Luciana to be honored for 45 years of priesthood

HUNTINGTON -- Monsignor Lawrence Luciana has a way with people.

He's the kind of man who, if you stop by St. Joseph Catholic Church for just a moment, might ask you to take him to the hospital to visit some parishioners. It might take two hours, but you don't mind, said Andy Fischer, president of parish council at the church, located at 13th Street and 6th Avenue.

You don't mind because you see how genuine he is with people, no matter who they are. You see how they respond to him.

"You'll walk out of there feeling so good about what it's about that you don't mind that it was unexpected," Fischer said.

For his kindness, for his tireless efforts to impart faith to others, for his support for Catholic education and simply his sense of humor, Monsignor Lawrence Luciana will be honored this weekend for 45 years in the priesthood.

The church will celebrate his anniversary with a reception after all the Masses this weekend, which begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17, as well as 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon on Sunday, May 18.

Luciana has been at St. Joe in Huntington about 10 years. Linda Smith, the church's business manager, remembers being in his first Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) class after he came to the church in 1998.

"For some reason, I just felt that God led me to the church, and Monsignor, with his wonderful teachings and explaining everything to do with the faith, made me want to become a Catholic. ... There's something about him that draws people to the church and makes you so excited about our faith and what we believe."

He never takes a day off, she said.

"He's a 24-hour priest, constantly visiting the hospitals and showing his love for parishioners," Smith said. "I think that's why he's so loved not only by our parishioners but by people of other faiths."

He doesn't hesitate to come down from his pulpit and congregate with the community or students at St. Joe schools, said Carol Templeton, principal of St. Joseph Grade School. He's visible for the students and present whenever needed in the school, she said, and he's been a powerful force behind the construction of a new, state-of-the-art school to house kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

She also appreciates his sense of humor.

"He's so funny. He always sees the light side of things, and that's wonderful with children as well," Templeton said. "He's able to get down on their level."

Whatever Luciana does, he has does for the betterment of everyone, and when talking to someone, has a way of making them feel like the most important person in the world, said Fischer, who is also on the advisory board at the grade school and a former swimming coach at St. Joe.

"I could go on and on about how he reaches out to people and gets them involved," Fischer said. "It's not an obligation. It's just something that you do because he gives back to you in so many ways."