Monsignor Joseph McLoone
The circumstances under which Monsignor Joseph McLoone assumes temporary stewardship of St. Joseph Parish in Downingtown are difficult, to say the least. But
McLoone—one of the best known and respected members of the Philadelphia’s extended Irish family—believes he is up to the task.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia this week appointed McLoone parochial administrator pro-tem of St. Joseph’s, following the release of a grand jury report alleging that the parish’s pastor, Monsignor William Lynn, 60, hid sexual abuse by other priests. The archdiocese placed Lynn on leave.
McLoone remains pastor of St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Chester, even though he will be spending most of his time ministering to the laity of St. Joseph’s. He is a 2010 inductee into the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame, and he has served as chaplain to that organization for a decade. He also is chaplain of the Donegal Association. McLoone is a 1984 graduate of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
An Olney boy, McLoone has spent most of his adult life ministering in city parishes. The ethnically diverse St. Katherine’s is a good example of that 13-year trend. “This will be the first time in my life that I will have ‘sub’ in front of ‘urban’,” he said in an interview Thursday. “It’s going to be a challenge for me. I like living in a city.”
St. Joseph’s is more culturally more homogeneous—and it is quite large, with 4,200 families. It is one of the top 10 parishes in the archdiocese, said McLoone.
Although McLoone recognizes that the parish is very different from what he’s used to, he welcomes the opportunity to minister to the people of St. Joseph’s. He has no special plans for dealing with the parish’s troubles. “I hope to just be there,” he said. “That’s the first step. They just need someone to be there with them. Sometimes you don’t need to do much more than that. You just walk with them. Sometimes that’s all you can do.”
He isn’t sure why he was chosen to take on this new task, but he suspects it is partly because St. Katharine’s is so stable. “And maybe it’s my personality,” he added. “I’m a happy, upbeat person, and I can keep the parish going forward.”
Without commenting directly on the situation at St. Joseph’s, McLoone said he finds the allegations of pedophilia by brother priests to be profoundly troubling. “It’s disheartening. It’s saddening,” he said. “”It’s evil, an abomination. But at the same time, I know Christ has called me to be a priest. Life has to go on.”
As of Thursday, McLoone has moved into a guest room in St. Joseph’s rectory. His temporary successor Rev. Stephen Thorne moved into a guest room at St. Katharine’s the same day. Even though he has his hands full in his new assignment, St. Katharine’s remains a vital part of his life. “I won’t be able to come back for everything,” he said, “but I’m still pastor here. I have my own bed here. There’s nothing like your own bed.”
