Fr. Robert’s classmates, Fr. Michael Salah, Monsignor Bill Parent and Fr. Derek Georg (who passed away in 1995) were ordained by James Cardinal Hickey, then Archbishop of Washington. That same day, Fr. Robert was assigned to serve as Parochial Vicar of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Clinton, MD. 

“I have been joyfully busy as a priest in the Archdiocese of Washington ever since!” he said.

With a father in the Air Force, the family moved around throughout his childhood. Fr. Robert first felt the call to serve in the Ordained Life when he was a young altar boy attending a Catholic grade school. That call remained quietly persistent as he studied philosophy and psychology at Seattle University. The U.S. Army gave him a full scholarship, so Fr. Robert’s original intent was to pursue a career in the Army Medical Service Corps. 

“I loved the Army and enjoyed the adventure and responsibilities, but it was not my vocation,” he said. 

It wasn’t until 1987 that a Catholic Chaplain at Fort Bragg, NC challenged him to answer that unrelenting call.  After lots of prayer and a retreat at a Trappist Monastery in South Carolina, Fr. Robert applied to the Archdiocese of Washington. Cardinal Hickey accepted him and sent Father Robert to St. John XXIII National Seminary in Boston. After four years of study, the Cardinal called him to the priesthood.

Fr. Robert has enjoyed every one of his assignments as a priest in the Archdiocese. 

“The faithful and supportive parishioners have given me a warm welcome wherever I was sent,” he said. “The greatest joy, of course, has been celebrating the sacraments with them—the gift of the Eucharist is central to every other aspect of ministry; it’s the greatest gift of all.”

Fr. Robert said all the weddings, baptisms, reconciliations and even funerals are all part of the joy of ordained ministry.

During his first seven years as a Parochial Vicar, the cardinal sent him out to be Administrator (temporary pastor) of different Maryland parishes including St. Bernardine of Siena in Hillcrest Heights, St. Mary’s Church in Bryantown,  Holy Family Church in Mitchellville and Christ the King Church in Silver Spring. Fr. Robert’s year of service at Christ the King made him hope he could stay as pastor, but instead he returned to St. John the Evangelist in Clinton. In 1998, Cardinal Hickey made him Pastor of St. Nicholas Church in Laurel.

“As Pastor, I became much more responsible for the temporal as well as the spiritual needs of the Parish,” Fr. Robert said. “It’s constantly necessary to raise funds, repair buildings and plan for future improvements.”

He’s always been grateful for the talented and dedicated staff and volunteers in all his parishes. “They make it possible for the ministries and teaching to continue,” he added.

Fr. Robert said that by far, the most difficult part of being a pastor is receiving orders to move to a new parish. “Saying goodbye to people you have come to know and love is not easy,” he said. 

In obedience to and fulfilling the needs of the Church, Fr. Robert moved from St. Nicholas to St. Columba’s in Oxon Hill, MD. It was a homecoming for him as he had been an altar server as a teen there. His family belonged to the church during the last years of his father’s career in the Air Force. After his father’s retirement, Father Robert moved to Seattle with his family.

After St. Columba’s, there was a stay as Pastor of Sacred Heart in La Plata, MD. Included in that assignment was the administration of Archbishop Leonard Neale Regional School. Neale was the second bishop of Baltimore after John Carroll.  With the cooperation of school families, parishioners and Principal Peggy Howard, Archbishop Neale School became strong and viable again. At that time, Fr. Robert thought he would spend the rest of his active ministry in La Plata.   However, in 2015, Cardinal Donald Wuerl recognized that Fr. Robert was needed at Holy Cross and ended up reassigning him to us here in Garrett Park.

“I am very thankful for the privilege of serving as Pastor of Holy Cross,” Fr. Robert said. “There is a wonderful tradition of generosity and devotion here in this beautiful parish.”

He called the Holy Cross church building beautiful and admired the beauty in our faithful witness to the Lord and to love of neighbor. 

“Our connection with the Sisters of the Holy Cross at St. Angela Hall and the Academy of the Holy Cross is also one of the enduring legacies of love and service that built the parish,” he added. “Our school was established under their leadership and it remains one of the finest Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese—with Lisa Kane as principal, our school has increased in enrollment and excellence.”

Fr. Robert said our mission as a parish is, of course, much more than just building and maintaining a physical church. We all share the essential mission of the whole Church, which is to worship God, spread the Gospel and care for the poor. He noted the wonderful work of the Social Concerns Committee, school and other ministries making the Gospel known throughout the community and knows they will continue to do so for the next 60 years and beyond.

“Now that is has been 60 years since Holy Cross was built by Monsignor Louis Quinn and the original dedicated parishioners, we have come to realize that critical investments must be made to ensure that the church, school and rectory buildings will continue to be preserved for the future,” Fr. Robert said. “Quinn Hall, which served as the convent for the Holy Cross sisters years ago, is now the focus of our efforts.”

For Fr. Robert, there is nothing better than his priestly vocation. “The Lord in his love and mercy has allowed me to serve his people for 30 years in the priesthood of Jesus Christ,” he added. “I pray that he will give me the grace to continue to serve worthily for as long as I have the strength to do so.”