Jubilarian – Fr. Harry Reitzel, CR
- 60th Anniversary of Ordination: May 29, 1965
This year the Congregation of the Resurrection in Canada is blessed to be celebrating three Jubilarians! Today we would like to share a reflection by Fr. Harry Reitzel, CR, who is celebrating 60 years of priestly ordination.
When God created Adam, He said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” So He created Eve. We are social beings, meant to have relationships, mirrored after the relationship within the Trinity.
Therefore, I was the twelfth-born, into the community of our family, and they took me to St. Louis Church, Waterloo to be born into the community of the Church.
After my formative years in Waterloo, I entered the CR Novitiate in Dundas. After my First Vows in 1957 I studied eight years at St. Peter’s Seminary in London.
After I was ordained in 1965, I then taught for seven years at St. John’s College, Brantford. I had three principles before I taught my first day of class: (i) Fr. Bill Lalonde, (ii) Fr. Hugh Hayes, and (iii) Fr. Brian Hennessy. Later Fr. Pat Mackan and Fr. Jean Leon Shanks. In l972 I was sent to Scollard Hall in North Bay for three years.
My first Parish assignment was at St. Francis in Kitchener from 1975-82. From 1983-89 I served at St. Pius, Brantford, St. Joseph’s, Hamilton, and back to St. Francis in Kitchener. From 1989 to 2003 I was pastor of St. Joseph’s, in Kingsbridge, St. Mary in Lucknow, and St. Augustine’s in Auburn.
From 2003 until I retired in 2011, I was at Stella Maris, St. George’s, Bermuda.
In retirement I had the Saturday p.m. and Sunday a.m. English mass for a year and a half at Sacred Heart Church. This was followed by the weekly German Mass at St. Mary’s, until my first Sciatic Attack during Holy Week of 2016.
Now I am enjoying the 100-fold promised by Christ. God bless you all.
