Father David Rosenberg, formerly pastor of St Mary Parish, Charlotte, and St Ann Oratory, Bellevue, has been appointed by Bishop Boyea as the new director of the St Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt, after the passing of Father Larry Delaney in June. The appointment is effective August 17, 2015.Father David was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois, graduating from Costa High School and Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg.
He was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Lansing by Bishop Carl F Mengeling in 2005. He completed priesthood studies at Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Boyea in 2011.
Prior to serving as Pastor of St Mary and St Ann Parishes, he was Parochial Vicar at St Andrew Parish, Saline.
=====
The first director of the St. Francis Retreat Center
In 1989, Father Larry Delaney was appointed by Bishop Kenneth Povish to be the first director of the St. Francis Retreat Center, DeWitt, and he continued in that role until the time of his death in June, 2015. He was a pioneer in facilitating healing retreats for those who had suffered from clerical sexual abuse, and he was one of the early columnists for FAITH Magazine in the Diocese of Lansing.
Living and working at the retreat center gave Father Larry the space to indulge in his love of animals – and guests at the retreat center were often treated to a speech about the value of chickens, or were recruited to help retrieve peacocks that had wandered off. He always had a beloved canine companion, and his current dog, Kerry, was constantly at his side.
He was famous for saying, often as part of a retreat talk, “Remember this for life!” This pronouncement was always followed by words of wisdom – and he would joke that nobody really remembered those words, not even he. But everyone who met Father Larry Delaney will remember one thing for life – that he showed them the face and the love of God.
=====
Be sure to see the September, 2015 issue of FAITH Magazine for an interview with Father David Rosenberg where he shares his thoughts on this new assignment, and his plans for building on the strong foundation which Father Larry Delaney built at the St Francis Retreat Center.