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PastorFr. John Rooney was ordained a permanent deacon in 1986 and a priest in 2001. He grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, the oldest of eight children. His initial formation was with the Eastern Dominican Providence. He is the father of two children and the grandfather of four children all residing in the Houston area. He has a Master of Religious Education with a Specialization in Spirituality from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX.
Arriving in Texas in 1979 he served in five parishes; Christ the Good Shepherd (1982 – 1984), St. Frances Cabrini (1984 – 1999); St. Edith Stein (1999 -2001); St. Michael the Archangel (2002-2007) and was founding pastor of St. Angela Merici (2007-2014). Cardinal DiNardo appointed him Director of Spiritual Direction at St. Mary Seminary July, 2014, and in November, 2020 he became pastor of St. Mary of the Expectation.
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Deacons
Deacon George Blanford was born in 1940 in Lebanon, KY. He was raised in Louisville and attended St. Xavier High School. He earned degrees in physics: A.B. at Catholic University of America, M.S. at University of Louisville and Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis. He taught as a visiting professor at University de Clermont, Clermont-Ferrand, France before coming to Houston as a National Research Council fellow at the LBJ Space Center. He held a faculty position at the University of Houston-Clear Lake from 1975-2002. As Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy, he continues to teach part-time at UHCL. He entered diaconate formation in 1995 and was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 1999. He was married and divorced; he has two children, Lisa and Peter.
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Deacon Andy DeYoung and his wife Kay have lived and worked in the League City area since 1990. Married for 40 years, they have two children, Jenny and Brad, and four grandchildren. Andy earned his BA from the University of Texas and MBA from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Andy has worked for UTMB for twenty-six years, most recently as the Director of Clinical Support Services for Correctional Managed Care. Having attended the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary Seminary where he earned a diploma in Pastoral Studies, he was ordained into the permanent diaconate in January 2015.
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Deacon Russell G. Carroll was born on August 22, 1956 in Wichita, Kansas. Russ graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Wilmington University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He was employed by The Boeing Company for thirty-five years holding Senior Management positions at the Boeing facilities in Wichita, KS., Philadelphia, Pa., Seattle, WA., and Houston, TX. He retired as Executive Director of Supply Chain Management for the Boeing Space Exploration Division in May 2012. He attended the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary Seminary completing a Diploma program in Pastoral Theology. Russ was Ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Galveston on January 31, 2015 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Russ has been assigned to St. Mary Parish since his Ordination. Russ has served as a Chaplain in Prison Ministry, Port of Houston Seafarer Center and Hospital Ministry. Russ and his wife Diana K. Carroll have been happily married for thirty-nine (39) years. They moved to League City in 1993 from Delaware and became members of St. Mary in 1994. Russ & Di have two married adult children Ashley and Nathan and are blessed with seven (7) grandchildren: Adissyn, Cade, Knox, Colt, Grey, Iain, and Isla.
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Deacon Frank J. “Fritz” Claydon was born on June 30, 1960 in Bronxville, NY. Fritz graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School in Richmond/Rosenberg, TX. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a MS and PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University. He was employed by The University of Memphis and The University of Tennessee Medical Center from 1987-1999. Since 1999, Fritz has served as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Houston. He attended The University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary Seminary completing a Diploma program in Pastoral Theology in 2020. Fritz was Ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on February 20, 2021 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Fritz is currently assigned to St. Mary Parish in League City and serves as a volunteer at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center. He and his wife Julie have been happily married since February 6, 1982. They have three adult children, Jonathan, Jeffrey and wife Megan, and Jenny and husband Jeff plus grandchildren Jack, Blake, Henry and Blair. Fritz and Julie became members of St. Mary in 2010.
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