User:NYYankee2010/Rev. Msgr. Leo McCarthy

Home > My Story > Local Parish Priest Stories July 2009 - Rev. Msgr. Leo McCarthy - Priest of the Month

On November 19, 1932 a servant of God was born. Leo McCarthy became the eighth child in a family that would eventually grow to twelve. Leo started life in Springbrook, NY, was baptized, made his First Communion and completed his first four years of school at St. Vincent Parish. His father referred to him as the "wonder boy" because he said he always "wondered what that boy" would become. His family then moved to Alden, NY where St. John the Baptist Parish became like a second home to him. He had a strong Catholic family. His father and his grandfather on his mother's side greatly influenced who he would eventually become. Catholicism was woven into everything they did. The pastor of St. John the Baptist parish at that time was Fr. Bertrum Trautman, whose nephew would later become Bishop Trautman. Fr. Trautman had a great impact on Leo's young life especially while serving as an altar boy. After his eighth grade graduation he entered the Minor Seminary called St. Joseph the Little Flower where he boarded because of the distance between Alden and Buffalo. Msgr. Paul Juenker was an exceptional mentor for the young Leo at the Minor Seminary.

He went right from the Minor Seminary to the Major Seminary of St. Bonaventure. While at Bonaventure, his father passed away at the young age of 57. Leo was able to visit him shortly before he died. His father told him not to leave the seminary to take care of the family because God would provide and he would better serve people as a priest. He was ordained at St. Joseph's Cathedral by Bishop Burke on February 21, 1959. In those days, the men were ordained but then had to return to the seminary for a few more months to finish their education before being assigned. In that interim they could say Mass but could not hear confessions. As he lay prostrate on the floor of the Cathedral during his ordination ceremony, Msgr. Leo recalled that when he was about four years old his father told his older brother "Bud" that when he became a priest he would buy him his first chalice. Little Leo told his father that it was not Bud but he who would eventually become the priest. His father told him it would be a cold day before he would be ordained. The 21st of February turned out to be quite bitter and stormy and many people didn't even make it to the ordination due to the weather. It was indeed a cold day just as his father had predicted!

During the summers between the years of school in the Minor and Major Seminary, Msgr. Leo worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant, did various neighborhood jobs such as cutting lawns and bringing wood to stores earning one cent for each piece he delivered. He worked at a lumber mill and did dry walling and roofing. It was even more backbreaking work in those days because they didn't have the equipment that exists today. After his ordination, Msgr. Leo recalled that Msgr. Richard Nugent had a very positive impact in his life as a priest. Msgr. Leo's mother (another incredible influence in his life) gave him a very special blessing the morning of his first Mass before they left for St. John the Baptist Church. He cherishes that blessing to this day. Msgr. Leo's first assignment as a priest was at St. Mary in Little Valley where he spent one year. He then spent five years at St. Teresa's in South Buffalo and then went to St. James in Depew. While at these parishes, he became very involved with the youth. He coached football, track and various other sports. Being musically inclined, Msgr. Leo led the St. Teresa Boys Choir, "The Savios". Their recordings can be found on CD today. He was in charge of the altar servers at these parishes as well. He was "temporarily" assigned to St. Joseph's Cathedral for the next ten years where he continued to reach out to the youth in a positive way through sports and music. While at the Cathedral, he became involved in the Police Athletic League (PAL) where he once again took up coaching as a way to reach the youth. He explained that he didn't go to be one of them; rather he went so they could be one with him. While at the Cathedral, Msgr. Leo was chaplain for the boy scouts, the Buffalo Police and Erie County Sheriffs, the Port of Buffalo, the Catholic telephone and postal employees and also served as Great Lakes area chaplain. During his priesthood he was very interested in promoting vocations and was a vocation counselor in South Buffalo as well as at St. Mary High School in Lancaster. He was the Holy Name Moderator for the West Side of Buffalo and eventually became the Diocesan Moderator. He was very involved in the Serra Club of Buffalo whose main focus is promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. This came about because of his involvement with the altar servers. He believes that bringing boys into that atmosphere at church has a great impact on them. He recalled a time when he was an altar server. He loved to serve Mass and one day, arriving early, decided to try on the priest's vestments. He was checking his look in the mirror when he noticed the Mother Superior who was principal of the school standing behind him. Her first response was, "Leo, what are you doing??!" Too scared to answer, he didn't say a word. Then she asked him if he wanted to be a priest and he responded, "No, I want to be the pope!" Msgr. Leo couldn't recall a time when he didn't want to be a priest. He noted that priests don't really need altar servers, it's the altar servers who need the priests. The Mother Superior who found him dressed as a priest at such a young age supported him in many ways and encouraged him. She told him she would be an old nun hobbling down the aisle with her cane at his ordination. As it turned out, she was in the hospital at the time, and after his ordination Msgr. Leo made it a point to visit her and give her his blessing. She couldn't come to him so he went to her. Years later, at her request, he also presided at her funeral Mass. After his time at the Cathedral, Msgr. Leo was assigned his first pastorate at St. Matthews Church on the east side of Buffalo. Here he also had a choir and headed up the altar servers. When asked about the most challenging part of priesthood, he recalled an incident while coaching inner city children where there was not a lot of structure in the families. Sometimes he would have only a few kids show up for a practice and sometimes more. One day a man approached who seemed to be under the influence of both drugs and alcohol. He was swearing out loud and disrupting the practice. One of the boys said to Msgr. Leo while they were in a huddle, "We don't talk like that, do we, Father!" That kind of response made the challenges seem worth while. It was also challenging, as a pastor, to maintain the Catholic schools but worth the effort. The financial aspects of keeping a school running can be overwhelming yet Msgr. Leo noted that Catholic schools are about more than just money, they are about the heart and soul of the young. He insisted that anyone who wanted their children to attend Catholic School and couldn't afford it should come and see him. He always found a way to make it work for them. Back in the seminary, Msgr. Leo expressed a desire to become a missionary priest. Both Msgr. Juenker and Msgr. Leo's father encouraged him to see the missionary work that needed to be done right here in his own back yard. His assignments, especially at St. Matthew's in the central city, made him realize the truth in that advice. He remained there for ten years and then it was on to his next assignment as pastor of Immaculate Conception in Wellsville where he stayed for seven and a half years. St. Joseph's in Batavia was home for the next thirteen years where, of course, he became involved with the choir, altar servers and coaching. He reluctantly retired from St. Joseph's and is now living at Blessed Sacrament Parish on Claremont Ave. in Tonawanda. Still a very vibrant, active priest, he makes time to mentor the youth. On February 21, 2009 Msgr. Leo McCarthy celebrated fifty years of priesthood. He considers the heart and summit of the priesthood to be the celebration of Mass. One of the greatest rewards for him is the opportunity to be present to the youth who so desperately need good role models. He considers it a blessing to be able to give back to the community, most especially the youth, the enthusiasm and joy he receives from his life as a priest. On advising young men to consider the priesthood he tells them not to worry so much about what they want to be but rather, pray to know what God wants them to be. So many times people are afraid to follow God's will because they think they will not be happy. Msgr. Leo then asks, "Why would God, who loves you so much, want you to do something that will make you unhappy?" Exemplifying many of the caring, nurturing qualities of Pope John Paul II, he did, in a way, finally become a pope!