Faith and Values

Former priests at St. Robert’s

Sofie

News Staff Report

Later this month, the Reverend J. Francis Sofie will be in Atmore as pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish.
Former pastor the Reverend Arulappan Jayaraj, H.G.N. has been reassigned to the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.
Father Sofie will be the 16th pastor to serve the parish. He is coming to Atmore from St. Peter in Montgomery.
Parishioner Letty Digmon shared the following list of priests who have served St. Robert’s.
1944-54 Fr. John M. Horgan, Pastor (d.)
1946 Fr. Luke Fazi, OSB, Visitor (d.)
1949 Fr. John A. O’Hara, Asst. Pastor (d.1989)
1949 Fr. Michael White, Asst. Pastor (d.)
1950 Fr. Edward Foster, Visitor (d )
1951 Fr. Joseph C. Allen, Asst. Pastor (d.)
1953* Fr. Kevin Duignan, Asst. Pastor (d.1997)
1954-60 Fr. Ernest Patrick, Pastor ( d.1998)
1956 Fr. J. P. Sheehan, Visitor (d. )
1959 Fr. Theodore H. Hay, Visitor
1960-70 Fr. James J. Boland, Pastor (d. )
1970 Fr. W. L. Furman, SJ, Visitor (d.2007)
1971-73** Fr. Timothy J. Deasy, Pastor (d.2016)
1973 Fr. James Oberkirch, Visitor (d. )
1973 Fr. Kenneth Klepac, Asst. Pastor
1973-74 Fr. Thomas D. Weise, Pastor
1974-77** Fr. Timothy J. Deasy, Pastor (d.2016)
1975 Fr. Patrick Maher, Visitor (d.2017)
1977-86* Fr. Kevin F. Duignan, Pastor (d.1997)
1986-91 Fr. Peter J. Cunningham, Pastor
1986 Fr. Michael J. McGuinness, Visitor (d. 2004 in Ireland)
1991-93 Fr. Francis A. Messing, Pastor (d.2010)
1993-96 Fr. William P. Folsom, Pastor
1996-98 Fr. Michael Sreboth, Pastor
1998 Fr. James E. Dane, Pastor
1998-99 Fr. Ernest R. Hyndman, Jr., Pastor (d. 2011)
1999- 03 Fr. Cecil Spotswood, Pastor
2003- 06 Fr. Jan A. Zagorski, Pastor
2006-14 Fr. Gordon Milsted, Pastor
2014- 19 Fr. Arulappan Jayaraj, HG N, Pastor
2016-18 Fr. Charles S. Hirudayam, H.G.N., Assistant