Father Ed Sweeney 1930-2024

Amarillo—Father Ed Sweeney, the oldest priest in the Diocese of Amarillo and one of four Permanent Deacons ordained for the diocese who were later ordained to the priesthood, passed away July 9. He was 94.

Mass was celebrated July 16, St. Laurence Church, Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, presiding, with priests of the Diocese of Amarillo, concelebrating. Burial was in Memorial Park Cemetery.

Ed Sweeney was born on Feb. 10, 1930 in McCurtain, Okla., the son of Edward Sweeney and Margaret Dodson. He was baptized and confirmed at Sacred Heart Church in McCurtain.

After graduating from high school, Sweeney was a supervisory electronics technician with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at Amarillo International Airport (now Rick Husband International Airport). He was part of the first class of deacons for the Diocese of Amarillo, ordained Oct. 2, 1977 by then-Bishop Lawrence M. DeFalco at St. Laurence Cathedral (now St. Laurence Church), Amarillo. Deacon Sweeney served as a permanent deacon at St. Laurence Cathedral for 10 years.

After the passing of his wife Ruth in an automobile crash, Deacon Sweeney began studies for the priesthood.

“My involvement was a permanent deacon was my inspiration to become a priest,” he said in a June 12, 1988 article in the Amarillo Sunday News-Globe (now the Amarillo Globe-News). “It was the same motivation that caused me to be a deacon that makes one seek the priesthood.”

Father Ed Sweeney was ordained to the priesthood on June 11, 1988 at St. Laurence Cathedral by then-Bishop Leroy T. Matthiesen.

Following his ordination, Father Sweeney was appointed Administrator of Holy Name of Jesus Church, Happy. He was also named director of the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Amarillo, which he served as director until July 1, 1996.

On July 1, 1990, he was named a member of a team of Parochial Vicars for St. Laurence, put in charge of pastoral planning and oversight, with special responsibility for youth ministry. One year later, he was named Moderator of the Priests Pastoral Team at St. Laurence, where he served until Sept. 1, 1994, when he was appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Teresa of Jesus Church, Friona. Father Sweeney was appointed pastor of St. Ann’s Church, Bovina on April 1, 1996 and three months later, was appointed the first pastor of St. Teresa of Jesus Church. He would serve at both parishes until his retirement from active ministry on July 1, 2005.

In a 1998 profile in The West Texas Catholic, Father Sweeney was asked what he liked most about being a priest…

“Being in that unique and special relationship with the Church, the People of God,” he said.

Father Sweeney said his greatest experience as a priest was the celebration of the Easter Vigil, calling the celebration “awesome.”

Father Sweeney was one of four Permanent Deacons for the Diocese of Amarillo to be ordained to the priesthood for this diocese. The others:

• Father John Dalton, who ordained June 19, 1981

• Monsignor Bill Brashears, who was ordained Aug. 7, 1982. He passed away on April 23, 2002; and,

• Monsignor Cal Stalter, who was ordained April 23, 1994. He passed away Aug. 6, 2018.

There was a fifth Permanent Deacon who was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Amarillo, but was not ordained to the Diaconate for this diocese. Father Barnabas Radke was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Tucson on June 11, 1989 and ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Amarillo by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek on Feb. 21, 2009. He passed away April 4, 2014.

Father Sweeney was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Ruth Sweeney; a daughter, Mary Etta Sweeney Hodges; and 11 siblings. Father Sweeney was the last surviving sibling.

Survivors include a daughter, Twalla Castilow; a son, Carlton Werschky and his wife Diane; 11 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.