Celebrating 50 years of service

Photo courtesy of St. Rose of Lima

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Msgr. Victor G. Bonnell's 50 years as a priest will be celebrated June 5.

LAYTON – Half a century after his ordination, Msgr. Victor G. Bonnell, pastor of Saint Rose of Lima in Layton, is leading his parish in more than just Mass.

"You look at a guy like him; that is in his 80s, that runs through the stairs, that comes out on a Saturday for Easter and passes out Easter eggs, and every Sunday he is at Mass… He is the perfect guy to follow," said Bill Smith, chairman of the Parish Committee of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Layton. "I’ve been a Catholic my whole life, but I only have met one priest like that."

Rose of Lima Parish will honor Msgr. Bonnell, who has served the parish community since 1989, with a celebration that will start on Wednesday, June 2.

"I am humbled to see all the work the people are doing; I did not expect anything," said Msgr. Bonnell "I appreciate the work, the time."

The celebration will include Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and a living rosary, which will be held in English and in Spanish, led by Father Alexis Dávila.

On Saturday June 5, a celebratory Mass is scheduled; afterward the doors to the social center will be open to everyone.

The program in the Social Center will include guest speakers such as the Most Rev. John C. Wester, bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City; Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald, the diocese’s vicar general; and several of Msgr. Bonnell’s relatives. Mary Adams, a St. Rose of Lima parishioner, also will be talking about Msgr. Bonnell’s life.

"He is a mentor to all of us," Smith said.

Msgr. Bonnell was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 19, 1928, to Michael and Bertha Bonnell. He attended Catholic schools in his home town, where he still has relatives.

He received a bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University and a master’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953 in Hawaii, Korea and Oklahoma. At Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Md, he received a degree in theology. After his ordination on May 28, 1960 he arrived in Salt Lake City, where he has served in the following assignments:

Assistant Pastor Our Lady of Lourdes Salt lake City 1960-1966.

Pastor, Saint James Vernal 1966-1971.

Pastor St. Mary’s Park City 1971-1972.

Founding Pastor Saint Peter and Paul, West Valley City 1972-1982.

Chaplain Utah State Prison Salt Lake City Jail Salt Lake County Youth detention Center and Decker Lake Youth Center 1983-1989.

Pastor Saint Rose of Lima, Layton 1989 to present.

While pastor at Saint Rose of Lima, he has seen the parish almost double in size, from 800 to 1,500 families. He also supervised the building of the new church and social center, completed in 1994, and the new education center, completed in 2009.