Father
Birkhead, pastor emeritus of Christ the King, dies on Easter Sunday
By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE CS&T Staff Writer Father Birkhead
had such a sense of fun that when his old, green Chevy was about to hit
100,000 miles, he asked his rectory workers to pile in and then drove
them around the parish parking lot until the numbers turned. When those
zeros lined up on the odometer, recalled the parish secretary, Anne Pinto,
“we all yelled and clapped.”
The
joyride so startled the school secretary — from the school windows, she
watched as the car went round and round — that she called the rectory
to ask what was going on.
“That
was one of the funniest things we always remember about him — he wanted
everybody to see his old car hit 100,000 miles,” Pinto said.
Father
Henry G. Birkhead, 82, pastor emeritus of Christ the King Parish in Philadelphia,
and a former faculty member at three Catholic high schools, died on Easter
Sunday, April 8, 2007, at Villa St. Joseph in Darby.
“What
a way to go — to go Easter morning,” Pinto said.
Father
Birkhead was born Feb. 5, 1925 in Philadelphia, the oldest of two sons
of the late Henry George and Cecilia Agnes (Jordan) Birkhead.
He
attended St. John the Baptist Parochial School and St. John the Baptist
High School in the Manayunk section of the city.
Before
entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, he served in the
U.S. Coast Guard during World War II.
“He
was a very good student — meticulous and exacting,” said one of his seminary
classmates, Msgr. James P. McBride, pastor emeritus of St. Katherine of
Siena Parish in Philadelphia.
Msgr.
McBride reminisced about the times he and Father Birkhead played softball
as seminarians. “Once, he and I were going after the same fly ball, and
we bumped our heads,” he said. Fortunately, no one was injured and, according
to Msgr. McBride, Father Birkhead caught the ball.
“He
was very fond of baseball — especially the Philadelphia ‘A’s,” Msgr. McBride
said; the city’s former major league team was the Athletics.
In
fact, Henry Birkhead was so devoted to his hometown sluggers that when
he was a seminarian, he somehow managed to snag an invitation to the residence
of the team’s general manager, the great Connie Mack.
“He
always referred to Connie Mack as ‘Mr. Mack,’” Msgr. McBride said. “He
had great respect for him.” Father Birkhead later became just as ardent
a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies.
He
was ordained on May 10, 1956, at Immaculate Conception Church in the Germantown
section of the city. His assignments included parochial vicar, Annunciation
B.V.M. Parish in Shenandoah and St. Mary Parish, Hamburg.
Father
Birkhead served on the faculty of Annunciation High School in Shenandoah
and, from 1957 to 1963, at St. James Catholic High School for Boys in
Chester. From 1963 to 1984 he was a faculty member of Cardinal Dougherty
High School in Philadelphia.
Residence
assignments included St. Hilary of Poitiers in Rydal.
“I was very sorry to hear [of Father Birkhead’s passing]” said Joe Friend,
a 1967 Cardinal Dougherty alumnus who was taught freshman religion by
Father Birkhead. “He was a very good teacher — he was very dedicated [and]
he really cared about the students.”
Friend,
a member of St. Cecilia Parish in Philadelphia, also recalled Father Birkhead
as “a nice man” and “a good priest.” Father Birkhead was proud of the
fact that he had communicated the faith to young people in three Catholic
high schools, Msgr. McBride said. In 1984, Father Birkhead was named parochial
administrator of Christ the King Parish. He was appointed pastor of Christ
the King in 1987, and pastor emeritus there in 2000. “He was a great pastor
— he was a very good man,” Pinto said.
Father
Birkhead was also a great boss, she said. In many respects, the rectory
workers were like family members to him, Pinto said, especially after
the death of his brother, George, who was his only sibling and the last
surviving member of his immediate family.
“He
liked us to sit and talk with him,” she said of herself, the cook and
the cleaning woman. “Sometimes, on Fridays, [he’d say] ‘Don’t go yet.
Sit and talk to me.’ He was a very pleasant man to work for.”
On
his arrival at Christ the King, Father Birkhead pared down the parish
debt.
Another
one of his legacies to the parish he served for so long is the beautiful
stained-glass window he designed, which graces the front of the church,
above the vestibule. During his tenure, the church pews were re-stained,
and new carpeting and numerous other stained-glass windows were also installed
throughout the church.
He
took great care of the church throughout the year, and he especially loved
to decorate at Easter and Christmas, Pinto said. “At Easter, he always
made Easter baskets up for the priests who were [stationed] here,” she
said. And in December, “he had Christmas trees all over. He had stockings
hanging on the railing for the priests.”
The
cleaning woman was given the job of perusing the priests’ medicine cabinets
to determine which type of shaving cream and other toiletries they used,
so that Father Birkhead could buy the appropriate stocking stuffers.
“He
was always very thoughtful,” Pinto said.
Parishioners
in need of food were welcome to stock up from a special pantry he made
in the rectory’s basement.
In
his spare time, Father Birkhead liked playing the organ, going out to
dinner and traveling — he especially enjoyed cruises, Pinto said.
“He traveled with a group he called ‘The Four Bs,’” Msgr. McBride said:
The
“Bs” consisted of Father Birkhead; another seminary friend, Msgr. Francis
Barrett of the Allentown Diocese, and married friends, Ellington and Lorraine
Beavers of St. Hilary of Poitiers Parish in Rydal.
“I
made a trip or two with him,” Msgr. McBride added. “I think he tolerated
me because I was a ‘McB.’
“The
Four Bs” traveled to many places over the years: throughout Europe, to
Istanbul, to the southern tip of South America, along the Yangtze River,
to Hong Kong and Tokyo, Msgr. McBride said. Father Birkhead’s travels
also included a train ride across Canada.
For
many years, when they lived nearby — Father Birkhead at Christ the King
and Msgr. McBride at St. Katherine Parish — the two priests had dinner
together every Monday evening. As a friend, “he was very courteous and
very loyal,” Msgr. McBride said.
Well-liked
by his parishioners, Father Birkhead was “sort of a quiet man” and “old
school,” Pinto said.
“He’s
missed by everybody who knew him,” she said.
Cardinal
Justin Rigali celebrated Father Birkhead’s funeral Mass on Thursday, April
12, at Christ the King Church.
Concelebrants
included Msgr. Barrett; Fathers James A. Callahan and Michael F. Hennelly,
and Msgr. McBride, who was the homilist.
“I
can well imagine Father Birkhead saying to each of us,” Msgr. McBride
concluded in his homily, “‘If you think of me, I will think of you. If
you talk to me, I will hear you. I f you pray for me, I will be eternally
grateful.’”
Interment
was at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.
CS&T
Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine may be reached at (215) 587-2468 or
cchicoin@adphila.org.
Compiled
by
Adam
Dickerson
Ralph
Discepola, Jr.
Ralph Discepola, Jr., 63, died suddenly on Feb. 20, 2007 at Nazareth
Hospital. He was born in Philadelphia, the son of Elizabeth (Strouse)
and the late Ralph, Sr. He grew up in Germantown. He was a graduate of
Immaculate Conception grade school and a 1961 graduate of Cardinal Dougherty
High School. A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 25 at St. Francis Xavier
Church. Burial was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. He is survived by his daughter,
Rachel, and by brothers, Joseph, Anthony, Michael and Stephen, and sisters,
Anne Mueller, Kathleen, and Agnes Bross. He is also survived by several
nieces and nephews.
Walter
J. Warzel
Walter J Warzel of Horsham, formerly of Willow Grove, died Friday,
March 16, 2007. He was 85. He was born in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served with the Seabees during
World War II. In 1948 he married his wife, Jane. He was a member of St.
David Church, Willow Grove, for 53 years where he served as lector, extraordinary
minister of the Eucharist, and where he served on various committees.
He also started the Prayer Group in 1974. During his career, he was granted
top secret atomic category job title at the Arsenal, he taught FBI agents
to use infrared film, he became a research photographer for Sperry Rand
Corp, and he was director of the Archdiocese Media center for many years.
He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Jane (Baeder) Warzel; his children,
Marianne G. Culp, Gerard J. Warzel and Denise G. Warzel; his three grandchildren
and two great grandchildren.
Sister
Rita Marie Stokes
Sister Rita Marie Stokes, OP, died at St. Joseph Manor on March
28, 2007 at the age of 78. She was the daughter of Michael Stokes and
Anne Deily. She grew up in a family of 16 children and attended St. Ann
School. She entered the Dominican Sisters of Elkins Park in 1948. Much
of her life was spent in catechetical education in New York and in Philadelphia.
She earned a bachelor’s degree at LaSalle University. Later she studied
social work and served in the Philadelphia and Chester Catholic Social
Services. She also worked in the retreat houses of the congregation in
New Mexico, Philadelphia, and New York. A funeral Mass was celebrated
at St. Catherine Hall in Elkins Park. She was buried in Holy Sepulchre
Cemetery. She is survived by her sisters, Eleanor Stokes, Patricia Thompson,
Jacqueline Taylor (Walter); a brother, William Stokes; and many nieces,
nephews and cousins.
Charles
Frey
Charles (Chuck) C. Frey, 59, husband of Jackie Frey (born Novetsky),
died March 29, 2007. He was a 1965 graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High
School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1968. He worked for NuArc
Co. for 24 years and for five years with Nazdar. He was the father of
Christopher Frey, Karen Waterfall and Kelly Frey. He is also survived
by a grandson, Justin Waterfall. He was a brother of Regina Polakovic,
Patricia Stover, Stephen Frey, Michael Frey, and Eileen Frey. He was a
son-in-law of Rachel Novetsky. A funeral Mass was celebrated April 2 at
Presentation BVM Church, Cheltenham. Burial was at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Eleanor
W. Goldkamp
Eleanor W. Goldkamp (born Walsh) died on April 3, 2007 She was
wife of the late Thomas G. Goldkamp and mother of Thomas G. Jr., Donald
R., Mary Louise Ryan, Anne Young, Michael W., Peter J. and Susan Parks.
She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. A
funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Anthony Church, Ambler, on April 10
followed by burial at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.