Father Arthur Gildea, C.Ss.R., former pastor of St. Wenceslaus and Our Lady of Fatima, dies at 80

Redemptorist Father Arthur “Artie” Gildea, who served as pastor of St. Wenceslaus and Our Lady of Fatima in Baltimore, died at the St. Alphonsus Villa, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., March 29. He was 80.

A native of Boston, Father Gildea entered St. Mary’s College Minor Seminary in North East, Pa., following in the steps of his uncles Redemptorist Father Hugh Gildea and Redemptorist Father Thomas Gildea, and his cousin Redemptorist Father Charles Gildea.

“He was a very hands-on person as far as taking care of basic necessities,” Redemptorist Father John Harrison, rector at St. John Neumann Residence at Stella Maris in Timonium, said. “He would be the one taking care of a boiler, taking care of automobiles, things like that.”

Father Harrison was not only Father Gildea’s classmate during the seminary, but they professed their vows and were ordained at the same time.

“He was outgoing, but chose his friends carefully,” Father Harrison said.

Father Gildea matriculated to St. Mary’s College in Ilchester, where he professed his vows Aug. 2, 1962, and professed his final vows Sept. 2, 1965.

He studied philosophy at Mount St. Alphonsus in Esopus, N.Y., from 1962 to 1963 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from St. Alphonsus College in Suffield, Conn. In 1964. He returned to Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary from 1964 to 1968 to complete his theological studies. He completed his tirocinium (added year of training) at St. Mary in Annapolis from 1968 to 1969.

Father Gildea was ordained to the priesthood June 18, 1967.

His first assignment in Baltimore was pastor of St. Wenceslaus from 1987 to 1993.

One of the most endearing moments for parishioners at St. Wenceslaus was when St. Teresa of Kolkata visited the parish in 1992 and Father Gildea welcomed her personally. He had earlier turned over the parish convent, which once housed the School Sisters of Notre Dame, to the Missionaries of Charity. It was transformed into the Gift of Hope AIDS hospice. 

“I never saw so many people,” said Majorie McDonnell, an 86-year-old parishioner and sacristan of St. Wenceslaus parish for 40 years. “The thing that stands in my mind was Father Gildea welcoming Mother Teresa.”

“It was very meaningful for him and he was honored to have her visiting here (at the parish),” said Dorothy Stokes-Wallace, a parishioner of St. Wenceslaus for 70 years.

Stokes-Wallace, who serves as corporator of St. Wenceslaus, said Father Gildea had been involved in social justice work and admired the founder of the Missionaries of Charity.

“He looked up to her,” she said.

She recalled Father Gildea’s homilies as “straight to the point, but not harsh.” She remembered that Father Gildea wrote a statement in a parish photo album when he was pastor of St. Wenceslaus that sums up his outlook.

“Everyone is welcome as a family,” it says. “From this page on, you can see we come in all shapes and sizes, but we are a beautiful family the Lord has called together to celebrate the growth in faith.”

Father Gildea later served as rector at St. John Neumann Residence in Timonium from 1999 to 2005.

Father Gildea served as associate pastor 2005-07 and pastor 2011-16 to Our Lady of Fatima in Baltimore.

“What stood out the most to me from Father Gildea was how conscious he was of people,” said 81-year-old Joan Karolkowski, who served as secretary of Our Lady of Fatima for 32 years.

Karolkowski said he was particularly considerate of the older priests in Stella Maris.

“He seemed to be drawn to them (priests in the senior residence) and make them feel they were still useful,” she added. “He would come to have lunch with them, make sure they had company and check if they needed something, he would go out and get it for them.

In addition to ministering at Our Lady of Fatima, the priest served the community of Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in Highlandtown from 2015 to 2016.

Father Gildea was sent to several missions in Paraguay, where he encountered tremendous poverty of the people. These included Pedro Juan Caballero, 1969-1970, and Bella Vista, 1970-76.

“He encountered tremendous poverty of the people,” said Patrick J. Hayes, archivist at the Redemptorist Archives in Philadelphia, Pa.. “Going out to the campos, sometimes on foot over several miles outside of the parish boundaries, instilled in him a fearlessness to go to God’s people wherever they might be found.” 

Hayes added that Father Gildea’s experience and skills serving the poor and marginalized was enhanced by laboring in urban parishes.

Father Gildea was the financial officer and oversaw the rebuilding of St. Mary’s College Minor Seminary in North East, Pa., after a serious fire from 1977 until 1981. He held a variety of roles there including vicar, consultor and minister.

Other assignments include serving coordinator for migrant ministry in the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, while he served as pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Seaford, Del., 1981-87; serving as rector at St. Clement’s Mission House in Ephrata, Pa., a Redemptorist community, 1993-99 and 2016-2021; and serving at St. Peter the Apostle in Philadelphia, Pa., 2008-2011.

He was pastor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Ephrata, Pa., 1993-99. Among his biggest contributions to the parish was building a larger church, church offices, meeting rooms and a gym.

Funeral arrangements

A viewing and wake service will be held April 6 at 7 p.m. at Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Ephrata, Pa. The funeral Mass will take place April 7 at 11 a.m., followed by a burial. The funeral Mass will be live-streamed at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish Ephrata

Email Priscila González de Doran at pdoran@CatholicReview.org

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