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Anniversaries and jubilees are milestones. They do not represent a goal or a finish. An anniversary is a time to pause, a moment for a backward glance to see what has been accomplished, to be humbly grateful and then strike on toward another milestone. So Father McGuire reminded the many who gathered with him on September 9, 2007, in Montebello's St. Benedict Church to mark the 60th anniversary of his religious profession.

St. Benedict Parish was anxious to commemorate this event in a proper and fitting manner. Accordingly they planned a 4:00 p.m. Sunday Liturgy and a banquet to follow at the Quiet Canon restaurant.

The well-attended afternoon Mass was the centerpiece of the celebration. Father McGuire was the principal concelebrant and was joined by local Recollects from St. Augustine Priory and Mary Star of the Sea, Oxnard; Tagaste Monastery, Suffern, NY; Our Lady of the Pillar, Santa Ana; and Cristo Rey in Los Angeles. Father Charles Huse, Prior Provincial, who had come from West Orange, NJ, delivered the homily. It was a masterpiece -- interweaving the theology of the religious vows with the personal life of Father McGuire.

The area bishop, Most Rev. Gabino Zavala, had originally agreed to preside at the Liturgy but was unexpectedly called away to attend a meeting in Rome and so was unable to assist. In a letter addressed to Father, the Bishop stated: "Let me express the gratitude of the priests and people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as well as the parishioners of St. Benedict for your years of faithful service in the priesthood. Your ministry has been an expression of the power of the gospel at work in daily life. So many have looked to you as a good model of what it means to be a caring and pastoral priest in today's church...May the Lord bless you as you have blessed so many and give you peace in the days and years ahead."

Present at the Liturgy were Father's sister, Sister Ann McGuire, SCL, and other members of the family from Kansas City, KS, as well as representatives from all the places in which Father has served: Stamford Catholic High School, Stamford, CT; Holy Ghost Parish, Omaha, NE; Our Lady of the Pillar Parish, Santa Ana, CA; St. Augustine Parish, Lamont, CA, together with its mission of Our Lady of the Snows, Frazier Park, CA; St. Mary Parish, Fullerton, CA; Cristo Rey Parish, Atwater Village, CA; San Miguel Parish, Watts, CA; and St. Benedict Parish, Montebello. Also attending were the future Recollects studying at St. Augustine Priory in Oxnard.

Father McGuire, a native of Kansas City, MO, made his first profession at St. Augustine Monastery, Kansas City, KS, on September 1, 1947, into the hands of the Very Rev. Gabriel Salinas, the first provincial of the newly-established Province of St. Augustine. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1954, in Suffern, NY, and then sent for higher study. He received a doctorate in Canon Law in 1957, and was awarded an MA in 1970 and a MEd in 1971.

From 1972-74 Father McGuire served as Prior Provincial of St. Augustine Province; in 1974 he was elected Prior General of the Order and occupied that position until 1980. Since 1998 he has been pastoral associate at St. Benedict in Montebello, CA.

At the conclusion of the Mass, Father presented to the congregation his out-of-town relatives and visitors. He also reminded those present that the Lord had generously given him -- the only one in his class of six -- the grace of perseverance and faithfulness for 60 years. Father explained this grace by quoting Graham Green: "The appalling strangeness of the mercy of God." He added that milestones tell us how far we have come and not how far we have to go. God does not promise us even one tomorrow, but he promises an eternity if we remain faithful. He asked the assembly to remember him at prayer asking that no matter how many tomorrows the Lord grants him he may continue to remain steadfast and faithful through all of them so that on that day which has no tomorrow he may hear the Lord say: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come share the Lord's joy."

The banquet at the Quiet Canon immediately followed the Mass and was attended by some 400 friends and parishioners. During the course of the dinner, there were short and laudatory remarks from the provincial, Father Charles Huse, the pastor, Father Joseph Gallardo, Father's sister, Sister Ann McGuire, Deacon David Estrada and his wife Rita, and the parish administrative assistant, Mrs. Rose Lopez. The president of the parish council, Joe Flores, also spoke briefly and presented Father a certificate of acknowledgement and appreciation.

The last word was reserved for Father McGuire, who with his customary Irish wit and humor, thanked God, his natural and religious families, those whom he had served in other times and places, and the parishioners of St. Benedict.

Fr. James McGuire, OAR