On August 14, Fr. Michael “Coley” Palmer passed away at the age of 86. Fr. Palmer was born in Stamford in 1934 and was baptized at St. John’s Church on Atlantic St. When he was still a boy, his family moved to Springdale where they became members of St. Cecilia Parish when the church was located at the bottom of Weed Hill on Hope St. After he graduated from Stamford High School he went to college seminary at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT and continued his seminary formation at St. Bernard’s Seminary in Rochester, NY. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Walter Curtis at St. Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport in 1957.
Interestingly, when I came to the parish four years ago, I was looking through the parish archives and came across Fr. Palmer’s ordination card, along with a copy of the formal invitation to his first Mass. The first Mass took place on May 26, 1957 at the newly constructed and consecrated St. Cecilia Church on Newfield Ave., a much larger and grander building than the original. According to the invitation, after his first Mass the people were invited to a reception in the church basement, during which Fr. Palmer offered his first priestly blessings. The events of the day concluded with Benediction at 7:15pm.
On the back of his ordination card, Fr. Palmer included the following prayer: “Bless, O Lord, my parents, brothers and sisters, my relatives and friends, and all who by their prayers, example and sacrifices have helped me to Thy Holy Altar.” The prayer expresses something true, that Fr. Palmer’s vocation to priesthood was born from community – the community of his immediate family, but also the community of his parish. As a young man, Coley Palmer was able to discern the Lord’s gentle invitation to give his life in service to others as a parish priest. The prayer on his ordination card reveals an understanding that the prayers, examples, and sacrifices of his family in faith mysteriously aided in the unfolding of God’s providence in his life.
In the Church of St. Cecilia, at the shrine dedicated to the Blessed Mother, there is a sign on the votive candle stand that says: “Please Pray for Priests.” It is an appeal to the shrine’s guests to pray not only for the priests who serve us now, but also those priests who have served us in the past and who now await their heavenly reward. If you find yourself at that shrine, consider lighting a candle and saying a prayer for Fr. Palmer, a son of St. Cecilia, a son of Stamford. And perhaps light a second, to aid in the unfolding of God’s providence in the lives of young men from our parish whom the Lord is inviting to serve us as priests in the future.
posted 8/26/23
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 