After lifetimes of service as priests for the Archdiocese of Detroit, 11 priests have attained senior priest status. For decades, they have celebrated baptisms, marriages and funeral liturgies. They have prayed with and for us, given us our first communion and heard our confessions. When we've been sick, they have anointed us. When we needed someone to help us, they have listened and helped guide us.

These men have given their lives as service to us, the Church, and we thank them.

While they will no longer oversee parishes on a daily basis, we are blessed to have them among us continuing to celebrate the sacraments and our lives.

Fr. Philip Briffa, 71, was born in Zebbug, Malta, and attended Franciscan seminaries in Valletta, Malta and East Bergholt, England. He was ordained March 12, 1960, in East Bergholt, England and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Detroit May 25, 1987.

Fr. Briffa served as associate pastor at St. Clement Parish, Center Line (1979-82); St. Christopher Parish, Detroit (1982-84); St. Alphonsus Parish, Dearborn (1984-85); St. Veronica Parish, Eastpointe (1985-87); and Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Harper Woods (1987-89). He then served as pastor at St. Michael Parish, Pontiac (1989-91) and Immaculate Conception Parish, St. Clair (1991-93).

Fr. Briffa served as administrator at St. Cletus Parish, Warren (1993-94) before becoming pastor in 1994, and has ministered there since.

He attains senior priest status July 1.

Msgr. Eugene Edyk, 70, was born in Lodz, Poland to Waclaw and Zofia (Burlakow) Edyk. He attended the seminary in Lodz, and later did additional post-graduate study at the Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained June 25, 1961, in Lodz, and was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1997.

Msgr. Edyk came to the United States in 1970 to join the faculty of the Orchard Lake Schools, where he taught Church history and patrology, among other subjects, at SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary and Polish history at St. Mary's College.

He became associate pastor of St. Rene Goupil Parish in Sterling Heights (1994-96), while continuing to teach part-time at Orchard Lake until 1996.

Msgr. Edyk was associate pastor of St. Paul of Tarsus Parish, Clinton Township (1996-2004), and has served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Yale, from 2004 until his senior priest status becomes effective on July 1 of this year.

He was named a monsignor in Poland.

Fr. Norbert Maciejewski, 63, was born in Detroit and attended St. Mary of Orchard Lake and St. John's Provincial Seminary, Plymouth Township. He was ordained June 7, 1969, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit.

Fr. Maciejewski served as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish, Port Huron (1969-71) and St. Ladislaus Parish, Hamtramck (1971-76), before becoming pastor at Ascension Parish, Warren (1976-2007) until he attained senior priest status. He was also temporary administrator and then pastor at St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish, Warren (1997-2007).

He attained senior priest status this past April.

Fr. John Gagala, 72, was born in Poland, where he studied for the priesthood and also earned a master's degree in canon law from the Catholic University of Lublin.

He was ordained May 22, 1958, as a priest for the Krakow Province of the Carmelite Order. He came to the United States in 1972, and was in residence at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Grotto) Parish, Detroit until he was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1981.

Fr. Gagala's parish assignments in the archdiocese have included associate pastor of St. Bartholomew Parish, Detroit (1979-81); and at St. Ladislaus Parish, Hamtramck (1981-82). He has served as pastor of St. Beatrice Parish, Southfield, from 1987 and will remain there until the parish's closing June 30.

In addition, Fr. Gagala served on the archdiocesan Metropolitan Tribunal as defender of the bond, auditor and later as a judge (1981-92). He also served as part-time chaplain at Providence Hospital, Southfield (1992-2003), and on a contingency basis since then.

His senior priest status becomes effective July 1.

Msgr. Herman Kucyk, 81, was born in Montreal, Wis. He attended Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit, St. Mary's College, Orchard Lake, and St. John's Provincial Seminary, Plymouth Township.

He was ordained June 1, 1957, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit.

After ordination, then-Fr. Kucyk served as an associate pastor at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, St. Clair Shores (1957-61); Divine Child Parish, Dearborn (1961-66); Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Plymouth (1966); St. Michael Parish, Monroe (1966-67); and St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Redford Township (1967-71).

He was pastor of St. Ronald Parish, Clinton Township (1971-71); and then returned to Divine Child Parish, Dearborn, as pastor, where he will continue to serve through June 30. He was named a monsignor in 1990.

Msgr. Kucyk's senior priest status becomes effective July 1.

Fr. Richard Schmidberger, 76, was born in Detroit, and attended Maryknoll-Glenn Ellyn and Maryknoll-New York seminaries.

He was ordained June 8, 1957, in Maryknoll, N.Y.

Fr. Schmidberger's first assignment was as a Maryknoll priest in Bolivia beginning in 1957. He then served as an associate pastor at St. Genevieve Parish, Livonia (1969-72); and at St. Mark Parish, Warren (1972-73). He returned to St. Genevieve Parish as an associate pastor (1973-77), and in 1977 was appointed an associate pastor at St. Gabriel Parish in southwest Detroit. That year, Fr. Schmidberger was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Detroit.

In 1980 he was named temporary associate pastor at St. John the Baptist Parish in Monroe. He became pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Temperance in 1981. In 1986, Fr. Schmidberger was named pastor of St. Nicholas Parish in Capac. He served as vicar of the Thumb Vicariate (1986-89).

He was pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Lapeer (1987-90), and St. Henry Parish, Lincoln Park (1990-96). In 1996 Fr. Schmidberger became pastor of St. Mary Burnside Parish in Burnside Township, as well as of Sacred Heart Mission in Brown City, and served there until he was granted senior priest status in 2000. After serving as a senior priest until 2004, he then became administrator of Sacred Heart Mission from 2004 until June 1 this year.

Fr. Joseph Romano, 69, was born in Braddock, Pa. He attended Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and St. John's Provincial Seminary, Plymouth Township.

He was ordained June 1, 1963, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. He served his first Mass at St. Gregory Church in Detroit.

Fr. Romano received a master's degree in Theology from the University of Detroit in 1969 and a Master of Divinity degree from St. John's Provincial Seminary in 1982.

Fr. Romano served as associate pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish in Wyandotte (1963-69) and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Detroit (1969-74). He was made co-pastor of St. Agatha Parish in Redford Township in 1974 and ministered in that role until 1979. He then became pastor of St. Linus Parish in Dearborn Heights and served there from 1979 to 1991. In 1991, he was appointed pastor of St. Sabina Parish in Dearborn Heights, where he currently serves. His assignment is scheduled to expire June 30.

Fr. Clifford Ruskowski, 70, was born in Detroit and attended the University of Detroit and St. John's Provincial Seminary, Plymouth Township. He was ordained June 2, 1962, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit.

Fr. Ruskowski served as associate pastor at Ascension Parish, Warren (1962-67); as associate pastor at St. Kevin, Inkster (1967-69); as a chaplain at Boysville (1967-69); on the faculty at SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary (1969-85); as professor of religious studies at St. John's Provincial Seminary (1985-88); as a program specialist for Catholic Television Network of Detroit (1985-87); on the faculty at Sacred Heart Major Seminary (1988-89 and 1996-99); as administrator of St. Joseph Parish, Lake Orion (1990); as pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven (1990-96); and as associate pastor of St. Paul of Tarsus Parish, Clinton Township (1996-99).

His most recent assignments were serving as pastor of St. Owen Parish, Bloomfield Hills, since 1999, and as a member of the Priest Pension Board, since 2003.

He will be granted senior priest status July 1.

Fr. James Profota, 61, was born in Hamtramck and attended the University of Steubenville, Ohio, and St. John's Provincial Seminary, Plymouth Township. He was ordained April 26, 1975, at St. Lucy Parish, St. Clair Shores.

Fr. Profota served as associate pastor at SS. Peter and Paul Parish (Westside) (1975-77); as vicar of the West Detroit Vicariate (1976-77); and as associate pastor at St. Mel Parish, Dearborn Heights (1977-79) and St. Jude Parish, Detroit (1979-82).

He served as pastor at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish, Detroit (1982-89) and at St. Basil the Great Parish, Eastpointe (1989-2005); as vicar of the SERF Vicariate (1998-2005); and as pastor at St. Hubert Parish, Harrison Township from 2005 until he attained senior priest status. He's also been a member of the retreat staff at the Retreat Center at St. John's, Plymouth Township and on the presbyteral council.

He attained senior priest status this past April.

Fr. Gary Tierney, 66, was born in Detroit to Roy and Veronica (Nichols) Tierney. He attended Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit and St. John's Provincial Seminary, Plymouth Township, with additional post-graduate studies at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario, from which he earned a licentiate and a master's degree in canon law.

He was ordained June 3, 1967, in Detroit.

Fr. Tierney served as an associate pastor at St. Regis Parish, Bloomfield Hills (1967-79); then was assigned to the archdiocesan Metropolitan Tribunal (1969-71).

He served as vicar of the Birmingham-Bloomfield-Troy Vicariate (1972-73).

Fr. Tierney was director of the permanent deacon program (1973-76); then served as personal secretary to Cardinal John Dearden (1976-77). He was named pastor of St. Clement Parish, Dearborn (1977-82); and was vicar of the Dearborn Vicariate (1981-84).

He was pastor of St. Colman Parish, Farmington Hills (1984); served on the Tribunal again (1984-86); and then was pastor of Our Lady Queen of Hope Parish, Detroit (1985-86); and of St. Anne Parish, Monroe (1986-89).

Fr. Tierney was pastor of Guardian Angels Parish, Clawson (1989-98); during which time he was also vicar of the Southeast Oakland Vicariate (1992-95). He became pastor of St. Alan Parish, Troy in 1998, and will serve there through June 30 of this year. His senior priest status becomes effective July 1.

Fr. Richard Welsh, 72, was born in Ferndale. He attended Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and St. John's Provincial Seminary, Plymouth Township.

He was ordained June 4, 1960, at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.

After ordination, he received a master's degree in religious studies from University of Detroit in 1972 and a master's degree in sociology from St. John's Provincial Seminary in 1981.

Fr. Welsh was associate pastor at Our Lady Queen of Peace parish in Harper Woods (1960-65), St. Anthony Parish in Belleville (1965-69), and at St. Anne Parish in Warren (1969-72). From 1972 until 1979, he served on the formation team at St. Thomas More Parish in Troy. He was chaplain at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital West in Clinton Township from 1978 to 1985. From 1985 to 1986, Fr. Welsh served as associate pastor of St. Kieran Parish in Shelby Township. He became pastor of Holy Innocents Parish in Roseville in 1986, where he served as pastor until 1998. In 1998, he became pastor of St. Dorothy Parish in Warren, where he has served to the present day.

He will be granted senior priest status July 1.