Father Daniel Cardelli is ready to retire. After 48 years in the priesthood, and 27 years as the pastor of Danville’s St. Isidore Parish, Father Cardelli is ready to relinquish the tremendous responsibilities that accompany the daily operations of a parish nearly 5,000 families strong.
Celebrations, tears and tributes have filled the last weeks leading to his final official day of duty, today, July 1. Only one thing remains to be determined. Who will take his place?
“I thought I would know by now,” said Father Cardelli pensively last week. He paused for a moment and added, smiling, “I’ll stay until they find someone.”
Maybe the powers that be are simply having a hard time locating a truly qualified replacement. You see, Father Cardelli’s credentials are extensive and not easily replicated. His resume includes all the standard pastoral proficiencies: CEO, COO and CFO of the parish, but Father Cardelli has one other talent his parishioners have come to enjoy. “I love to cook,” Father Cardelli said. “And I am very good at it.”
His specialty? A pasta sauce learned from time spent in the kitchen with his Italian mother. For a recent church event he sauteed, stewed and simmered 35 gallons of the celebrated sauce – enough to cover more than 400 plates of pasta.
Members of the congregation are so fond of the sauce that Father Cardelli has offered it for auction at the annual school fundraiser. “Last year one quart sold for $100,” he reported proudly.
Pride and dedication are evident in all of Father Cardelli’s accomplishments at St. Isidore’s. Most obviously, the expansion of the school and church facilities stand out as testament to the terrific growth he has shepherded since 1978. The $13.5 million project, which broke ground in 1996, doubled the size of the school and added computer, science and performing arts classrooms to the campus.
Across the street, the Parish Ministry and Activities Center was constructed to house the parish administrative offices, meeting rooms, a double gymnasium and, interestingly, a commercial kitchen … big enough for someone to concoct 35 gallons of pasta sauce at a time.
Leaving all this for a quieter life has not been an easy decision for this soft-spoken man who has spent nearly a third of his life leading the worshippers at St. Isidore’s.
“My mind and my heart tell me to stay,” Father Cardelli said. “But my body says it is time to rest.” At 75, Father Cardelli believes he no longer has the stamina to tend to the vast amount of administrative work that occupies much of his day.
Less enlightened individuals might imagine a retiring priest leading a life of simple contemplation and quiet meditation. Father Cardelli’s plan for retirement quickly quells that stereotypical image. Although rest and getting back into good physical shape are first on the agenda for the former high school football captain, his to-do list includes a wide range of active events.
A pilot since 1959, Father Cardelli hopes to spend a good deal of time in the seat of a Cessna Skymaster he hasn’t seen enough of lately, while more earthly pursuits include reading, fishing and finding people to take him sailing. “Make sure you print that,” he requested with a laugh. “I really want to go sailing.”
Travel, too, is on the agenda. “I am looking forward to visiting Italy and all the extended family I have there,” Father Cardelli said. “It has been awhile since my last visit, and I am looking forward to meeting relatives I don’t even know about.”
Then, of course, the inevitable question: Have you ever met the Pope?
“Three times,” Father Cardelli replied, gesturing to photos displayed on his office wall. “The second time, I spoke to him in Italian. I said, ‘I speak Italian.’ The Pope replied to me, also in Italian, ‘Even you could be the Pope.'”
Linguistic qualifications aside, Father Cardelli says he never had ambitions beyond becoming a parish priest. His love for his work is strong and continues to be the driving force in his life. Even with all the adventures he has planned for his retirement years, what Father Cardelli most looks forward to is having time to do the priestly work that has brought him so many rewards.
“The priesthood is the most exciting, diverse, life-giving experience imaginable,” he wrote in a missive to the people of St. Isidore’s. “My retirement is not from the priesthood but from administration of the nuts and bolts of running a parish. I am just changing titles.”
While the many people who have come to love and depend on Father Cardelli are certainly pleased he will continue to reside in Danville, he is very conscious of how difficult this sort of transition can be and is making every effort to ensure his successor feels comfortable.
“People often ask me why I am choosing to live in a condominium rather than continue on at the rectory,” he said. “I always give the same response. For the new pastor, that would be like having your mother-in-law come and live with you. After that explanation, there are no more questions.”
Father Cardelli has one request for his congregation as he leaves his role of pastor. “Change is hard for people, but change can be good. I would ask that the people of the parish support my successor, and most importantly, to avoid making comparisons. He will do some things differently than I do, and he will do some things better. I would ask them to sustain the parish as they have in the past.”
There is no doubt that Father Cardelli will be missed. He leaves behind a long legacy of growth and inspiration for the people of St. Isidore’s that will not be forgotten.
Father Cardelli, just to be safe, maybe you should leave the pasta sauce recipe taped to the refrigerator door.
–Father Daniel Cardelli, retiring after 27 years as pastor of St. Isidore Parish
