JOHN A. ELLIOT
1929-1945 elliott.jpg

Born in 1908 in Cleveland, Ohio, Elliot received his grammar and high school education in Memphis. He attended St. Bernard College in Alabama. In 1917, he attended St. Gregory Seminary in Ohio. He was ordained for priesthood by Bishop Smith in Nashville in 1933. Fr. Elliott was a professor at Father Ryan High School in 1934 and was appointed pastor of St. Rose of Lima Chapel in 1939. He served through 1945. In 1955 he was appointed the diocesan superintendent of schools. Fr. Elliott died in 1968 and was buried in Memphis.


Francis Shea
1945-1946 shea.jpg

Born in Knoxville in 1913, Shea attended high school and college at St. Charles School in Maryland. He studied at St. Mary Seminary in Maryland and North American College in Rome, Italy. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Nashville in 1939 in Rome. His first assignment was assistant pastor at St. Thomas Church in Memphis. On Aug. 27, 1945, he was assigned as pastor of St. Rose and also taught in Father Ryan High School. He stayed with us one year and moved on to Memphis. He was very active in the Knights of Columbus on the state level. He attained the level of bishop of Evansville by Pope Paul VI in 1970.



FRANCIS JOSEPH REILLY 1946-1951 reilley.jpg

Rev. Francis Joseph Reilly was born Aug. 29, 1908, in Tennessee. He attended St. Bernard’s College, Cullman, Ala.; St. Gregory Seminary, Cincinatti, Ohio; and the North American College in Rome, Italy. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 8, 1934, at the North American College in Rome. He received a bachelor of arts degree at St. Gregory’s Seminary, Cincinnati, and a bachelor of theology degree at Propaganda University in Rome. In September 1935, he was appointed professor at Father Ryan High School in Nashville and chaplain of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Nashville. He served as pastor at St. Mary’s Church, Nashville; Cedar Hill Missions; and assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s Church in Nashville. He served in the Army during World War II as chaplain. On Jan. 31, 1946, he served as pastor for St. Rose parish; St. Phillip’s parish in Franklin and chaplain to the Veteran’s Hospital. In 1951 he served as chaplain in the Air Force at Forbes AFB in Topeka, Ks.



EDGAR BALLENTINE
1951-1953 ballentine.jpg

Father Ballentine was born April 29, 1920, in Scottsville, Ky. He embraced the Catholic faith after being raised a Methodist. He attended Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis and St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, and was ordained a priest on Dec. 21, 1946 at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. Father Ballentine was appointed administer of St. Rose in 1951. He led the parish in purchasing 12 acres of land and began construction of St. Rose Church and school at the same time, believing that the Lord would provide. The school opened in September 1953. Father brought three Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of St. Louis to St. Rose to staff the school. Parishioners remember Father Ballentine as a warm, thoughtful person and an accomplished pianist.


JAMES A. KEMPER
1953-1958 kemper.jpg

Rev. James Anthony Kemper was born Feb. 7, 1915, in Omaha, Neb. He attended St. Bernard College, Cullman Ala.; St Ambrose College, Davenport, Iowa; and Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. He was ordained a priest on March 21, 1942, at the St. Louis Cathedral in Missouri. April 7, 1942 he was appointed assistant at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. October 1943 he was appointed assistant at Immaculate Conception in Knoxville. September 1946 he was appointed pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, McEwin, Tenn. He was pastor of St. Dominic’s Parish in Columbia, Tenn. In 1952 he was appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Humboldt, Tenn. Dec. 15, 1953, he was appointed pastor of St. Rose Parish in Murfreesboro and St. Williams Parish in Shelbyville.


PHILIP F. THONI
1958-1967 thoni.jpg

Born in Nashville and educated at Cathedral School and Father Ryan High school, Thoni studied at Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, St. Charles College in Catonsville, Md. and St. Mary’s in Baltimore, Md. Father Thoni was ordained a priest at Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville in 1949 by Bishop William Adrian. His first assignment was assistant at Cathedral in Nashville in 1949. Father Thoni was assigned pastor of St. Rose of Lima in 1958 and was made director of the Newman Club in Murfreesboro in 1961. He remained with us until he entered the military as chaplain in 1967.



JAMES ARTHUR RUDISILL 1967-1969

Born in Memphis, Rudisill was educated at Sacred Heart grammar and high schools in Memphis. He attended St. Bernard College in Alabama and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. Father Rudisill was ordained a priest at Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville by Bishop William Adrian. His first assignment was assistant pastor at St. Ann and Christ the King in Nashville. He was assigned as chaplain for Middle Tennessee Scouts in 1953. He was appointed pastor of St. Rose in 1967, but in 1969 he had to take a leave of absence, and was appointed pastor of Notre Dame parish in Greeneville. His career was a busy one as he was assistant pastor at five parishes and pastor for six parishes. He retired in 1995.



WILLIAM S. BEVINGTON
1969-1970



Born in Nashville, Bevington was the third of four sons of John and Mary Bevington. The family were members of the Cathedral parish. Father Bevington attended the following schools: Cathedral Elementary, Overbrook, Father Ryan High, Notre Dame University, St. Ambrose College, North American College and Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, Peabody College (Vanderbilt) and Memphis State. He attained a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and a master’s degree in secondary education. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1947 (active duty, 1943-46). He worked as a stress analyst at McDonnell Aircraft Corp. in 1947. Father Bevington was ordained to priesthood Dec. 8, 1951. He has served in parishes in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Clarksville and Hendersonville (pastor of Our Lady of the Lake since July 1989. He was formerly active in ministerial associations and civic clubs as well as the National Association of Priest Pilots. Bevington enjoys flying, golf, spectator sports, good music, good books and good friends.




Vincent Kaufman
1871-1974

Father Kaufman was born Feb. 23, 1934, in Paducah, Ky. He attended parochial school in Hickman, Bardstown and Father Ryan High School in Nashville. He graduated from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, and attended St. Mary’s Seminar in Baltimore, Md. He was ordained by Bishop Adrian at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville on May 28, 1960. He was appointed pastor of St. Rose in 1971. In 1974 he left St. Rose to become associate pastor at Christ the King in Nashville. He was instrumental in establishing the Cursillo movement in the Nashville Diocese. He entered the Kingdom of God Sept. 26, 1979. He was 45.





JOSEPH P. BREEN
1974-1984

Fr. Breen was born in Nashville, one of nine children of the late Paul and Anna Nenon Breen. He is the brother of Philip M. Breen, pastor of St. Ann parish in Nashville, and also brother of Paul, Hugh, Thomas and late William Breen. Sisters include Mary Jo Breen Beavin, Ann Breen Treadway and Dorothy Breen Williams. He attended Christ the King School and is a graduate of Father Ryan High School in Nashville. He earned his bachelor’s degree at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa in 1958 and entered North American College in Rome in 1958 to pursue graduate studies in theology. He was ordained a priest in 1961 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, then returned to Rome to study theology at the Gregorian University in 1978 where he was granted a license in sacred theology. After his ordination, he served briefly as an assistant at the Cathedral of the Incarnation. In 1962 he was assigned to Holy Rosary parish in Memphis, and also held post in parishes in Millington and Bartlett. He was transferred to Chattanooga as pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul parish and instructor at Notre Dame High School. His first pastorate in 1969 was St. Therese of Lisiex parish in Cleveland. In 1974 he was named pastor of St. Rose in Murfreesboro. In 1984 he moved to St. Edwards parish in Nashville. His 20th anniversary was June 26, 2004.



Wiatt Andrew Funk
1984-2005

Wiatt Andrew Funk was born in the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia on Jan. 29, 1943. He is the first child of Julia Wiatt and Andrew Funk. After the war Funk continued his work with TVA as an electrical engineer. The family lived in east and west Tennessee until moving to Nashville when young Wiatt entered the seventh grade at Christ the King school. His high school alma mater is Father Ryan, class of ’61. During his last high school years, he felt a deepening call to be a priest. In the fall of 1961, he entered St. Mary College in Kentucky earning a degree in liberal arts and philosophy. In 1965, he went to the North American College in Rome to study theology and scripture. He was ordained in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 20, 1968, by Bishop Francis Reh, rector of the college. Father Wiatt’s first assignment was teaching at Notre Dame High School, Chattanooga, and serving at St. Jude parish. After two years he was assigned to teach at Knoxville Catholic High School and serve at Holy Ghost parish. In 1976, he became pastor of Notre Dame Church, Greeneville, Tenn., for nine years. Father Wiatt was made pastor of St. Rose Church in July 1984 and recently celebrated his 20th anniversary.