St. Philomena are inseparable ideas; you can’t think of one without the other. And after 50 years, it’s unlikely the call to serve will ever leave the longtime pastor.

“If the archbishop ever said that’s it, then that’s it,” Msgr. Lentine said. “I enjoying doing what I do, I enjoy ministry to the people. As long as my health continues, there will always be a desire for me to serve.”