60 years
Father Bruce Byrolly, 84, was born in Waterbury, Conn., and attended Yale University in New Haven. He was ordained May 15, 1958, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Norwich, Conn., but has ministered almost exclusively in the Diocese of Wilmington. He has been associate pastor of Our Lady of Fatima, New Castle; St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. Ann and St. Peter Cathedral, Wilmington; Holy Rosary, Claymont; and St. John’s/Holy Angels, Newark. He was administrator of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception and pastor of St. Matthew’s, Wilmington; St. Edmond’s, Rehoboth Beach; St. Luke/St. Andrew, Ocean City, Md.; and St. Mary Refuge of Sinners, Cambridge, Md. In addition, Father Byrolly has been a member of the diocesan liturgical commission, coordinator for Project Equality, chaplain of the Christian Family Movement Federation, and coordinator of ecumenical and interreligious affairs. He retired in 2004 and lives in Cambridge.
Father Edward Kaczorowski, a native of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., was the longtime pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Wilmington. He was there from 1969-79 and again from 1992 until 2008, when he retired and the parish closed. Father Kaczorowski, who celebrates his 90th birthday on May 15, was ordained in Philadelphia. He was assistant pastor at St. Hedwig and St. Thomas the Apostle in Wilmington, and pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Secretary, Md., and St. Paul’s, Delaware City. He lives in Wilmington.
55 years
Father William M. Hazzard attended St. Ann School in Wilmington and Archmere Academy in Claymont. Ordained at St. Peter Cathedral, he served as assistant pastor at St. Michael the Archangel, Georgetown; Ss. Peter and Paul, Easton, Md.; St. Paul’s, St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Peter Cathedral and St. Matthew’s, Wilmington. Father Hazzard, 80, was pastor of St. Paul’s, Wilmington; Holy Spirit, New Castle; and Corpus Christi, Elsmere. He has been chaplain of state institutions and of the Medical Center of Delaware in Wilmington. Father Hazzard also has been a member of the diocesan board of education and the pastoral commission. He lived at and assisted at St. Matthew’s for many years, and he currently lives in Wilmington.
50 years
Msgr. J. Thomas Cini, 75, grew up in Wilmington and attended St. Peter the Apostle School in New Castle. He has been assistant pastor of St. Elizabeth, temporary administrator of St. Joseph on the Brandywine, Greenville, and pastor of St. Ann, Wilmington. Msgr. Cini was an educator, serving as principal at St. Elizabeth and St. Mark’s high schools. He had a long career in diocesan administration. He was appointed episcopal vicar for administration in 1977 and also was a member of The Dialog board, Catholic Ministry to the Elderly, the diocesan Building Committee, the diocesan Finance Committee, the Clergy Pension Committee, the Marydale Advisory Board, the Lay Pension Committee, the College of Consultors, the Finance Council, the Long-Range Planning Committee, and the Presbyterial Council. Msgr. Cini chaired the Delaware Legislative Committee and was chief financial officer for the diocese in the mid-1980s. Upon the death of Bishop Thomas Mardaga in 1984, Msgr. Cini was named the “delegate for administration” until Bishop Robert Mulvee arrived. Bishop Mulvee re-appointed him to be episcopal vicar for administration in 1985, a position he held until 1996, when he was named vicar general of administrative concerns and moderator of the curia. He was named a monsignor in 1992 as a prelate of honor to his holiness. He retired in 2014 and moved to Childs, Md., in 2016, where he lives in an Oblates of St. Francis de Sales retirement facility.
45 years
Father Michael J. Cook grew up in Wilmington, attending Little Flower and Christ Our King schools. Following his ordination at Christ Our King, he was assigned an assistant pastor at Holy Rosary, Claymont. He also served as an associate at Our Lady of Fatima, New Castle; Corpus Christi, Elsmere; and St. John’s/Holy Angels, Newark. Father Cook, 71, has been temporary administrator of St. John’s/Holy Angels and pastor of St. Matthew’s, Wilmington. He once served as chaplain of the Boy Scouts. Since 2011, he has been an associate pastor at Holy Family, Newark.
Father Charles C. Dillingham has been the pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption in Hockessin since 2009. The Indiana native was ordained at St. Mary Magdalen Church and has served as associate pastor at Corpus Christi, Elsmere, and St. Helena’s and St. Elizabeth, Wilmington. In addition to his current assignment, he has been pastor at Holy Family, Newark, and St. Elizabeth, Wilmington. Father Dillingham, 70, has been procurator advocate, defender of the bond and pro-synodal judge in the diocesan Tribunal. He also has served as director of the offices of vocations and deacons, and he is currently associate director of priestly and religious vocations.
40 years
Msgr. John P. Hopkins, 65, grew up in Claymont and attended Holy Rosary and Salesianum schools. After his ordination at St. Peter Cathedral, he was assigned associate pastor at Corpus Christi, Elsmere. He became the director of the diocesan Catholic Youth Organization in 1982, a position he held until 1999, when he was appointed pastor of a yet-to-be-built parish that became St. Margaret of Scotland, where he continues to serve today. Msgr. Hopkins also has been diocesan Girl Scout chaplain, director of priests’ continuing formation, a member of the college of consultors and the Priests’ Council, executive officer of the Priests’ Council, and dean of the Iron Hill Deanery. He was named a monsignor in 2010.
30 years
Father John A. Grasing, 57, is the pastor of Sacred Heart, Chestertown, Md. The Milford native attended St. Edmond’s School in Rehoboth Beach and Cape Henlopen High School. He has been associate pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wilmington; St. John’s/Holy Angels and Holy Family, Newark; and St. Joseph, Middletown. He is also the director of the office of deacons.
Msgr. David F. Kelley, who grew up in Massachusetts, is currently the pastor of St. Joseph, Middletown, as well as a member of the college of consultors and vicar for clergy. He was ordained at St. Peter Cathedral and has been associate pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption, Hockessin; Holy Family, Newark; and St. Francis de Sales, Salisbury, Md. He also has been administrator of St. Joseph on the Brandywine, Greenville, and St. John Neumann, Berlin, Md., and pastor of St. Benedict, Ridgely, Md., and St. Ann, Bethany Beach. Msgr. Kelley, 65, was a member of the diocesan Liturgical Commission, the Priests’ Personnel Committee and the college of consultors. He also has been chaplain of the University of Delaware and director of vocations. He was named a monsignor in 2017.
Father Paul J. Breslin, OFM, is a Franciscan Friar of the Holy Name Province who has been the pastor at St. Paul’s, Wilmington, since 2014. Father Breslin, 69, was born in North Carolina and professed final vows with the Franciscans in 1987. He was ordained a year later in Silver Spring, Md. His previous assignments include parochial vicar (associate pastor) and pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in Camden, N.J., and pastor of a parish in Lima, Peru. He also was parochial vicar of St. Francis of Assisi in Triangle, Va., before coming to Wilmington.
25 years
Father Norman P. Carroll, 54, is pastor of St. Elizabeth in Wilmington, where he has served since 2009, and director of vocations for the diocese. A Wilmington native, he attended Neumann College and Seton Hall University. Following his ordination at St. Peter Cathedral, he was associate pastor of St. Hedwig’s, Wilmington. He also has been associate of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wilmington. Before coming to St. Elizabeth, he was pastor of St. Benedict, Ridgely, Md. Father Carroll has been a member of the Priests’ Council, the Vocations Board, the CDF Board and the college of consultors.
Father Krzysztof (Christopher) A. Kopec, 53, has been a full-time military chaplain since 1999. The native of Poland was ordained at St. Peter Cathedral and served as associate pastor of St. Francis de Sales, Salisbury, Md., and St. John the Apostle, Milford.
