Reverend Lawrence P. Delaney, age 75, of DeWitt, passed into eternal life on June 7, 2015, after a brief illness. Father Larry was born Feb. 15, 1940 in Owosso, Mich. to Charlotte Maloy Delaney and Earl F. Delaney. He was baptized at the parish of St. Paul, Owosso. He graduated from Resurrection High School, Lansing in 1958, attended Michigan State University and was a graduate of Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse, Wisc. He received his Master of Divinity degree from St. John Provincial Seminary, Plymouth, Mich. in 1967.
Father Larry was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Alexander Zaleski on June 3, 1967 at St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing. During his years of ministry to the people of the Diocese of Lansing, he served as associate pastor (parochial vicar) for: St. Charles Parish, Coldwater; St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, Jackson; and St. Therese, Parish, Lansing. He served as pastor of Holy Trinity Student Chapel, Ypsilanti and was chaplain at Eastern Michigan University from 1975 to 1989.
In 1989, Father Larry was appointed by Bishop Kenneth Povish to be the first director of the St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt, and he continued in that role until the time of his death. He was a pioneer in facilitating healing retreats for those who had suffered from clerical sexual abuse, and he was one of the early columnists for FAITH Magazine in the Diocese of Lansing.
Living and working at the retreat center gave Father Larry the space to indulge in his love of animals – and guests at the retreat center were often treated to a speech about the value of chickens, or were recruited to help retrieve peacocks that had wandered off. He always had a beloved canine companion, and his current dog, Kerry, was constantly at his side.
Father Larry is survived by his brothers and sisters, Donald (Margaret) Delaney, Douglas (Linda) Delaney, Dennis (Patricia) Delaney, Frances Schnepp, Cheryl (Mac) Williams and Suzanne Price; by his sister-in-law, Harriet Kay (Charles) Delaney; and by his nieces and nephews, Mark Schnepp, Michael Schnepp, Marty Schnepp, Matt Schnepp, Layna Korcal, Kathy Conklin,Patrick Delaney, Jeffrey Delaney, Dan Williams, Ann Scheib, Michael Delaney, Laura Sayers, Leah Beeman, Sarah Gill, Brian Delaney, Lisa Brady, Joseph Delaney, Ann Sarber, David Delaney, Ryan Delaney, Sheena Price and Larry Price, He also had 35 great-nieces and –nephews.
He was preceded in death by his sisters, Phyllis Rodebaugh and Mary Ellen Delaney, and by his brother, Charles Delaney.
In addition to his family, Father Larry will be mourned and missed by his brother priests in the Diocese of Lansing, his colleagues, and the innumerable people whose lives he touched throughout the years of his priesthood. He was famous for saying, often as part of a retreat talk, “Remember this for life!” This pronouncement was always followed by words of wisdom – and he would joke that nobody really remembered those words, not even he. But everyone who met Father Larry Delaney will remember one thing for life – that he showed them the face and the love of God.
The family will receive visitors at St. Jude Church, 801 N. Bridge Street, DeWitt, beginning at 1:00pm, Friday, June 12; the rosary will be said at 6:00pm, followed by a vigil service at 7:00pm.
There will also be visitation on Saturday, June 13 at 9:00am, at St. Mary Cathedral, 219 Seymour Avenue, Lansing, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00am. The Most Reverend Earl Boyea, Bishop of the Diocese of Lansing, will preside.
Following the funeral Mass, a reception will be held at St. Mary Cathedral Parish Hall, with interment at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Lansing, after the reception.
The family requests that donations in Father Larry’s name be made to the St. Francis Retreat Center, 703 E. Main St., DeWitt, MI 48820, www.stfrancis.ws or to your local humane society.
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