Retired Father George Welzbacher has been named a Chaplain of His Holiness by Pope Francis, through which he has received the title monsignor, Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced March 6.
Born in 1928 and ordained in 1951, Msgr. Welzbacher is the oldest living priest in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the cleric with the greatest number of years of ordained priestly service.
Pope Francis granted the honor to Msgr. Welzbacher in December, but that fact was only recently communicated to Archbishop Hebda, who publicly announced the designation to the priests of the archdiocese at their recent Lenten Morning of Recollection. Msgr. Welzbacher is the first priest of the archdiocese in decades to receive this honor.
The archbishop said it is significant that the pope would choose to recognize the archdiocese’s senior-most priest this year as the archdiocese celebrates its 175th anniversary.
“I believe that today’s honor not only reflects Msgr. Welzbacher’s extraordinary priestly gifts and service to the Church as an educator and compassionate shepherd of souls, but also the Holy Father’s desire to affirm and encourage in this anniversary year the priests of this Archdiocese, who have so humbly served shoulder-to-shoulder with Monsignor Welzbacher throughout his ministry,” the archbishop said in a statement.
Msgr. Welzbacher, 96, said he was humbled by the honor and joked that he apparently now has the right to “charge into the papal household.” Except, “I’m not in a condition to ‘charge’ anymore.”
“In Psalm 103, we are told God will restore your youth like that of the eagle,” Msgr. Welzbacher said. “This eagle has drooping wings, but I hope one day this psalm will come to pass for me.”
Many good priests are more deserving of the honor, Msgr. Welzbacher said. But one satisfying justification that Archbishop Hebda shared with him in a recent visit was the monsignor’s instruction of so many students who became priests, including six bishops, in the archdiocese and across the Upper Midwest, Msgr. Welzbacher said.
The only child of George and Eileen Welzbacher, Msgr. Welzbacher grew up in St. Paul. He attended Nazareth Hall and The St. Paul Seminary prior to being ordained a priest. He served as a parochial vicar of St. Peter in North St. Paul and of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton before his assignment to teach Latin and German at St. Thomas Academy in the Twin Cities. When it became apparent that he had a gift for teaching, he was assigned to the College of St. Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul), where he taught history for 29 years.
After retiring from the classroom, Msgr. Welzbacher served as pastor of St. Nicholas in Elko New Market, St. Agnes in St. Paul and St. John on St. Paul’s East Side. He simultaneously served the archdiocese as a censor librorum, reviewing books and other materials submitted to the archbishop for his imprimatur.
Now a resident at the Holy Family Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor in St. Paul, Msgr. Welzbacher has served in his retirement at Holy Family in St. Louis Park and at many other parishes as needed throughout the archdiocese.
