We commemorate our deceased members of the Holy Apostles family and request that you keep them in your prayers. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Deacon William Murphy, 82, died on June 12, 2024. Deacon Bill was an alumnus who was ordained a Roman Catholic deacon in 1981. A lifelong Danbury resident, he was assigned to St. Gregory the Great parish in Danbury, CT, where he served for 43 years. A Marine Corp veteran, Deacon Bill served as the chaplain of the Catholic War Veteran’s Post, as well as the Veteran’s Council. He was also chaplain to the Danbury Police and Volunteer Fire Departments. Those who know him described him as a man of faith who was humble, soft-spoken, kind, and a gentleman always willing to help. He is survived by his wife of nearly 59 years, Pat, as well as his son, William, and daughter, Patricia.
Rev. Chester R. Mrowka, CM, 97, an alumnus who received his MDiv from Holy Apostles in 1981, died on July 5, 2024, at the DePaul Residence of the Vincentian Community in Manchester, Connecticut. Fr. Mrowka served in the Navy in WWII, and following it prepared for the priesthood. His vocation brought him to serve as pastor in parishes in Brooklyn, New York; Ansonia, Connecticut; and Concord, New Hampshire. He also taught for seventeen years in St. John Kanty Preparatory School in Erie, Pennsylvania, and later returned as the Rector, after a brief time studying in Rome. He served as Provincial of the New England Vincentian Community, followed by a position as the Provincial Treasurer. While residing at the DePaul Residence of the Vincentian Community, he regularly helped the nearby Assumption Parish for nearly 15 years, until health conditions required him to retire. This year, Fr. Chester celebrated his 65th year as a priest.
Rev. Frank Joseph Bolling, died Jan. 1, 2025, at the age of 94. He celebrated 20 years of priesthood last spring, after being ordained on May 29, 2004, at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, AL. Fr. Bolling entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore in 1950 with the intention of discerning a vocation to the priesthood. However, his father’s death in 1954 led him to withdraw from seminary studies to support his mother and sister. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserves and worked as a tax officer supervisor for the City of Mobile for 25 years. In 2002, after retirement from his civil profession, Fr. Bolling was accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Mobile and resumed discernment toward the priesthood, earning his Certificate in Theology from Holy Apostles College & Seminary. He was assigned as chaplain to the Sacred Heart Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor and later filled in for pastors by offering Masses and ministry at parishes throughout the archdiocese.