“Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.”

Monsignor Nicholas Grieco, beloved former pastor of our parish passed into Eternal Life on Saturday November 27, 2021. During the requiem Mass held by Bishop Caggiano on December 3, 2021, at St. Cecelia Church in Stamford, Monsignor Powers delivered a moving homily remembering Monsignor Grieco and his lasting impact on the Diocese of Bridgeport and his fellow priests. As Monsignor Powers beautifully noted, Monsignor Grieco, who had wanted to be a priest since the age of 7, had four loves: “his love for Jesus; his love for the Church; his love for God’s people, and his love for evangelization.” The following is a compilation of some of Monsignor Power’s remarks:

Monsignor Grieco’s love for Jesus gave him a Christ-centered focus in life that he carried through in his administration at St. Francis of Assisi Parish where he implemented the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Program, which is still a major component of the Faith Formation curriculum.

Monsignor loved the Church but was not blind to the challenges within it. Like his spiritual father, Padre Pio, he never doubted the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ and the instrument of salvation, but rather he always honored her, defending her in good times and in bad.

Monsignor’s love for God’s people enabled him to be the most loving of Spiritual fathers to his flock. Moreover, his fellow priests revered him as a role model for how to love God’s people and as a reminder of the source of that love: daily prayer and the Eucharist.

Lastly, Monsignor’s love for evangelization spurred him to pray every day “that the new evangelization may take deep root in the hearts of all the faithful to bring forth a new springtime in the Church. He gave tirelessly to the Diocese by serving not only on multiple committees in furtherance of this goal, but also as the founding editor of the Fairfield County Catholic.

Monsignor’s love and commitment to Christ’s Church will be deeply missed. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated, here at St. Francis, on Saturday, December 18 at 10:00am, to honor his priestly service and dedication to our Parish, where he served as Pastor for 18 years. There will be a reception immediately following.