Maryknoll Father Clyde Phillips celebrates Mass in the Philippines.
MARYKNOLL, N.Y. — The Hilo boy who became a Maryknoll priest, Father Clyde Phillips, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his ordination on June 24.
Father Phillips, 69, is one of 36 Maryknollers marking anniversaries of ordination to the priesthood or their final oath as a Maryknoll Brother in ceremonies this year at the Maryknoll Society Center in Ossining, N.Y.
Father Phillips worked for 20 years as a missionary in the Philippines, 10 years on the Mainland and six years in Rome before retiring on the Big Island in 2016.
“To grow in Christ in an on-going journey of faith and life,” said Father Phillips. “I try to assist those whom I serve to realize their God given calling, gifts and talents as the faithful and how to use these gifts to strengthen their communities.”
Father Phillips was born on Dec. 30, 1948, in Hilo. He attended St. Joseph Elementary School and St. Joseph High School. After graduating in 1967, he entered St. Stephen Seminary for the Diocese of Honolulu. Father Phillips joined Maryknoll in 1972.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Chaminade College of Honolulu and a master’s of divinity from the Maryknoll School of Theology, Ossining.
Father Phillips was ordained on May 20, 1978.
Here is a rundown of Father Phillips’ assignments as a Maryknoll priest:
- 1978-1980: Associate pastor of San Salvador Parish, Caraga, Davao Oriental, Philippines
- 1980-1986: Pastor of San Salvador Parish, Caraga, Davao Oriental, Philippines
- 1986-1992: Director of the Philippine Lay Mission Program (later known as the Philippine Catholic Lay Mission)
- 1992-1998: Regional superior of the Maryknoll Philippine Region
- 1999-2003: Assigned to Maryknoll’s San Francisco Mission Promotion House; regional director of Maryknoll’s Chicago Mission Promotion House
- 2003-2009: Regional Superior of the United States
- 2010-2016: Procurator General of the Maryknoll Society in Rome
- 2016-present: Assists local churches in Hawaii with sacramental ministries
“Mission is about being open and attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the call of Christ to service,” said Father Phillips.
To be a missionary is to “cultivate a prayer life where discernment of spiritual gifts will be manifested,” he said, “and above all, to have a heart for those who need our service, the poor, the displaced, the neglected, the abandoned. For these are whom we are called by Jesus to serve.”
Maryknoll this year is commemorating the centennial of sending its first missioners overseas. On Sept. 8, 1918, after receiving Vatican approval, four Maryknoll priests — Father Thomas F. Price (Maryknoll co-founder), Father James E. Walsh, Father Francis X. Ford and Father Bernard F. Meyer — departed for China.
Maryknoll is celebrating its tradition of “Called, Sent, Transformed” — “Called” by name in community through baptism, “Sent” by the Catholic Church in the U.S. in missionary discipleship, and “Transformed” by love through relationships and thankfulness.
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers serve in more than 20 countries. For more information, visit MaryknollSociety.org. Follow Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MaryknollFrsBrs and Facebook at www.facebook.com/maryknollsociety.
