Archbishop Niederauer is among 2013 ‘Distinguished Alumni’

Five men who have modeled their lives after the example of Jesus in serving their church and community have been selected as the 2013 Distinguished Alumni from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo.Archbishop George Niederauer, Monsignors Gary Bauler, Terrence Richey and Jerome Schmitt, and Dr. Paul Ford will be honored at the fifth annual Distinguished Alumni Dinner to be held Sept. 29 at St. John’s. All five received theological formation at St. John’s Seminary Theologate and/or College, and have served the church in the priesthood or — as with Ford, professor of Systematic Theology and Liturgy at St. John’s — as teacher.Proceeds from the event support ongoing formation at St. John’s Seminary, which educates and forms priests for service in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as well as other dioceses.Archbishop Niederauer’s selection marks the fourth consecutive year that a prelate from St. John’s 1961 or 1962 classes has been honored at this event, joining Cardinals Justin Rigali (2010), Roger Mahony (2011) and William Levada (2012), whom Archbishop Niederauer presented at last year’s event.Like Cardinal Levada, Archbishop Niederauer grew up in Long Beach and attended St. Anthony High School before going to St. John’s, and was ordained in 1962 for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He served in several parish and teaching assignments, and was spiritual director and then rector of St. John’s Seminary before being named in 1995 as bishop of Salt Lake City, Utah.In 2006, he was named the eighth archbishop of San Francisco, succeeding Cardinal Levada who in 2005 was named the prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Archbishop Niederauer retired last year as head of the San Francisco Archdiocese.Msgr. Bauler is another Southern California native who attended St. Francis High School and was ordained a priest in 1967. He headed the Office of Vocations for 13 years, was named pastor of St. Philip the Apostle (Pasadena) in 1986, and then pastor of St. Peter Claver (Simi Valley) in 1998. He recently retired as pastor, and is now pastor emeritus. He was named a monsignor in 1980.Msgr. Richey grew up in Inglewood, attended St. Joseph School in Hawthorne, and was ordained in 1964. He has served in residence at several parishes, but since 1975 his primary service has been in the Vicar for Clergy’s Office as director of alcohol and substance abuse ministry. He was named a monsignor in 1992.Msgr. Schmitt, a Michigan native, attended seminaries in Illinois and Michigan, and completed his theological formation at St. John’s. Ordained in 1957, he was an associate pastor at several parishes, administrator pro tempore at three parishes — St. Bernard (Bellflower), St. Brigid (L.A.) and St. Anthony (San Gabriel) — and was pastor at Sacred Heart, Altadena, where he is now pastor emeritus. He was named a monsignor in 2005.Ford — one of the country’s leading experts in liturgy and an authority on the writings of C.S. Lewis — studied for the priesthood and earned his Master’s from St. John’s in 1973, and was a Benedictine monk at St. Andrew’s Abbey, Valyermo. Having taught at St. John’s for a quarter century, he received the archdiocese’s 1995 Laudatus Award “for excellence in the promotion of the liturgical life.” He is married to Janice Daurio, a professor at Moorpark College.Since its establishment in 2008, St. John’s Seminary’s Distinguished Alumni Dinner has honored 25 men who have served their church and community in extraordinary fashion. Previous honorees include:—2008: Bishop Sylvester Ryan, Msgr. John Hughes, Msgr. Richard Murray, Msgr. John Sheridan and Louis Velasquez.—2009: Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Sartoris, Msgr. Wilbur Davis, Msgr. John Fosselman, Msgr. Royale Vadakin and Neil Parent.—2010: Cardinal Justin Rigali, Msgr. Henry Gomez, Msgr. Ronald Swett, Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson and Bob Hurd.—2011: Cardinal Roger Mahony, Father Michael McCullough, Msgr. Peter Nugent, Msgr. Patrick Thompson and Christopher Redondo.—2012: Cardinal William Levada, Msgr. Timothy Dyer, Msgr. Donal Mulcahy, Msgr. Jeremiah McCarthy and Marvin Southard.The Sept. 29 celebration begins at 4 p.m. with Solemn Vespers in the Seminary Chapel, followed by a reception, dinner and presentation of the honorees. Tickets to the dinner are $200 and sponsorship opportunities are available; contact St. John’s Advancement Office at (805) 389-2035 or [email protected]. {gallery width=100 height=100}gallery/2013/0614/sbdistinguished/{/gallery}