Fr. Casey celebrates 70 years of ministry retires as chaplain in Ivanhoe at the age of 95!

On July 21, 2004, Bishop John C. Nienstedt and seven priests of the diocese celebrated with Fr. Marion G. Casey his 70th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood with a Mass in the chapel of Divine Providence, Ivanhoe, MN. Fr. Casey is the oldest priest of the diocese and first to celebrate 70 years of ministry to the priesthood.

Fr. Casey was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 1934 at St. Paul Cathedral by Archbishop John G. Murray.

Following his ordination he served as associate pastor at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis and St. John, Appleton. Father served as high school English teacher at Nazareth Hall Seminary in Arden Hills for 11 years. He was then appointed pastor at St. Anthony, Regal with St. Patrick, Kandiyohi as a Mission parish, and at St. Anastasia, Hutchinson. He continued his priestly ministry in the Diocese of New Ulm when it was established on November 18, 1957 and served as pastor at St. John, Faxon Township; St. George, West Newton; St. Genevieve, Lake Benton; St. John, Appleton; and Visitation, Danvers.

Fr. Casey was not quite 70 years old in 1978 when he took over as chaplain at the Divine Providence Hospital and Home in Ivanhoe, MN in 1978. Fr. Ken Wendinger was the first chaplain when the facility opened in April 1967; he was followed by Fr. Fred Thissen.

Fr. Eugene Brown, a priest of the diocese who has recently taken over Fr. Casey’s duties as chaplain in Ivanhoe recalls, “Fr. Casey served as chaplain from 1978 until 1990, when Fr. Bernard Schreiner became chaplain and Fr. Casey retired from active ministry and moved to St. Paul, near St. Joseph’s Hospital. To keep busy, since he was only 82, he became very involved with the hospice program. I remember Fr. Casey walked at least two miles every day and when a man in his building had a dog that needed daily exercise, Fr. Casey hired himself out to walk the dog!”

“In 1996, Fr. Schreiner wished to retire. Fr. Casey asked Bishop Raymond Lucker if he thought it was a good idea for him to go back as chaplain. Bishop Lucker told him to go ahead if he felt up to it. So, Fr. Casey returned as chaplain at the age of 87 - a total of 20years!

Fr. Brown continued, “Last October I began to make plans for my own retirement. It occurred to me that the position of chaplain at Divine Providence would be ideal. I went to see Fr. Casey and learned that he was waiting for someone to take his place before he would retire. When I told him that I would be his replacement, he said to me, almost with tears in his eyes, ‘You are the answer to my prayers.’ I visited with him in February and again in early June, when I told him that I was ready to take over in July. I told him I didn’t want to push him out - he looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘I’m pulling you in!’”

Fr. Casey will celebrate his 96th birthday in December.