Redemptorists
Fr. Denis Ryan was born on October 18, 1944, the youngest of five children to George and Gert Ryan in a small beach community just outside of New York City. Educated by the Jesuits, he attended Brooklyn Prep High School and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. Denis taught fourth grade for a year and then entered the United States Air Force, serving as an airborne radio intercept operator specializing as a North Vietnamese linguist. After returing, Denis worked on Wall Street for twenty-three years.
In 1989, Denis entered treatment for alcoholism and has lived a sober life for twenty-one years. The changing face of Wall Street combined with his new way of life in recovery finally allowed Denis to say “YES” to God’s call to the priesthood.
After earning his Master’s of Divinity Degree from Catholic Theological Union, Denis was ordained to the transitional diaconate in August of 2005 and was stationed at St. Alphonsus Parish, New Orleans arriving five days before Katrina. Denis was placed in charge of monies contributed to help the people of the Irish Channel pay their electricity bills. He volunteered at the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans working in the Neo-Natal and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Denis became ‘Father Denis’ on March 18, 2006. He was appointed pastor of St. Alphonsus on July 1, 2007.
Fr. Andy Thompson was born on February 24, 1954 to John and Dorothy Thompson, the second of five children. He graduated from St. Joseph Preparatory High School Seminary in Edgerton, Wisconsin in 1972 and two years later was invest in Redemptorist habit. On July 27, 1975, he took his first profession of vows and graduated from Holy Redeemer College majoring in philosophy and a double minor in sociology and psychology. He received his MRE degree from Mount St. Alphonsus in Esopus, New York and ordained to the diaconate in 1981 and to the priesthood a month later. His first assignment came in July to St. Alphonsus, Grand Rapids, Michigan and two years later was transferred to the Vice-Province of Manaus working along the Amazon River attending to the small rural communities, served as the Diocesan Vicar, working in the marriage tribunal, served as chairperson and coordinated the diocesan pastoral council and procurator (treasurer) for the Vice-Province. In June of 2007 he was transferred back to the Denver Province and assigned back to St. Alphonsus Parish, Grand Rapids, Michigan where he currently resides.
Fr. Bernie Carlin, mostly Irish with a touch of German, was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in the Redemptorist Parish of Holy Name. He professed vows as a Redemptorist in 1973 and was ordained to the Priesthood in 1978. His first assignment was to St. Alphonsus Parish in Chicago where he divided his time between parish ministry and night classes at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology working on his degree in Clinical Psychology with a view to teaching in the college seminary. When the college seminary closed in Wisconsin, Fr. Bernie was asked to be on the team to move the college program to St. Louis, Missouri. After surviving a near fatal car accident in 1985, Fr. Bernie spent seven years in St. Louis working with the college seminarians. He then spent a couple of years in Wichita, Kansas first doing parish ministry at St. Joseph’s Church and then as Director of the Spiritual Life Center, the Diocesan Retreat House. In 1993, Fr. Bernie was assigned to St. Al’s in Grand Rapids for his first “tour of duty”. In 1998, he moved again to the South side of Chicago where he was the Director of Seelos House, the Redemptorist Formation House for our men studying Theology. In 2005, moved to New Orleans for one and a half years and then on to Tucson, Arizona and the Redemptorist Renewal Center. Although he loved the warmth and snow free winters of the Southwest, Fr. Bernie desired to return to Parish Ministry. When the Provincial asked him to go to St. Al’s in Grand Rapids as an associate pastor he didn’t hesitate for even a moment to return for his second “tour or duty.”
Bro. Andy Patin bio coming soon.