Monsignor Henry Kriegel, pastor of St. Patrick Church, retires after 52 years
Monsignor Henry Kriegel retired on Nov. 1 after serving the Diocese of Erie for 52 years.
Born in St. Marys, Elk County, and raised in nearby Johnsonburg, Kriegel, 79, studied accounting at what was then Gannon College. He told the Erie Times-News in 2011 it was the influence of priests at Gannon that led him to attend seminary.
Kriegel served as the pastor of St. Patrick Parish since 2009. He grew St. Patrick Parish from fewer than 200 families when he arrived to nearly 1,000 today, said Anne-Marie Welsh, director of communications for the Diocese of Erie. The longtime priest also led it through a $1.4 million restoration in 2012.
“It’s been fun and exciting to be part of seeing this grand old lady of St. Patrick’s Church come back to life again,” Kriegel told the Erie Times-News in 2018.
Before St. Patrick, he had served several parishes in the 13-county diocese. He spent 12 years at St. Jude the Apostle in Millcreek Township and many parishioners opposed his transfer from there in 1998. After St. Jude, Kriegel spent less than a year at McKean's St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church before moving to California.
Related:Persico looks back on 10 years of change as Erie's Catholic bishop
Before leaving Erie, he had spent a decade as editor of the Lake Shore Visitor, the diocesan newspaper.
After becoming ill from exposure to black mold, he spent a decade in California at parishes where movie stars and other famous people went to worship. Kriegel also took part in a 2016 public memorial service for Muhammad Ali.
When he returned to Erie, he filled in at Holy Trinity and Mount Calvary Catholic churches until arriving at St. Hedwig and St. Patrick on Nov. 3, 2009.
Bishop Lawrence Persico has chosen Father Michael DiMartinis as Kriegel's successor as pastor of St. Patrick Parish.
Baylee DeMuth can be reached at 814-450-3425 or bdemuth@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter@BayleeDeMuth.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Monsignor Henry Kriegel retires after 52 years with Diocese of Erie
