Popular Catholic priest transferred

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA - After serving as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church, Father Martin Boylan is being transferred at the end of July to Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Towanda, Bradford County.

Father Boylan, 61, who was ordained in 1980, has filled numerous positions in the Diocese of Scranton, serving as assistant pastor in a number of parishes, as well as chaplain at Marywood University for five years. He served St. Rita’s Church in Gouldsboro from 1994 to 2001 and was appointed pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Honesdale, one of the largest in the diocese, since then.

He will be succeeded by Father William Langan.

“It’s very sad to see Father Boylan leave this parish since he had accomplished so much while he was here,” said Betty Caruth, a parishioner. “He brought the Catholic community together. He played a strong ecumenical role within the Honesdale religious community, serving on the Honesdale Ministerium?a consortium of all faiths in the town?as well as serving on numerous organization’s boards.”

Father Boylan set as a priority to become involved in numerous community organizations unrelated to religion. Some of the organizations that he served were the Honesdale Library Board, the Wayne County Arts Alliance and the Tre-Hab organization. He was also a member of organizations like the Honesdale Rotary and the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary.

“I have always had a strong interest in the life of the community,” he said. “The nexus between the culture and the church is an important one. It has an important role to play in healing our culture, which needs healing. We live in troubled times, when many are not looking for common ground and have an all-pervading anger towards others who are different.”

One of Father Boylan’s regrets is the closing of St. Vincent DePaul School, which has just occurred. “It is regrettable but necessary,” he said.

Many in the parish look upon Father Boylan’s transfer as a punishment by the Bishop of Scranton, Joseph F. Marino, for an unfortunate event during the past Presidential election when Boylan allowed a political debate in the church hall between the supporters of Barack Obama and John McCain. The bishop appeared unannounced during the event and excoriated those attending for their support of Obama, who supports a woman’s right to have an abortion.

Boylan said the transfer was normal. “It is a routine occurrence to change pastors every so often. It is laughable to say I am a liberal. I hold no such positions and consider myself conservative in every way.”

He said he believes he is being transferred because of his experience in successfully managing several mission churches and because of his experience in education.

One advantage that Boylan sees in his new appointment is that his sister lives nearby.