Local Catholic priest celebrates Silver Jubilee

PALMER -- Father Leo Desso of St. Michael's Catholic Church in Palmer is no stranger to celebrations of faith, having served at regular masses for the past 25 years.

However, the length of Desso's distinguished career was a cause for special celebration last week, as Desso enjoyed a series of concerts and special religious services. Vince Ambrosetti, a Catholic musician, singer, and missionary of renown, was only one of the many notable figures joining in Desso's Silver Jubilee.

Desso's ordainment began in 1979 with two consecutive two-year terms at St. Patrick's and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Anchorage. In 1982, he was made a pastor at St. Bernard's Parish in Talkeetna. In this position, he serviced churches in Talkeetna, Willow, and Trapper Creek, being the sole Catholic priest covering this tri-city area. "I had to drive 148 miles every weekend," said Desso, remembering his weekly odyssey to deliver services at each of the three missions he handled.

Over the 20 years following his Talkeetna service, Desso worked at churches across the rest of the state, from St. Mary's in Kodiak to St. Andrew's in Eagle River, where he spent 10 years before traveling to St. Michael's in Palmer, where he hangs his vestments today.

Desso said Catholic priests are typically assigned to six-year blocks of time at individual parishes rather than such short terms as he has served, but he was willing to travel wherever his faith called him.

"The Bishop would always ask me if I wanted to be transferred, and I would always say 'wherever I'm needed,'" Desso recalled.

Finally, however, he said he tired of these short-term commitments, and requested a more extended assignment.

"I finally told the Bishop: 'I want to stay in a place long enough to get to know the people,'" Desso said of his time prior to St. Andrew's.

Recently, Desso has performed extensive prison ministries, delivering masses at correctional facilities in Eagle River and Sutton as well as one-on-one counseling with inmates. In these endeavors, Desso attempts especially to reach young convicts, who he says represent the greatest tragedies of all, with a message of reform.

"You see a lot of young men in there who can't be more than 18 or 19 years old," he said. "I want to do whatever I can to encourage them, once they get out, not to enter back into that same situation."

Desso said his mission at St. Michael's has been to forge an enduring community of faith.

"We priests are here only temporarily, but the congregation stays together for the rest of their lives. They need to be able to continue that community of faith even in our absence," Desso said, adding that this is a gradual, rather than an explosive, process. "It takes years for people to build enough confidence in themselves to accept ownership in that community of faith."

In celebration of Desso's 25th anniversary, a special service was held on Wednesday evening during which Desso, Archbishop Roger Schwietz of the Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage, and the congregation of St. Michael's reinforced their commitment to the Catholic faith.

"This is more than just a mission, it's a celebration of the commitment of a servant of God to his community," said Ambrosetti, who traveled all the way from his Nashville base to provide music and inspiration for Desso's celebration. "It's a chance for us to re-evaluate how we choose to affirm our baptism and to support each other with our visions of faith."

Ambrosetti has visited Desso before, during a 1995 mission at St. Andrew's. The celebration at the Eagle River church led to a canoeing misadventure on Eagle River itself. Ambrosetti said he proved to be less adept with a canoe paddle than he is with a keyboard, and capsized his canoe early in the trip. He was then transferred to Desso's canoe and, much to the latter's chagrin, capsized that one too, soaking both himself and the pastor.

Today, the pair joke about a prospective follow-up canoeing trip.

"It's not baptism until you do it three times," quipped Ambrosetti.

Desso said he sees his church heading for some big changes in the future.

"I'd like to keep building up the congregation population-wise," he said. A Catholic church in the Butte is a possibility, as are more activities and attractive prospects for Palmer's faithful youth.

"I'd like to see more activities for our young people," Desso said. "They're our best interest; they're the future not only of our church community, but of our Valley community as well."

If he continues to display the same energy and devotion that have carried him to his Silver Jubilee, the parishioners at St. Michael's should be less than surprised to see Desso celebrating his golden anniversary after another 25 years.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.