We invite readers to send short stories about the ways in which their lives have been personally blessed by the life and work of priests and religious in our diocese.

By Karina Fabian

As Father Ed Stupca watched the many wonderful tributes given to the late Pope John Paul II, the thing that struck him most were the many images of the Holy Father with people. “I think that was the way he influenced the world, by the people he touched,” he said. It has given him a new appreciation for the Church and for his own role as a priest touching people’s lives.

An Anaconda native, he went to the now-closed St. Peter’s Grade School and Anaconda Central High School before attending Carroll College and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was one of the last priests to be ordained by Bishop Joseph M. Gilmore.

Father Ed was ordained in 1961, and spent his first three years serving at Carroll College before moving to St. Anthony’s in Missoula, where he said he learned to be a pastor under the great example of Monsignor Denis P. Meade.

He went on to serve at St. Patrick Parish in Butte, St. Joseph Parish in Butte, St. Rose Parish in Dillon and currently serves at St. Joseph Parish in Sheridan. While the exact months and years spent at each parish have become a blur for him, the people he’s served will never be anything but a shining joy.

“The more I know people, the more goodness I see in them. I’m amazed at how the Lord gives them the strength, confidence of hope they need, especially in times of trials or loss,” he said.

Being with people is one of his favorite priestly duties. Never one to enjoy being in an office, he’s often on the go, not just ministering to people, but visiting their homes and attending events in town or at the schools. In fact, he’s been dubbed the “Roamin’ Catholic” by many in the community.

He certainly enjoys the title and all it implies, following in the footsteps of the Apostles, taking the Love of God to people wherever they are.

“I’m grateful to be a priest in this diocese. I can’t imagine another profession that would be as enjoyable,” he said. “No other way of life offers the privilege of being a part of so many lives.”


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 21, No. 5, May 20, 2005.