| Monsignor Amos Joseph Vincent
Jr., P.A., died at 4:48 a.m. Monday, July 18, 2005, in a Lake
Charles care facility.
Amos Joseph Vincent Jr. was born March
22, 1923 in Lake Charles, La. to Amos Joseph Vincent Sr. and Rosa Felicia Grove, a pioneer family
in Southwest Louisiana. He attended LaGrange
Elementary School from 1929-1937
and then Landry Memorial High School from 1937
to 1940, graduating as salutatorian. He attended McNeese
State University from 1940-1941
and then St. Joseph Seminary at St. Benedict, La. and Notre Dame Seminary in
New Orleans. He was ordained June 11, 1949 at St. John the Evangelist
Cathedral in Lafayette by The Most Reverend Jules B. Jeanmard, Bishop of
Lafayette. Fr. Vincent celebrated his first
solemn Mass June 12, 1949 in Immaculate Conception Church in Lake Charles.
He received his BA in Philosophy from
Notre Dame Seminary in 1949, a JCB from Catholic University of America in
1954, an MA in Clinical Psychology from North Texas
State University in 1973 and a
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of
Ottawa in 1982.
Pope John XXIII named
Monsignor Vincent a Chaplain to
His Holiness in 1961 and Pope Paul
VI named him a Prelate of Honor to His Holiness in 1966. In 1998,
Pope
John Paul II named him a
Protonotary Apostolic, the highest rank among the Church's monsignors. He
was one of only two such officials in the Diocese of Lake Charles.
His first priestly assignment was as
assistant pastor of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Lafayette, serving
from 1949 to 1953. He left there in 1953 to attend Catholic University of
America. He returned to the Diocese of Lafayette in 1954 to serve as
Vice-Chancellor and the Bishop's Secretary. In October 1954, he was named
Officialis to the Tribunal.
In 1964, Monsignor
Vincent served three months as
Administrator of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Oakdale before returning to
the Chancery. In March 1966, he was again named an Administrator, this time
of Immaculate Conception Parish in Jennings, returning to the Chancery in
June. In March 1967, he was again named Administrator of Immaculate
Conception Parish in Jennings. In
June 1967, he was appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Wisdom Parish at the
University of Southwestern Louisiana and was
named Vice Officialis of the Tribunal in July 1967.
He took an academic sabbatical to study
psychology in Feb. 1970, returning to the Diocese in 1975. He was in
residence at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish and assigned to the Counseling
Department, Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Lafayette.
In Sept. 1975, he was named Administrator at Our Lady of the
Lake Parish in Lake Arthur, returning to Catholic
Social Services in October. In November 1975, he was named Administrator of
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in Lafayette. He returned to Catholic
Social Services in March 1976. Later in March he was assigned to reside at
the Bishop's House with Bishop Maurice Schexnayder. In 1980, he
was given leave to complete his Ph.D. Thesis at the University of Ottawa,
Canada, returning in August. In November 1980, he was excardinated from the
Diocese of Lafayette and incardinated into the Diocese of Lake Charles with
residence remaining in Lafayette at the Bishop's House. He remained in
residence there until the death of Bishop Schexnayder.
In February 1981, he moved to Lake
Charles to the Diocesan Offices to provide counseling services. On July 1,
1981, he became the Director of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of
Lake Charles. On July 1, 1982, he was named to the Tribunal of the Diocese
of Lake Charles as a Prosynodal Judge. On July 1, 1984, he was named Vicar
for Social Services of the Diocese. In June 1990, he was named Vicar for
Community Services of the Diocese.
Monsignor Vincent held membership in the
Conference of Chancery and Tribunal Officials,
Province of New Orleans,
Lafayette Council 1286 Knights of Columbus, Calcasieu Council 1207 Knights
of Columbus, Bishop Dubourg Assembly Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, and
Monsignor Cramers Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. He served as Chairman
of the Louisiana Catholic Conference Committee for Catholic Charities and
Social Concerns.
Monsignor Vincent also was a member of
the Calcasieu Ministerial Alliance and chaplain of Council 1207 Knights of
Columbus. He was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy
Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 1982 and promoted to the rank of Knight Commander
in the Order in 1987. He was a Knight Commander of the Order of the Fleur de Lis and an Ecclesiastical
Knight of Grace in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George.
He was Knight of the Year of Council 1207 Knights of Columbus for the
1983-84 Columbian Year. In 1995, he received the Harry Huber Memorial Award
as the outstanding Knight of the Greater Lake Charles area, and the next
year was decorated with Council 1207's highest distinction, the
Distinguished Service Award, which was presented only once every five years.
He was Monsignor Cramers Assembly Clergyman of the Year for 1985-86 and the
Louisiana Jurisdiction of the Knights of Columbus presented him with a State
Award of Merit in 2001 in recognition of his 50th anniversary as a Knight.
In 1999, he was awarded the Anthony J. Abate Memorial Award by Monsignor
Cramers Assembly, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus as "Citizen of the
Year." He was a recipient of the Diocese of Lake Charles Humanitarian Award.
In 2003, Bishop Edward K. Braxton invested him as a
Companion in the Order of Saint Charles, the highest honor of the Diocese of
Lake Charles.
He served as a member of the Executive
Committee of the Lake Charles Messiah Chorus, was Faithful Friar of
Monsignor Cramers Assembly, Fourth Degree
Knights of Columbus, Faithful Friar of Louisiana District Two, Fourth Degree
Knights of Columbus, Associate District
Friar, Louisiana District and Spiritual Director of the Companions of Honor
of the Diocese of Lake Charles. Monsignor
Vincent served on the Board of
Directors of the Southwest Louisiana Regional Chapter and the National
Conference of Christians and Jews. He was a
member of the Board of Directors of the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra, the
Advisory Board of the Lake Charles
Mental Health
Center and the Calcasieu Cameron Chapter American Red Cross. He was also a
member of the St. Patrick Hospital Ethics Committee. He was a founding board
member for the Samaritan
Counseling Center.
He was also a member of the North
American Academy of Ecumenists, the Canon Law Society of America, the
McNeese Music Alumni and Friends and the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. In April 1996, he was named Moderator of the
Diocesan Tribunal and was appointed Adjutant Judicial Vicar in August 1996.
He attained the status of Senior Priest
in 1998 and retired from active ministry July 1, 1999.
Survivors include one sister, Rose "Sis" White; and one brother,
Martin Vincent, both of Lake Charles; and a number of nieces and nephews and
great-nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005, at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.
Monsignor Harry Greig officiated the mass. The
Most Reverend Jude Speyrer, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Lake Charles,
preside at the mass. Concelebrants were priests of
the Dioceses of Lake Charles and Lafayette.
Interment was in the New Bethany
Cemetery at the St. Charles Center
in Moss Bluff Louisiana.
"We Will
Miss You Very Much" |
