Father Francis W. Danella, an Oblate of St. Francis, has been named pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Cape May, for a six year term, effective Sept. 10. He has served as administrator of the parish since March 19.
Father Danella, 64, previously served as director of St. Pius X Spiritual Life Center in Blackwood, 2008-10.
Prior to joining the diocese, Father Danella was responsible for the
religious formation of seminarians for the Wilmington-Philadelphia province of his congregation from 1982-91. From 2002-06 he was associate dean for the Seminary and Ministerial Programs at The Catholic University of America’s School of Theology and Religious Studies. From 1998-2006, he was associate professor of pastoral theology and clinical pastoral supervisor at the university, and before that, director of Research and Planning for the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province of the Oblates and parish ministry.
He has lectured widely in parishes, universities and at retreats. He has been published in the Review for Religious and Spiritual Life, including a 2001 article entitled, “Francis de Sales: A Contemporary Guide for the Lay Faithful.”
He served on various committees for the Oblates and The Catholic University of America, as well as the Board of Trustees and Advisory Board of the Washington Theological Consortium. He is a member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and the Association of Clinical Pastoral Educators.
Father Danella entered the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1963 and was ordained on June 16, 1973. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from DeSales University (Center Valley, Pa.), a master of arts in English and education from Villanova University, a master of arts in theology from de Sales School of Theology (Washington, D.C.), and a doctor of ministry from The Catholic University of America’s School of Theology and Religious Studies.