By Joanna Puddister King
FLOWOOD – Fifty years after a young Irish priest arrived in Mississippi and began learning that Southern English and Irish English were not always the same language. Father Gerry Hurley celebrated his golden jubilee surrounded by family, parishioners and brother priests who had accompanied him on the journey.
The church was full June 12 as more than two dozen priests concelebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving marking the 50th anniversary of Father Hurley’s ordination to the priesthood at St. Paul Catholic Church in Flowood.
Among the more than two dozen concelebrating priests were fellow Irish-born clergy who had shared in Mississippi’s long tradition of Irish missionary priests, including retired priests from the Diocese of Jackson and priests serving in the Diocese of Biloxi.
Their presence served as a reminder of the Irish missionary influence that shaped the Diocese of Jackson for decades.
Members of Father Hurley’s family traveled from Ireland for the celebration, joining parishioners and friends in marking the milestone.
The date carried special significance. Father Hurley was ordained June 12, 1976, at St. Patrick Church in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland, for the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson, making the anniversary celebration exactly 50 years to the day from his ordination.
Today, he is the last active Irish-born priest serving in the Diocese of Jackson.
“I remember going to a 50th anniversary 25 years ago and I thought to myself, those guys are old,” Father Hurley said during his homily, drawing laughter from the congregation. “And now I’m old.”
When Father Hurley arrived in Mississippi in 1976, Irish-born priests made up a significant portion of the clergy serving throughout the diocese.
“When I arrived in 1976, a majority of our priests were from Ireland,” he recalled. “And now we have new foreign-born Indian priests. They do such a great job and we are very happy … Being the last of the Irish that came in a time of transition for our Church, it is in great hands with you brothers.”
In many ways, the moment reflected the changing face of the Church Father Hurley has witnessed throughout his ministry: missionary priests from Ireland giving way to local vocations and missionaries from around the world continuing the work in Mississippi.
Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz reflected on that continuity in remarks following Mass.
“The Lord taught the disciples that a good scribe in the kingdom can reach into the storeroom and bring out the best of the old and the best of the new,” the bishop said. “I think that describes Father Gerry in a good way.”
The bishop also praised Father Hurley’s gift for community and his remarkable ability to remember names.
“I don’t know if there are priests with a better memory for names than Father Gerry does,” Bishop Kopacz said. “He’s learned ‘Who’s your momma?’ and all of that – very Southern.”
Father Hurley’s family offered their own glimpse into the priest they had known long before Mississippi did, sharing memories of a young boy in Ireland who announced early in life that he intended to become a priest.
“He did try his hand at surgery,” one sister joked during remarks after Mass. “But the patient – my doll – didn’t make it. The surgery was not a success.”
His own journey began in Cork City, Ireland, where he was born Jan. 25, 1952. He studied at Carlow College before being ordained for the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson and arriving in Mississippi later that year.
His first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Paul in Vicksburg, where he quickly discovered that adapting to life in Mississippi involved more than a change in geography.
“One Saturday evening a senior lady came up to me after Mass and said, ‘Father, I just love hearing you talk.’ She said, ‘I can’t understand you, but I love hearing you talk,’” he recalled, drawing laughter from those gathered. “It has taken most of 50 years to learn how to speak properly again.”
Over the next five decades, Father Hurley’s ministry would take him across the Diocese of Jackson, serving at St. Joseph in Greenville, as diocesan youth director, at St. Richard in Jackson, St. Joseph in Starkville, Annunciation in Columbus, St. Jude in Pearl and finally St. Paul in Flowood, where he has served since 2010.
St. Paul has become his longest assignment – longer, he noted, than he lived anywhere growing up in Ireland.
“What a great place to spend that time,” he said. “I’m grateful to you all for your welcome and support over the years.”
For Father Hurley, the readings chosen for the Mass reflected the heart of priestly ministry and discipleship.
In the Gospel, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” before instructing him to feed his sheep.
“Jesus does not ask Peter, ‘Are you sorry?’ nor does he ask him to never fail again,” Father Hurley said. “He asks, ‘Do you love me?’ Because for Jesus, the foundation of ministry is love of Christ and care for his people.”
After five decades of priesthood, Father Hurley remains grateful for the vocation that brought him across the Atlantic and for the people who have walked beside him.
“After 50 years, I’m grateful for all that God has given me and the abundant blessings he has bestowed on me through each of you and the many others who have gone before us,” he said.
As the celebration concluded, the congregation joined in singing “Irish Blessing,” sending the priest who came from County Cork to Mississippi 50 years ago into the next chapter of ministry with the words that have long connected both places he now calls home:
“May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.”
(Photos from Father Hurley’s 50th anniversary celebration can be found at jacksondiocese.zenfoliosite.com)
