Pope Benedict XVI names seven Monsignors

June 12, 2009, WORCESTER, MA – Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, S.T.D., Bishop of Worcester, announced that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has conferred the honor of Chaplains to His Holiness to seven priests of the Diocese of Worcester, an honor which carries the title of Monsignor. The title is effective immediately. The seven priests are as follows:

Msgr. Peter R. Beaulieu, director of mission for St. Vincent Hospital;	Msgr. John E. Doran, pastor of St. Leo Parish, Leominster;	Msgr. Michael G. Foley, pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Westborough;	Msgr. Francis T. Goguen, pastor of St. Cecelia Parish in Leominster;	Msgr. Robert K. Johnson, director of the Office for Divine Worship and Episcopal Master of Ceremonies;	Msgr. Rocco Piccolomini, pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel/St. Ann Parish, Worcester;	Msgr. Michael F. Rose, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Shrewsbury.

A ceremony at the Vespers service for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary will be held on August 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. Paul in Worcester to publicly recognize the honor.

“I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to our new monsignori,” said Bishop McManus. “When priests of our diocese are honored in this way by the Holy Father, it is also an honor to all our priests. As we enter into the Year of the Priest as announced by Pope Benedict, may this announcement cause us to pause and reflect upon the gift of the priesthood to the Church of Worcester.”

The title of monsignor is one of distinction given by the pope to certain priests in the Roman Catholic Church as part of a papal honor recognizing the priest’s service to the Church. The diocesan bishop nominates candidates for the honor and submits the names and biographies to the Holy See. The Holy Father then, if he wishes, confers the honor onto the priest. Once decided by the pope, the Vatican Secretariat of State issues a diploma designating the new title and rank and recognizing the newly-made monsignor’s service to the Catholic Church.

There are three grades of papal honors which carry the title Monsignor: Protonotary Apostolic, which are usually priests who are working at the Vatican, Prelates of Honor to His Holiness, which were historically associated with the chamberlain of the papal court, and Chaplains to His Holiness. This honor can be conferred to priests inside or outside of the Roman Curia. A Chaplain to His Holiness wears a black cassock with fuchsia piping and buttons along with a fuchsia sash.

Serving locally in the Diocese of Worcester, Msgr. Edmond T. Tinsley, PA, retired Director of Fiscal Affairs for the diocese, is a Protonotary Apostolic; Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, Judicial Vicar, and Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, chancellor for the Diocese, are Prelates of Honor to His Holiness.

As noted by the Diocese of LaCrosse, priests who are given papal honors and thus named monsignors are considered to be members of the papal household and thus are listed in the Annuario Pontificio, which is the papal yearbook. In 1969, the custom of Chaplains of His Holiness (a subset of the second grade of monsignor) surrendering the title upon the death and burial of the conferring pontiff was suppressed. Today, all monsignors retain their titles upon the death and burial of a Pope.