ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Benedictine Military School has at least 10 alumni who became Catholic priests

The late Monsignor Lawrence “Larry” Lucree, Benedictine Military School Class of 1952, knew at age 7 he wanted to become a priest. Others, like Fr. Thomas Murphy, BC Class of 1975, had pre-clergy careers. Murphy worked as a bartender before becoming a police officer.

“He was saving souls on both ends,” Fr. Robert Chaney, BC Class of 1978, said, joking about his longtime friend Murphy’s police-to-priest journey.

Benedictine Military School had at least 10 former students (nine alumni-graduate, one alumni non-graduate) go on to become Catholic priests. Interestingly, three of the priests were from the BC Class of 1952. Benedictine might have more than 10 alumni who became Catholic priests, but no official records exist since the school began in 1902. To the best of our knowledge, these gentlemen are:

Fr. Richard J. Canty, BC Class of 1952, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (he is deceased).

Msgr. Lawrence “Larry” Lucree, BC Class of 1952, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (he is deceased).

Fr. John Fitzpatrick, BC Class of 1952, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (he is deceased).

Fr. John Lyons, BC Class of 1970, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (retired; Tybee Island).

Fr. Thomas Murphy, BC Class of 1975, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (active; St. Christopher Catholic Church in Claxton).

Fr. Michael Kavanaugh, BC Class of 1976, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (active; St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church).

Fr. Robert Chaney, BC Class of 1978, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (active; Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church).

Fr. John Wright, BC Class of 2004, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (active; Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Waynesboro, Ga.)

Fr. Paul Robert Lacombe, BC Class of 2011, Priest of the Diocese of Charleston, S.C. (active; Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Charleston, S.C.)

Msgr. Gerard “Gerry” Schreck, Priest of the Diocese of Savannah (active; Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist; attended BC as a freshman before moving to St. John Vianney Minor Seminary in Richmond, Va.)

While there is no official national ranking for which high school has produced the most priests overall, several schools are renowned for being consistent and historically significant “vocation powerhouses.”

For example, St. Augustine High School in New Orleans is widely recognized as having produced the most Black Catholic priests in U.S. history. Fr. Chaney, the first Black male born in Savannah to be ordained a Catholic priest in Savannah’s history, immediately mentioned the New Orleans school when asked about top Catholic high schools for priestly vocations throughout the country.

Other schools such as Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, Calif., Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pa., DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., and La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pa., are known for producing future priests.

For Benedictine, but having 10 alumni who became priests is a source of pride. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), priestly vocations are currently strongest in specific regions. The Midwest and South now lead the nation, with each forming about 31 percent of new priests.

“As the vocations go up, (BC’s number of alumni who become priests) probably will increase, hopefully,” Chaney said. “During our time at BC, there’s no one from the Class of ’77 (who became a priest). But Fr. (Tom) Murphy was ’75. Michael (Kavanaugh) was ’76. I was ’78. There’s no one from ’77. They dropped the ball.”

Chaney joked about the BC Class of 1977 failing to cultivate Cadets into clergy, but there was a decades-long drop-off. The last two BC classes that produced priests were in 2004 (Fr. John Wright) and 2011 (Fr. Paul Robert Lacombe). Lacombe, in an interview with the Bluffton, S.C., newspaper The Island Packet, said “I really love how a priest, who really is a total stranger, can come into a community and become a part of the family. They just bring him in. There is a reason for a priest to be called ‘father.’”

Lacombe was raised attending St. Peter Catholic Church in Beaufort, S.C., where he spent his youth serving as an altar boy and later teaching Sunday school in Beaufort, and at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Bluffton, S.C.

“I was watching a YouTube video where this priest talked about how a priest could experience in one day what a normal person experiences in a lifetime,” Lacombe told The Island Packet. “They might perform a baptism in the morning, a wedding in the middle of the day, and give a person their last rites in the evening.”

Lacombe was born in November 1992 in Beaufort, S.C. His parents are Wendy and the late Deacon William Lacombe. Lacombe graduated from St. Peter Catholic School in Beaufort followed by Benedictine Military School. He attended Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, and later attended St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Lacombe was ordained to the priesthood June 9, 2023, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, S.C. His first Mass as a priest was celebrated June 10, 2023, at his home parish, St. Peter Catholic Church in Beaufort, S.C, where he was ordained a deacon in 2022.

Wright was ordained to the priesthood June 4, 2016, at Savannah’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (which in 2020 became the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist). Wright was born in Savannah, the youngest of three children, and attended Hesse Elementary School, Bartlett Middle School, and Benedictine Military School. He studied criminal justice at the University of Georgia, then answered the call to the priesthood. He attended seminary at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla., and was assigned to St. Joseph Church in Augusta as a parochial vicar following his ordination.

Wright is the author of “The Smallest Spark,” a novel about Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. He is active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), where he shares updates on his ministry and writing.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, are Lucree, Fitzpatrick, and Canty, all from the BC Class of 1952.

Lucree, a priest in the Diocese of Savannah for more than 50 years, died in 2012 at age 77 in Americus, Ga., after a long illness. He was named a monsignor in 2008. Lucree was ordained at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah in 1960. He ministered in 10 different Georgia cities and considered rural missions one of the most fulfilling aspects of his ministry. Lucree established missions in Springfield and Buena Vista. He also traveled to Colombia, South America, to recruit candidates for the priesthood.

Fitzpatrick, a priest of the Diocese of Savannah for 47 years, died of cancer Sept. 28, 2007, at age 73 in Marietta, Ga. He was a regular presence at Aquinas High School in Augusta for two decades, joining the teaching staff in 1970 and serving as principal from 1990-94. Fitzpatrick started the school’s drama department and directed the drama program in staging one-act competition plays and spring musicals. He also taught Latin, history, religion and choral music.

After graduating from BC, Fitzpatrick attended St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., earning a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology. He was ordained in Savannah’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on May 7, 1960. Fitzpatrick served as assistant pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Macon from 1960-64 and as administrator of St. Matthew’s Church in Statesboro from 1968-70.

When Fitzpatrick left Aquinas, he became the pastor of St. Michael’s Church on Tybee Island from 1995 until he retired in 2003. He often returned to Augusta to perform marriages and other sacraments for former students and their families.

Savannah natives Canty (BC Class of 1952) and Kavanaugh (BC Class of 1976) were both members of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, as well as graduates of Benedictine Military School, and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. Canty, who was 50 years old at his ordination, and Kavanaugh were ordained to the priesthood April 11, 1985, at Blessed Sacrament. Their ordination on the same day was a rare occurrence. The last time such an event took place was 25 years earlier, when Lucree and Fitzpatrick were ordained to the priesthood.

Canty graduated from Armstrong Junior College and the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history. He worked for 14 years in the Savannah Chatham County Public School System, including at Jenkins High School as a history teacher, before following his vocation to monastic life and then the priesthood. Canty also taught at St. Vincent’s Academy, and Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C. He entered Belmont Abbey in Belmont, N.C., in 1973 to prepare for the brotherhood. In 1979, after several years of monastic life, he changed direction and undertook studies in preparation for priesthood.

After teaching at Jenkins, Canty entered the Order of Saint Benedict (Benedictines) as a professed religious brother and was associated with the Priory in Richmond, Va. He earned a Master of Divinity from Mount St. Mary’s College and Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. Canty was a veteran of the Air National Guard and a member of the Hibernian Society of Savannah, as well as the Knights of Columbus, where he served as chaplain. He also was as chaplain for Candler Hospital and Memorial University Medical Center. Canty died May 11, 2008, at age 73.

Kavanaugh, BC Class of 1976, is an honor graduate of Belmont Abbey in Belmont, N.C., and received a full scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. He completed a year of graduate studies in aquatic biology. At BC, Kavanaugh was a member of the Oceanography club and yearbook staff. At Belmont Abbey, he was a member of the biology club, Student Judicial Board, and chorus. Kavanaugh began his studies in preparation for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s in 1981.

“I went to Catholic school for 22 years,” Kavanaugh said. “All of it was in Catholic schools. I never went to a non-Catholic school all the way from kindergarten through seminary. All along the way, the thought, the possibility, was always there (of becoming a priest). That was constantly there. I was part of a religious, spiritual group in college. After college I went to Notre Dame for graduate school and it was while I was there that I finally made a choice when I saw there were 14 grad students in our group and I realized about halfway through that first year, I love what I’m doing. I love where I’m at school. I love the fact that I’m getting paid to go to school. But I didn’t love it as much as the other graduate students. They spent 95 percent of their time in the lab or the library or the field. I loved what I was doing, and I said at that point maybe there’s that other thing that I’ve thought about. It was really in ’80, ’81, that I made the decision to pursue seminary. That was kind of my moment.”

Murphy’s path to the priesthood was a winding road after graduating from BC in 1975.

“In ’67, ’68, the bottom kind of fell out on everything, the country, the church, a lot of things,” Fr. Murphy said, referring to the Vietnam era. “They were closing all those high school seminaries (throughout the U.S.) and all of a sudden it seemed like nobody was interested (in becoming a priest). But before that, it seemed like a lot of guys, most guys, thought about it. Even if they just said for the moment, ‘Oh, I want to be a priest.’

“A lot of us identified with our parish priests,” Murphy continued. “I guess because we knew the Benedictines were sort of monkish. You know, they were well-educated and they taught. They were teachers. And it was a little different relationship (between BC Cadets and Benedictine monks). Although, I certainly have a lot of respect for them for what they had to put up with from us, especially in the late ’60s, early ’70s, young, adolescent males. But we kind of identified more with the parish priests, a lot of young, Irish priests coming over. I know I, for one, identified with them even though I’m American. You know, they were young and a lot of them had been soccer players. Some of them tended bar. They were just kind of down-to-earth, fun-loving, idealistic young men and priests. And so, you were naturally drawn to that.”

Murphy might be the only priest in history who ever worked as a bartender and later as a police officer.

“The story behind that is I had been in the seminary program for a short time in college,” Murphy said, chuckling. “I didn’t stay long. Fr. Mattingly was a friend, and he was kind of my spiritual director. But during that time, I was going to Armstrong State College, and I had a girlfriend, and I did a lot of partying. It didn’t quite jive, so I said, ‘You know, I think I’m going to hold off on this (priesthood).’ So, after I graduated, my degree was in personnel management, and I had a minor in criminal justice. I was actually bartending, helping a friend who owned Kevin Barry’s Pub (on River Street). He was a nice guy. A rebel. But a good man with a good heart. He was one of my earliest supporters. I wanted more of a full-time job, and they had openings at the police department. I went down there. They wanted to put me in personnel, but I was interested in, well, one of my heroes at the time was Columbo. You remember that TV show? Yeah, Lt. Columbo. Actually, a former priest was acting (police) chief then. I knew him. He said, ‘Just apply, we’ll find something for you’ so I applied and expressed an interest in one day being an investigator. I went through the police academy and worked in patrol a short time. And then I felt the calling (to the priesthood) again. I talked to this former priest, and he said he thought I made the right decision. I don’t know whether that was because he thought I’d make a good priest or because he was wanting to get rid of me.”

Murphy said working other jobs and having unique life experiences helped him to better relate to people as a priest.

“You could call me a blue-collar kind of guy. Or whatever you want to call me,” Fr. Murphy said, laughing. “I’m kind of low-key. I’m under the radar. I like to kind of work behind the scenes, and not high-profile. I hope I am. Put it this way, my own struggle, I’ve had health issues – cancer, a heart attack – and I can relate to people. My work experiences help me relate to people. It’s been 39 years now as a parish priest, strictly a parish priest. That certainly helps me to relate to people. You know, a priest knows human nature. One thing about priests, they tend to be idealistic, like a lot of things, like some of the other professions, and if we can just keep some of that idealism it will serve us well because there’s going to be disappointments in the ministry, dealing with hierarchy and all. There’s clerical jealousies about assignments but that’s in everything. That’s normal.”

Murphy was born in Savannah and attended parochial schools. After graduating from Armstrong State College, he graduated from Mount St. Mary’s College and Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. Murphy has been a Catholic priest with the Diocese of Savannah for 39 years, mainly serving in the small towns of South Georgia. On March 26, 2025, Murphy had a book signing at Saints and Shamrocks to celebrate the launch of his debut novel, “The Bridge to Tybee.”

Chaney attended St. Benedict the Moor Catholic School from first through fourth grades, before attending Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (with Kavanaugh) from fifth through eighth grades. He graduated from BC in 1978 and Savannah State College in 1983. Chaney said he realized during his junior year at Savannah State that he wanted to become a priest. He said if someone had told him when he was a BC Cadet that someday he would be a priest he would not have agreed. “No, I wouldn’t,” he said. “Not at that time. I was focused on getting through high school, and then from high school to college.”

After college, Chaney entered the St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami, Fla., for one year and spent four years studying theology at St. Vincent DePaul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla. He was ordained a Catholic priest on May 28, 1988, in Savannah’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Chaney’s first assignment was a priest-in-residence at The Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Savannah. He also served at The Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Albany, Ga., Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Warner Robins, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Savannah, and at The Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Savannah. Chaney became pastor of Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church in Savannah on July 1, 2000, when St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and The Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church merged to become Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church.

The trends throughout priesthood in the U.S. are intriguing. During the 1980s, most priests throughout the country tended to be from Ireland or of Irish descent. That has changed.

“Now they’re coming from different countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” Chaney said. “You can see that right here in the Diocese of Savannah. I think right now in Savannah there are either three or four priests from Nigeria. And we have the priest over at St. Peter and St. Paul, he’s Vietnamese. And Fr. Pablo (Migone) over at Corpus Christi (in Pooler), I think he is of Peruvian descent.”

Chaney said there is a push of late, at least locally, to recruit younger U.S.-born males to become priests and “to help them to begin the discernment process, and to have different programs. They had a retreat during the Christmas holiday season down at Tybee, at St. Michael’s, that Fr. Brett (Brannen) put on for interested young men to try to plant the seed, you know, just to think about (joining the priesthood).”

If Chaney had not become a priest, he said he would have pursued “probably something either in education or social work. The social work part is a part of priesthood. And you have different assignments.”

A common misconception outside of Catholicism is that priests live a leisurely life consisting of Mass, baptisms, weddings, and funerals. But priests are like multi-tooled Swiss Army knives. They serve in a high-stress environment that can involve intense loneliness, administrative burdens, and demanding pastoral care. Often facing burnout, many priests manage deep emotional, spiritual, and physical battles.

“One of the things (the Catholic church) has done with the formation is to help you to find out what are your gifts, and then how can you use those gifts in the priesthood because everyone does not have the same gifts,” Chaney said. “The priests at Benedictine, the education could be their gifts. Parish life may not be their gifts. Some priests are not good with the hospital ministry. I enjoy hospital ministry. I did prison ministry early on in my career.”

Lyons, BC Class of 1970, is one of nine children raised by Jane Haslam Mulherin Lyons and John Joseph Lyons, Jr. (BC Class of 1941). All five of their sons graduated from BC, including Hal ’74, Michael ’78, Patrick ’79, and Stephen ’81. They recently endowed a scholarship at Benedictine in their father’s memory. The John J. Lyons, Jr., ’41 Endowed Scholarship will be based on financial need with preference going to a student from one of BC’s Catholic feeder schools and it will be awarded by BC at its annual scholarship luncheon.

“The five sons of our dad, John Joseph Lyons, Jr., want to keep his legacy alive,” said Lyons, who was ordained June 7, 1980. “We will always have a deep respect for all that dad and mom did in putting all nine of their children through Catholic elementary and Catholic high schools – BC and St. Vincent’s. Dad and mom made many sacrifices.”

John Joseph Lyons, Jr., would be humbled and honored by his sons’ gesture, just as he would love that his grandsons, John Joseph Lyons ’14 and Matthew Lyons ’16 (Stephen’s sons), are BC graduates and his great grandson, KJ Bruin ’29, is a BC freshman.

Schreck, in May 2013, succeeded Msgr. William O’Neill, who retired June 15 after 17 years as rector of Savannah’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Schreck was baptized at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and became an altar boy in the second grade. He attended Benedictine as a freshman before transferring to St. John Vianney Minor Seminary in Richmond, Va.

Schreck graduated from both the College of William and Mary, and the University of Notre Dame, and earned a doctorate in canon law from the Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest for the Savannah Diocese on May 28, 1983. His first assignment was at Blessed Sacrament from 1983-86, then three years of graduate studies before going to Columbus, Ga., where he was the longtime pastor of St. Anne Parish. On June 18 (Father’s Day), 2023, Schreck was granted the title of monsignor by Most Reverend Stephen D. Parkes, the 15^th Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah, who made a surprise announcement during the 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist.

Schreck’s brother, Msgr. Christopher Schreck, also became a priest of the Diocese of Savannah although he did not attend BC. He was ordained in 1977 and served as the rector and president of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, and as a Professor of Sacred Scripture. He also served as pastor of St. William Catholic Church on St. Simons Island before retiring Sept. 1, 2024.

Founded in 1902 in Savannah, Benedictine Military School is a Catholic, Benedictine, college preparatory school which forms and educates young men from diverse backgrounds, supports a deeper commitment to their faith, prepares them for life through a quality academic program, and instills leadership skills through a JROTC program, athletics, extra-curricular activities, and community service. Through instruction and discipline, BC seeks to form men of virtue and integrity who are prepared for life-long learning and service to their faith and civic communities.

“There was a lesson I was taught a long time ago by a mentor,” Murphy said. “He said, ‘The church is perfect. It’s divine.’ You might write this down. It’s a good message. I said, ‘Well, I don’t know about that.’ And he said, ‘No, wait a minute now, I’m not finished. It’s the people, you and I, who are the sinners.’ He wasn’t even a priest. He was just a well-informed, educated layman. His point was that the Church is God’s divine grace on Earth. And I never forgot that. I might’ve bailed a few times because I can be so hard-headed and emotional at times. I’m a nice guy but I get my Irish (temper) up sometimes. I never forgot that. It’s the humanity. You’re dealing with your own. You’re dealing with your parishioners. We’re all sinful. We’re Adam and Eve’s children. But there’s grace at work. That is what keeps me going.”