Father Gerard Redden: More than a mentor

The Irish-born friend to strangers, homeless and the poor celebrates 50 years of priestly service with nearly half in the Diocese of Palm Beach.

JILL GLEICHMAN | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Posted: 06.29.09

“God became man, became poor, became a slave when he washed the feet of the apostles at the Last Supper. He served others. That is the calling of a priest.”

Father Gerard D. Redden was ordained June 14, 1959, in Ireland.

FORT PIERCE | In addition to celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi June 14, area Catholics hosted a celebration at the San Juan Diego Pastoral Center to honor Father Gerard D. Redden’s 50 years as a priest and several people shared thoughts about their priest, mentor and friend.

“Father Redden is a friend to those who are strangers in this country, to those who are poor and without a home. I am proud to say he is my friend, too,” said Father Michael McNally of St. Mark the Evangelist in Fort Pierce, who was on hand for festivities along with migrant workers, their families and others served by the center and fellow priests from the diocese.

Father Redden was born in Northern Ireland and attended Catholic schools there until he went to England to study on a scholarship. He joined the priesthood after graduation. He credits his family with providing a strong Catholic foundation.

“My mother was really devout,” he explained. “My father was too, but in a more quiet way. Their love for the Eucharist inspired me to become a priest.”

Father Redden was ordained June 14, 1959, in Ireland. His priestly work began in Scotland, where he served in the Diocese of Galloway until taking on assignments in South American in 1969. He served in Peru and Ecuador until coming to Florida in 1979, before the Diocese of Palm Beach was formed. He served at St. Francis of Assisi in Riviera Beach until 1982, when he became associate pastor at Holy Name of Jesus in West Palm Beach until 1985.

In May 1985 Father Redden became the coordinator for pastoral ministry to Hispanics in the northeast section of the diocese, where the migrant population increasingly grew and where there was a great need for evangelization. Here is where Father Redden found his passion, serving the poor and spreading the Gospel.

In 1985, he also officially joined the Diocese of Palm Beach, formed October 1984. His incardination was Aug. 26.

“I was celebrating Mass in the open air for years and was very conscious of the presence of a visible church,” Father Redden explained about his Sunday Masses in trailer parks to small groups formed for worship and for street theater or posadas, which brought life to the Gospel.

From his efforts came Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, where he was priest in charge from December 1992 to October 1999. The flock steadily grew, and catechetical groups and religion teachers emerged.

“Our catechists were second to none,” he said. “My primary objective was to form a solid base of catechists. We were building church, not with bricks or mortar, but through ecclesial community.”

Anthuanette Hidalgo came to the States at age 17 from Lima, Peru. She joined the volunteer ministry team under Father Redden and became a catechist. Her admiration for the priest is strong.

“He is more than a mentor; he is a true father,” she told the Florida Catholic.

Since 2001, Father Redden has been the director of the San Juan Diego Pastoral Center near St. Anastasia in Fort Pierce. The center serves the continuously growing migrant population in the north part of the diocese.

Merardo Cruz, a 22-year-old political science major at Florida Atlantic University, credits Father Redden with helping him identify and achieve personal goals.

“Padre Gerado never gave up on me and emphasized that we’re all children of God and that we should take care of each other despite our differences,” he said. “This is very important to me now.”

When asked about his own Catholic faith and where he finds spiritual refreshment, Father Redden said he finds it within his faithful flock.

“I am very nourished by the spirituality of the people with whom I work. They have a dynamic faith and though lacking in opportunities to get ahead, they never lose sight of God’s presence in their lives.

“My favorite reflection is the mystery of the Incarnation or the manifestation of God’s love for us,” he continued. “God became man, became poor, became a slave when he washed the feet of the apostles at the Last Supper. He served others. That is the calling of a priest.”

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