Father Frank Brauer, the quiet force that binds St. Francis Xavier together, prepares to say goodbye

Note: Six priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore who have combined for nearly 300 years of ministry will be retiring July 1. The Review profiles the six as their parishes bid them farewell.

At first glance, Father Frank Brauer, pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley, appears to be a walking contradiction – he’s an introvert who loves bringing people together.

“I’d like to just sit in the corner,” said Father Brauer who has been pastor of St. Francis Xavier since 2006. “I don’t like a lot of attention.”

But like it or not, Frank Brauer will have a lot of attention coming his way next month as his beloved parishioners give him a grand sendoff (as grand as a global pandemic allows), after 35 years in the priesthood.

“I guess I’ve always been an introvert. I’m not the type of person that’s going to run around and tell you everything about me,” Father Brauer said. “And yet I have no problem walking up to people, being involved with them.”

Father Brauer, 74, said his main goal is to bring parishioners closer to Christ but not hog the stage while doing it.

“I think it’s one of those things that you don’t want to be imposing things on people,” Father Brauer said. “You got to make them feel comfortable that they want to do this. And that’s why you dialogue with them to make sure that this is the right thing for all of us.”

Patricia Alhouse, pastoral associate at St. Francis Xavier, agrees that one of Father Brauer’s biggest priorities as pastor was to foster a sense of community and fellowship in the parish. In fact, Father Brauer’s first act after becoming pastor of St. Francis Xavier was to throw a party, not for him but for the community.

“He has presided at the weddings and baptisms of all my children. The last of them is getting married June 5,” Alhouse said. “And I have this great vision of Father Frank at the wedding of my oldest where he was out on the dance floor all night long. He may be quiet, but he knows how to have fun”

Even COVID-19 didn’t stop Father Brauer. Father Brauer brought Mass outdoors so the parish could celebrate safely. 

“When we were looking at new places to put our altar for our outdoor Mass, the one thing he was adamant about was that he wanted to be close to the people,” Alhouse said.

As a pastor and priest, Father Brauer has had a laser-like focus on the liturgy from the music to the homilies. Father Brauer said a strong Mass is the foundation of the parish community so it’s vital to keep the liturgy sharp and engaging. 

“I think he’s tried to hold a high standard as far as how we worship together,” Alhouse said.

Born in Baltimore’s Locust Point neighborhood, Father Brauer studied for the seminary in high school but decided not to pursue a ministry amid the massive changes brought on by the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s. 

After high school, Father Brauer enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve ahead of being drafted. While Father Brauer did not see combat in Vietnam, served overseas including one ill-fated voyage where his ship sank. U.S.S. Banche was docked off the coast of Rhodes, Greece, in 1968 when a severe storm sent torrents of water into the WWII-era destroyer.

Water slopping through the aging destroyer wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, but the frantic reactions of his fellow crew members got his attention.

“I said, ‘Well, I’d better get up to the bridge and find out what’s going on. And by the time I got up to the bridge and found out we’re abandoning ship,” Father Brauer said. “Our friends always said that we just sank the ship so we could go home to our mothers.”

He later went to work for about 15 years at a Baltimore shipping company and spent some time working out of the old World Trade Center complex in New York. But as the years went on, he started to lose his connection with the church.

“That was one of those things. I sort of wandered away from going to church and I decided this isn’t right,” he said. “And I started going back to church and just became more and more active in the church.”

By 1986, he had returned to church in a major way. He was ordained and then went on to serve at several parishes including St. Ursula, Parkville; St. Patrick, Cumberland; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Edgewater.

Saying goodbye to his parish will be bittersweet. 

Father Brauer plans to move to Sarasota, Fla., with his sister and become active in his local parish — but not too active.

“I’m really looking forward to sleeping-in in the morning,” he said.

To celebrate Father Brauer’s retirement, the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier in Hunt Valley will hold dessert receptions on the church patio on the weekend of June 12 and 13 after all the regularly scheduled Masses. For more information including how to send well wishes, visit https://www.ccsfx.org/fr-franks-farewell

Email Tim Swift at tswift@CatholicReview.org

Also see

Father Gills retires after a ministry that took him around the world and around the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Father Foley, pastor to retired priests, set to retire himself

‘Unflappable’ pastor who shepherded major parish projects ready to retire

Approaching retirement, Monsignor Barker reflects on shepherding one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Founding pastor of Frederick parish to retire

Brother to teacher to pastor: Father Franken’s long and varied vocation

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