Editor’s Note: Four priests retired from active ministry in the Diocese of Camden as of July 1. One of the four, Father Daniel Rocco, was unavailable for this article. The Catholic Star Herald plans to feature Father Rocco in a future article.
By Peter G. Sánchez, Staff Writer and Jennifer Mauro, Managing Editor
When it comes to retirement, Father Edward Kolla prefers to think of himself as an active priest “without portfolio.”
“I hope to keep on serving the people of God by preaching, teaching and sanctifying for as long as God allows me,” says the former parochial vicar of Christ the Good Shepherd Parish, Vineland.
Father Kolla, 74, is among four priests of the Diocese of Camden who retired from active ministry effective July 1. Though one chapter of their priesthood may be coming to a close, their ministry as shepherds to South Jersey’s faithful continues.
“The priesthood has been one of the greatest joys of my life,” says Father Walter Norris, 75, who served as pastor of Haddon Township’s Saint Joseph the Worker Parish for the past decade.
A priest for almost 50 years, a majority as a member of the Pallottine Religious Order before being incardinated into the Diocese of Camden in 1997, Father Norris is “willing to help where needed,” and already has opportunities to fill in for his brother priests at parish Masses.
The same goes for Msgr. John Burton, 74, who served as a pastor in Vineland for almost 20 years: in Saint Isidore (2002-2011), Sacred Heart (2009-2011), and at the parish that formed from the merger, Christ the Good Shepherd (2011-2021).
“I like to stay connected” to the city, he says, adding that he will continue helping out in places such as Bishop Schad Regional School, to interact and share the faith with students.
Planting the Seeds
The priests’ deep faith and devotion to mission sprung forth from humble backgrounds.
Father Norris grew up in Baltimore as a single child in a poor household. Msgr. Burton, raised in Vineland, is the son of a milkman who later became a construction worker and then a Vineland building inspector. His mother was the first secretary of the new parish and school of the Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic community when it began in 1961.
Both recall influential moments in discerning their priestly calls.
“I was an altar boy in Baltimore, at a church run by the Pallottines and Father Louis Florio,” Father Norris remembers. “What Father Florio told me: Be Kind. You do that, you can reach people and share your spirituality with them.”
In 1964, Father Norris entered the Immaculate Conception Province of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines), studied at Oblate College in Washington, D.C., and was ordained June 9, 1973, in Baltimore’s Basilica of the Assumption.
Msgr. Burton was inspired as a fourth-grader in Saint Francis of Assisi School, Vineland, when his teacher explained a school Mass that had just taken place. “The priest brought God down from the altar this morning,” he remembers him saying.
He went on to enter Darlington’s Immaculate Conception Seminary, and was ordained a priest of the Diocese on May 20, 1972, in Saint Francis of Assisi Church, Vineland.
Father Kolla, meanwhile, reflects on being ordained a diocesan priest just a few months before his 55th birthday.
“They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but you can. It just takes patience and the determination to grow,” says the former public school teacher who attended Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, N.Y., and was ordained June 2, 2001, in Saint Agnes Church, Blackwood.
Father Kolla, who holds a master’s degree from Harvard University and is a contributor to the Catholic Star Herald, also served as parochial vicar in Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, Mays Landing (2001-04); Saint Mary, Gloucester City (2004-07), and Saint Damien, Ocean City (2011-12), and administrator of Saint Frances Cabrini, Ocean City in 2007, becoming pastor in 2011.
The most memorable moments of his priesthood, he says, “were when people who were in need, hurting or sorrowful trusted me enough to let me share their burdens and be of help.” As an example, he reflected on helping a couple who were seeking to get married before the fiancé was deployed with the Navy. Father Kolla helped by contacting the Archdiocese for the Military Services and arranged for the couple to be married in the parish in which he was serving.
“They were so grateful, and they still keep in touch with me every year and six children later,” he says, adding that the family is also very active in their parish.
Making a Difference
When it comes to how he has seen his priesthood change over the years, Father Kolla says, “I would say I have learned how to be more available to people and how to be more patient. I believe God loves them just the way they are, but he also loves them too much to keep them that way.”
Similarly, Father Norris says he sought to “do what I could” for others who faced hardships like he did as a child. To that end, he went to law school, graduating from Widener University in 1990. For eight years, from 1999-2007, he worked for South Jersey Legal Services and the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice, aiding those on the margins of society.
In retirement, Father Norris is continuing to work in public housing at the Haddon Township Housing Authority and performing pro bono work for clients.
Looking back at his life, Msgr. Burton says ever since the fourth grade he has been drawn to the traditions of the Catholic Church’s liturgy. “That’s the heart of the priesthood, making the liturgy come to life,” he believes.
In 2005, he became one of the Diocese’s vicar generals, and over the years has been heavily involved in the liturgical life of the Catholic community of South Jersey. He was chairman of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, and served as the director of the Office of Worship. He was also Board of Directors chairman for the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, a national organization that aided bishops and leaders in guiding the Church’s public prayer.
“Everyone has a place at the altar [of God],” Msgr. Burton says, adding, “We have to recognize the dignity of everyone” to engage in liturgy and prayer.
Recognizing the gifts they’ve received serving in God’s vineyard, the priests shared some advice for men who might be discerning a vocation.
“Consider why you want to be a priest, and why you don’t; talk to your family,” Msgr. Burton suggests, adding that men can also begin a conversation with trusted clergy to figure out what the priestly life entails.
Said Father Norris, “One of the biggest things I’ve learned during my years is you have to deal with people on their level, not yours. If you give your heart and soul [to the priesthood], you can make a big difference.”
To priests who are young in their ministry, Father Kolla says, “Try to stretch yourself and step out of your comfort zone. Baby steps are OK. Then ‘cast into the deep.’ In the words of Jesus, which Saint John Paul II loved and repeated so many times, ‘Be not afraid!’”
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