Msgr. Frank Meagher, Columbus Diocesan Priest for 48 Years, Retired July, 2008

“The heart and soul of my life is the priesthood. God has called me to be a priest.”

Msgr. Meagher first realized that God might be calling him to the priesthood in second grade in Groveport where he attended public school in the early 1940s.

“In the reception line at my Ordination to the priesthood, Mrs. Gray, my second grade teacher reminded me that I told her I was going to be a priest,” said Msgr. Meagher.

The way the story goes is that some pennies were missing from Mrs. Gray’s desk drawer, so she took each child into the hall individually to ask them if he or she took the money. “I told her that I didn’t do it because I was going to be a priest and priests don’t steal,” said Msgr. Meagher.

As a child, Msgr. Meagher and his family were parishioners at the old St. John’s on Ohio Ave. Then they were parishioners at Groveport St. Mary.

A Student Priest in Seminary

Msgr. Meager attended St. Charles for four years of college and Mount St. Mary’s in Cincinnati for four years of seminary. He was ordained a student priest after three years at St. Mary’s. His student priest Ordination was held at Christ the King Church in Columbus. The practice of ordaining student priests was very limited then and was discontinued with Vatican II.

“I was ordained a sub-deacon, deacon, and a priest all in the same year,” said Msgr. Meagher.

Student priests were generally selected by the faculty. One had to be 25 years old and receive special dispensation from Rome for this honor. Once ordained a student priest, Msgr. Meagher celebrated daily Mass with the other students at seminary and he continued taking seminary classes. In his ordination class of 27, in August, 1960, four were student priests.

His only sibling, Paulette also entered religious life. His father was a conductor for the railroad and later worked at Christ the King Church. His mother worked at the Cathedral Book Store for many years. “So for a while, all four of my family members worked for some area of the Church,” said Msgr. Meagher who greatly admires his parents and remembers his father’s advice to “pray and ask God to make you what He wants you to be.”

The Life of a Priest

Msgr. Meagher has greatly enjoyed his life as a priest and continues to encourage priests and seminarians.

“When I was ordained, and lying prostrate during the Litany of the Saints, I promised God that I would get one man to join the priesthood for every year I was a priest. Well, it is 48 years later, and I have 2 ½ men, but I had fun trying,” said Msgr. Meagher.

His first assignment as a priest after leaving seminary was as a teacher at Bishop Rosencrans High School in Zanesville. “I had a junior student named Tony Frecker. I might have had something to do with him becoming a priest (Msgr. Frecker). It is such a great life that we have; I just don’t understand why more men are not considering the priesthood,” said Msgr. Meagher.

His next move as a young priest was to Chillicothe St. Peter as Assistant Pastor and teacher at Bishop Flaget High School. Then in 1970, he was assigned Pastor at Corning St. Bernard where he began deer hunting. “I formed a parish hunt club and I got some young guys to go to Church that way.”

He was then assigned as Pastor of Circleville St. Joseph where he continued hunting. “One young man who joined me in hunting at St. Joseph Church was named Ted, who we all know now as Fr. Ted Sill.”

In 1982, Msgr. Meagher bought a cabin in Morgan County. “That cabin has been wonderful for so many priests and parishioners who have been able to come out and hunt. Through hunting, many men have considered the priesthood.”

Msgr. Meagher was Pastor as St. Agatha parish for 10 years. While at St. Agatha, on September 24th, 1992, he received the honor of being named a Monsignor by Pope John Paul II.

While at St. Agatha, a young seminarian named Jeff Coning was there on summer assignment from the Josephinum. “I learned more from Msgr. Meagher than from any other priest during my formation,” commented Fr. Jeff Coning.

After his assignment at St. Agatha, Msgr. Meagher was named Pastor at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at Buckeye Lake for 13 years prior to his retirement July 8th, 2008.

Retirement and the Cabin

“I knew that the Blessed Mother would help me decide when to retire, but didn’t know it would be this way. I had a heart attack on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I wasn’t a priest quite 50 years, but at 73 I could retire even though I didn’t want to leave what I enjoyed doing so much.”

Msgr. Meagher retired, but he is still an active priest in the diocese. He often celebrates Saturday evening Mass at churches in the Perry County Consortium near his cabin. He invites priests to visit his cabin and his priest support group meets there regularly. He and his friends enjoy deer hunting there, even if they don’t get a deer.

“The cabin is a gathering place for priests of all ages on their day off. Priests need priests to keep everything going. We talk and we solve all the world’s problems,” said Msgr. Meagher. “I think we need to increase communication between the older and younger priests,” said Msgr. Meagher.

St. Hubert and the Priesthood

Msgr. Meagher has a fondness for St. Hubert, the Patron Saint of Hunters. He has a painting of St. Hubert on the wall above the deck at his cabin. He also has a St. Hubert relic.

In Photo, from left: Msgr. Frank Meagher, Msgr. Robert Noon, Fr. John Metzger, Msgr. Robert Schneider, and Msgr. Thomas Bender.
“In this photo, you see St. Hubert, but you also see about 250 years of service to the priesthood,” said Msgr. Meagher. “What a wonderful witness to the priesthood.”

The Villas at St. Therese

When he isn’t hunting, Msgr. Meagher is at the Villas at St. Therese where he lives with his sister Paulette and, “I have the opportunity to joyfully celebrate and concelebrate daily Mass with my brother priests.”

Advice for Seminarians

When asked about advice for seminarians and men discerning a call to the priesthood, Msgr. Meagher says, “prayer is essential and we should pray on and off throughout the day. It doesn’t have to organized devotionals or prayer at a set time.”

“One needs special grace to be a diocesan priest – because it is a life of interruption. We should ask for help before every encounter with someone, during every activity, and then we should thank Him afterward,” said Msgr. Meagher.

He admits that while in seminary he struggled with Latin, but that seminarians shouldn’t be discouraged if Latin causes them difficulty. “The spiritual is the most important aspect of seminary. Is your heart in the right place? You can’t do this for yourself – only God can call you to it.”

He also recommends that seminarians do not try to mold themselves to be a certain type of priest. “Be who you are. There are all kinds of people in the pews and God calls all kinds of priests to minister to them,” said Msgr. Meagher. “That is why moving to different parishes is good for priests and for the people.”

When asked what he likes most about the priesthood, he says that he has never been bored. “There is always something new to do as a parish priest. You share in people’s joys and sorrows. You get to know people’s children. I love kids so that has always been a joy for me. The priesthood is a great life.”