Pastor who shepherded Emmitsburg parish through trying times dies at 79

Though he left St. Joseph in Emmitsburg in 2010 for an assignment in Michigan, Vincentian Father Vincent J. O’Malley’s laughter still rings in the halls of the church, according to Elaine Ebaugh, assistant administrator at St. Joseph for 31 years.

“His laughter was contagious,” Ebaugh said of her former pastor. “He brought everyone so much joy.”

She remembered fondly how Father O’Malley would dress up as a leprechaun, complete with red sideburns and tiny shoes, and distribute chocolate gold coins to everyone.

“He was a little short guy, just full of life. He was a hoot,” Ebaugh said, getting emotional. “He was a great priest, a great friend.”

Father O’Malley, or “Father O” as he was known at St. Joseph, died Jan. 6 at St. Vincent Seminary in Philadelphia. He was 79.

The priest served as pastor of St. Joseph in Emmitsburg from 2004 to 2010, helping the parish through tumultuous times. In 2000, the Archdiocese of Baltimore banned the weekly prayer meetings that had been held at the parish by Gianna Talone-Sullivan. A pharmacologist, Talone-Sullivan claimed to have received messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Following an investigation, Cardinal William H. Keeler issued a decree stating that the visions were not supernatural – a position reaffirmed in a 2008 archdiocesan statement.

“My approach to the Gianna movement was to try my best to speak the truth with love, as St. Paul tells us,” Father O’Malley told the Catholic Review in a 2010 profile. “I tried to persuade people by prayer and concrete evidence from reason and faith to support the church’s positions.”

During his time in Emmitsburg, Father O’Malley taught religion once a week at Mother Seton School, according to the 2010 Catholic Review article. At the parish, he supported a variety of programs including Theology on Tap, Catholics Returning Home, RCIA classes, Disciples in Mission, youth programs and more. He was very involved in the ecumenical movement.

The pastor led the project to renovate the church’s interior, including repairs to its stained-glass windows, and had the outside of the church painted.

Shortly before he left in 2010, he helped the parish community heal after a tragic car accident in front of the church after Mass left two dead. He arranged for the family of those killed to meet with the woman whose car accident caused their deaths. 

“It was a demonstration of forgiveness,” Father O’Malley told the Catholic Review. “It takes courage to be a Christian, and both the family members and the driver received great graces that day.”

Helen Kelley, who was the business manager at St. Joseph while Father O’Malley was there, said the priest was always calm. 

“I heard stories over the years of people not from the parish speaking to him for guidance to help them in their problems,” she said.

She noted how his meetings, no matter what the topic, always ran only an hour and that he always managed to bring everyone together by the end.

“He was a weaver,” Kelley said. “He could weave together different groups of people and individuals to make a whole cloth. You left with a more unified vision.”

Born Sept. 10, 1945, Vincent O’Malley graduated from Gloucester Catholic High School and then entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians). He was admitted to the Mary Immaculate Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood May 26, 1973.

During his 52 years of priesthood, he was a seminary formation director, college professor, parish priest, pastor, university administrator, vocation director, retreat master and chaplain. He served at Niagara University in New York three different times.

An author, Father O’Malley wrote several books. A lover of history and geography, he traveled extensively, both for research for his books and pleasure, according to Kelley.

“He was a real teacher,” Kelley said. “He would explain the historical background of the Scriptures, and tell us why the Scriptures sound the way they do.”

Father O’Malley was an avid golfer and played regularly with four golf buddies from the parish. A golf club was always nearby and he was known to hit wiffle balls in the parking lot, Ebaugh said. 

“He engaged with everyone. He was good with the children. He paid attention to them,” Ebaugh said. “He knew all the parishioners by name. It was a sad day when he walked out the doors.”

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@catholicreview.org

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