Monsignor Rex Nicholl To Celebrate Golden Jubilee

Amarillo—Monsignor Rex Nicholl, pastor of St. Martin de Porres Church, will note his 50 ^th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood with a series of events Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27.
 
On May 26, Monsignor Nicholl will host a come-and-go Open House at his residence at 1415 SW 11 ^th from 3:00pm to 8:00pm. The following day at St. Martin de Porres Church, 1507 North Adams, Monsignor Nicholl will hear confessions at 4:00pm, followed by a 5:00 Mass of Thanksgiving. After the Mass, a catered dinner will be served in the St. Martin de Porres Parish Hall. The meal is open to all parishioners at parishes where Monsignor Nicholl has served. RSVP’s are requested by Wednesday, May 24 to Gracie Lineman at 806-236-5883 or Patti Lineman at 383-5230.
 
Monsignor Nicholl, 80, was born Dec. 3, 1936 in Fort Worth, the son of  Worth Howard and Phyllis Nicholl. The family moved to Amarillo when the future priest was two years old.
 
After his graduation from Price College in 1955, Nicholl attended St. Edward’s University for two years, majoring in journalism. He transferred to Marquette University, graduating in 1959 with a degree in journalism.
 
Nicholl volunteered for the draft after graduating from Marquette and served a two-year hitch in the U.S. Army. After he was honorably discharged, Nicholl entered Conception Seminary in Conception, Mo., where he studied for the priesthood.
 
On May 19, 1967, Nicholl, along with his brother Larry and fellow seminarian Kenneth Yaroch, were ordained to the priesthood by then-Bishop Lawrence M. DeFalco at St. Laurence Church, Amarillo.
 
After his ordination, Father Nicholl spent the summer of 1967 as a substitute for vacationing priests at parishes in Pep, Morton, Muleshoe and Levelland (all now in the Diocese of Lubbock). In 1968, he received his first permanent assignment, as parochial vicar at St. Laurence Church, Amarillo. Father Nicholl also taught at St. Laurence School and was associate editor of The West Texas Register (now The West Texas Catholic) for a short time.
 
Father Nicholl was transferred to Sacred Heart Church, Plainview, and its mission, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, serving as parochial vicar. He was appointed pastor after the passing of Father Fred Hyland on April 26, 1977 and remained there until 1982, when he was named pastor of Church of the Holy Spirit, Tulia, and its missions, St. Paul the Apostle Church, Kress and Our Lady of Loreto Church, Silverton.
 
While in Tulia, Father Nicholl also established a Catholic community center in Quitaque that eventually became San Juan Diego Church and was a founding member of the Red River Valley Mission Team.
On July 1, 1991, Father Nicholl was appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, Perryton, and St. Peter’s Church, Booker. In 1992, he noted the 25 ^th anniversary of his ordination with Masses at Our Lady of Loreto, Silverton; St. Mary’s Church, Amarillo; Church of the Holy Spirit, Tulia; Sacred Heart Church, Plainview; and, at Immaculate Conception Church, Perryton.
During his assignment in Perryton, Father Nicholl was named a Prelate of Honor on Aug. 24, 1999, with the title of Monsignor.
 
In 2000, Monsignor Nicholl was named pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Amarillo, where he remained until Sept. 1, 2009, when he was appointed to his current assignment at St. Martin de Porres Church.
 
In addition to serving St. Martin de Porres Church, Monsignor Nicholl celebrates Mass every Thursday morning at 10:00 at the Thomas Creek VA Hospital; occasionally fills in as a guest host on St. Valentine Catholic Radio; serves as Spiritual Advisor for the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, a post he assumed in 2007 following the passing of Monsignor Francis A. Smyer; and, works with the Retrouvaille Community. He has also been active with the Father Francis Crowe Council #13134 of the Knights of Columbus and as Faithful Friar for the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus.
 
In an interview on St. Valentine Catholic Radio earlier this month, Monsignor Nicholl was asked what advice he would give a young man who was seeking a calling to the priesthood:
 
“I would tell him to do his very best and trust in God,” he said. “Seek Him first. Form habits or prayer and prayerful reading of Scripture, especially Lectio Divina. I would seek the guidance of priests as mentors and enjoy the company of lay people in your parish and draw strength from them.”