This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Maryknoll Honors Jubilarians This Weekend

Maryknoll will celebrate special anniversaries of priests and brothers this weekend. Several are from Connecticut, Brooklyn and The Bronx.

On Sunday, June 24, 37 members of the Maryknoll Society will commemorate milestone anniversaries of ordination to the priesthood or Final Oath as a Maryknoll Brother during celebratory ceremonies at the Maryknoll Mission Center in Ossining.

These Maryknollers, who serve the poor throughout the world, will reflect on their calling to the foreign mission society of the U.S. Catholic Church. One Maryknoll Society member will celebrate his 65th anniversary of ordination.

Anniversary jubilees this year will include priests and Maryknoll Brothers from California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Closer to Maryknoll’s home are several priests with family ties to Connecticut (Father Joseph S. Pulaski of Meriden, Father Robert Aloysius Lilly of Bridgeport and Father Daniel Powers Jensen of Greenwich) and Brooklyn (Father Edward Michael Wroblewski, Father Robert Joseph Lloyd and Father William F. Mullan). Probably the closest in terms of location to Maryknoll’s Westchester mission center is Father Donald J. Doherty of The Bronx.

Find out what's happening in Ossining-Croton-On-Hudsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Foreign Mission Service In Africa

Father Doherty is celebrating his 50th anniversary of ordination as a Maryknoll missioner. After his ordination on June 9, 1962, Father Doherty served Maryknoll in promotion and vocation in Cleveland, San Francisco and Boston.  During 1968, he was assigned to pastoral ministry in Tanzania, East Africa, to serve parishes in Zanaki, Tarime and Dar es Salaam. 

Find out what's happening in Ossining-Croton-On-Hudsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Fr. Doherty returned to the U.S. during 1985 to serve as director of Maryknoll’s media relations and media productions until 1991. He developed and co-hosted the 59-part television discussion program Common Table and served as president of the Association of Catholic Television and Radio Syndicators. Later, as executive producer of the documentary film From Sunup that focused on the women of Tanzania, Father Doherty received an Award of Excellence from The Religious Public Relations Council at the International Film and Video Festival.

Father Doherty’s mission work then delivered him to St. Rose of Lima Parish in New York City’s Washington Heights from 1992 to 1997. He then returned to Africa to minister to street children. 

“Africa was the greatest gift of my life,” said Father Doherty.  “What a marvelous privilege to be able to live in Africa and learn so much about life.  Poor people can really make your life rich.”

Father Doherty was born on July 24, 1935. He attended St. Anselm’s School and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School. Father Doherty retired during 2000 but he continues to serve as a part-time chaplain at Beth Abraham Hospital in The Bronx.  

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?