Priest pilots get together at Richfield

Priest pilots gather for group photo after Mass at St. Victor Church in Richfield.
Host pastor, the Rev. Fr. Allen Corrigan, is in green shirt at left front.

Thirty members of the National Association of Priest Pilots gathered in front of the altar at St. Victor Church in Richfield after Mass on Wednesday evening for a group photo before retiring to the church hall for a reception ending their annual convention here.

Host for this year’s convention was the Rev. Fr. Allen Corrigan, pastor of St. Victor and a 500-plus hour instrument rated private pilot.

Celebrant of the mass was the Rev. Fr. John Schmitz, first vice president of the association. Fr. Schmitz joked that when someone heard he was from Mexico they believed he was the priest who came the greatest distance for the meeting.

However, he explained that he was not from south of the border, but instead from Mexico, MO, where he is pastor of St. Brendan Parish. Fr. Schmitz, who flew here in his Cessna 150J, said a couple of priests from Kansas probably came the farthest. The Rev. Fr. John Wolesky, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, in Solomon, KS., flew here in his Cessna 210A.

Among those enjoying the convention were the Rev. Fr. Joseph Burg of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Porus, Jamaica, and the Rev. Fr. Hugh Connaghan of Carthage, NY. Fr. Connaghan in addition to being a priest and pilot is also a fireman of sorts. He is chaplain of the Carthage Fire Department.

Some of the priests flew into Medina (1G5) airport. while others drove or took a commercial flight.

On Tuesday they toured NASA/Glenn Research Center, going to Little Italy for lunch at Nido Italia. After lunch they visited the Cleveland Museum of Art. The annual NAPP business meeting was Wednesday morning at the Radisson Hotel in Fairlawn where they stayed.

The concelebrated Eucharistic liturgy was in memory of their deceased members.

A photographer was at Richfeld on Wednesday to shoot photos for a future article in the Universe Bulletin of the Cleveland Diocese.

One of the important functions of NAPP is the practice of supporting members using aircraft in missionary work. A benefit of being a NAPP member is the shared priesthood that unites all in a common goal while able to enjoy the specialness of being not only a pilot, but a priest-pilot.

The NAPP got it start In the summer of 1963 when two Kentucky priest pilots, Fathers Henry Haacke and Bob Wendeln, took a flying vacation to the West Coast. When they stopped for fuel, lodging or sightseeing they asked the airport personnel if they knew of any priests that flew. They were amazed at the number of flying padres they heard about on that trip. By the time they returned home they decided to put notices in some of the flying magazines, inviting any priest pilots to a gathering July 12 - 15, 1964 in Carrollton, Kentucky. Henry and Bob hosted over 90 priests at that fly in.

Click on photos for a better view, Click on the headline to see other photos at Richfield.