Pope names his first Philly Msgr.
By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE
CS&T Staff Writer
Father Arthur E. Rodgers, regional vicar for Montgomery County and pastor of St. Matthias Parish in Bala Cynwyd, was recently named a prelate of honor, or monsignor, by Pope Benedict XVI.
Msgr. Rodgers, 65, is the first archdiocesan priest in the Philadelphia Archdiocese to be designated a monsignor by Pope Benedict XVI since the Pontiff’s April 19 election.
Cardinal Justin Rigali announced the Pope’s conferral of Msgr. Rogers’ papal honor Aug. 10.
“It was a wonderful surprise,” Msgr. Rodgers said.
Monsignors are prelates below the rank of bishop. The title “prelate of honor” is granted by the Pope to a member of the diocesan clergy upon the request of the diocesan bishop.
“I am certainly most grateful to Cardinal Rigali for having made this request of our Holy Father, and I am certainly most grateful to our Holy Father for having granted this request of our Cardinal,” Msgr. Rodgers said.“When it started to sink in what the Cardinal had told me, I thought it certainly was his way of drawing attention to the people of Montgomery County, and to the parishioners of St. Matthias,” he added.
The title of monsignor, he said, underscores his obligations as vicar and pastor, and the importance of those posts within the context of the Archdiocese.
The papal honor will be officially acknowledged during a 7 p.m. Mass to be celebrated by the Cardinal on Thursday, Sept. 15 at St. Matthias Church.
“We are pleased that this honor has been bestowed upon our brother and the entire presbyterate of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia,” Cardinal Rigali said in an Aug. 10 letter to priests of the Archdiocese.
With his new title, Msgr. Rodgers said he plans to maintain his dedication “to carrying out the work that comes for every pastor in regard to the everyday life of the parish, and to the vicariate at large ... to listen, and to bring the concerns of the vicariate to the attention of the regional bishop, and eventually, to the Cardinal.”
Msgr. Rodgers has served as pastor of St. Matthias Parish since June of 1990.
He was named vicar for Montgomery County this past June 20, succeeding Msgr. John C. Marine, 55, who became pastor of St. Bede the Venerable Parish in Holland.
A native of Philadelphia, Msgr. Rodgers attended Resurrection of Our Lord School and St. Joseph’s Preparatory School before entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He was ordained in 1965.
Just one year into his priesthood, he was assigned to the faculty of Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield. Shortly thereafter, he was sent to Rome to the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the Angelicum) where, in 1969, he received a doctorate in philosophy.
On his return to the Archdiocese, he served at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary for 21 years. Assignments there included professor of philosophy and academic dean of the Religious Studies Division.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine can be reached at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.