Friday, August 20, 2010
AT 91 YEARS OLD.....AND 63 YEARS A PRIEST.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONSIGNOR GERARD SCHONS..........
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20, 1919, Reverend Monsignor was ordained a Priest of Jesus Christ for the Claretian Missionary Fathers on October 25, 1947. He served for his first years as a priest on the missions in South America. In 1953, he came to the Diocese of Sacramento, and was incardinated here as a priest, working for several decades as a Teacher and Librarian, at Christian Brothers High School, St. Francis High School, and Bishop Manogue High School, in Sacramento. He lived In Residence at All Hallows Parish and then St. Rose's Parish, in South Sacramento, until 1979, when he moved to Galt. During the 1970's and 1980's he served as Diocesan Vicar to the Hispanic Apostolate and was Appointed a Chaplain of His Holiness with the title of Monsignor, by Pope Paul VI, on May 12, 1977. As a young altar server, lector, and eucharistic minister, at St. Rose's Church from 1968-1987, I had the ample opportunity to minister with Msgr. Schons, at the Sunday 9 am & 10 am Masses. A quiet man by nature, he was a powerful and persuasive preacher and was a gifted homilist, who preached homilies of fifteen minutes or longer, while retaining the interest of the congregation. Today Msgr. Schons is 91 years old. Happy Birthday and many Happy Returns to him for the dedicated priestly ministry he has shared with so many in Sacramento these past fifty seven years.........."May The Lord Who Began The Good Work In You Bring It To Fulfillment", Fr. Troy
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Hello Father Troy. Just wanted to add that our dear Msgr. Schons was ordained a priest in Chile, my country, a fact that makes me very proud and happy. Msgr. Schons called himself "El otro Chileno -the other Chilean" when he used to come and visit me at the Thrift shop. He is a great man, a wonderful priest and I really appreciate the manner in which you describe him: " A quiet man by nature, he was a powerful and persuasive preacher and was a gifted homilist, who preached homilies of fifteen minutes or longer, while retaining the interest of the congregation ". There is no better way to describe this, his trade mark. I have not heard a better or more moving homilies than that of Monsignor Gerard Schons in my whole life. They were simply unforgettable. Happy Birthday Dear Msgr. Schons.... and thank you so much Fr. Troy for remembering him.
Hernan.
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