in the diocese
June 10, 2014
2
Father Lawrence Percell to retire as pastor
after roles as husband, father, seminarian
By Roberta Ward
Father Lawrence Percell, PhD is
retiring as pastor of St. Nicholas Parish
in Los Altos where he has served since
2003, having previously served there as
a parochial vicar and as a transitional
deacon, as a seminarian.
Actually, that was his second stint
as a seminarian. It all started years ago
in his youth. Born and raised in San
Francisco, he attended St. Paul Parish
and School and, from 1961 to 1967, attended the former St. Joseph College
Seminary, followed by a year and a half
at St. Patrick Seminary and University
in Menlo Park.
He requested a leave of absence
from the seminary and enrolled at
UC-Berkeley where he earned an AB
degree in psychology in 1969, followed
by studies at the University of Arizona,
Tucson, where he received a masters and
then a doctorate in clinical psychology
in 1974. He never did go back to the
seminary – then.
In the summer of 1969 he met Joan
Herrmann who was to become his wife.
They had mutual friends who were
getting married and Joan was maid of
honor and Larry was best man in the
wedding.
Larry and Joan were married in 1970
and settled in Sunnyvale where they
raised their two children, Lisa and Jeff.
Dr. Percell practiced clinical psychology
for San Mateo County Mental Health
from 1974 to 2000 and was also in private
practice in Redwood City from 1978 to
1998.
He served as adjunct faculty at St. Joseph College Seminary from 1974 to 1986
and at St. Patrick Seminary from 1987 to
2000. He also served for a decade on the
Advisory Board of The Valley Catholic.
Larry and Joan were both active parishioners at St. Martin’s in Sunnyvale
where he served as Director of Adult
Initiation from 1974 to 2000 and she was
also involved in initiation ministry. He
enrolled in the Institute for Leadership
in Ministry (ILM) and was in its first
graduating class (2000). He had thought
about becoming a permanent deacon.
It was while he was an ILM student,
in 1999, that Joan was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer and, within months,
died in 2000, four months before their
30th wedding anniversary. Larry returned to the seminary to prepare for
priesthood.
He had noted in a 2003 article in The
Valley Catholic, at the
time of his ordination, “My abilities
as a pastoral minister, catechist and
spiritual leader were
acknowledged and
affirmed at St. Martin’s. I want to be a
priest now in order Father Lawrence
to help people grow
Percell
closer to God and to
one another in community and to share
my faith in Jesus Christ with others.”
He also noted then, “I believe my
new vocation complements my other
vocation of husband and father. I am
happy and at peace because of the love
and support of so many people who are
dear to me and because my ‘hobby’ can
now be my vocation.”
Of his tenure at St. Nicholas, he
said, “The parish and I have been wellmatched in terms of my professional life
and my career both in and outside the
Church. I came prepared to minister in
a parish which has so many professional
people. My years here have been happy.
“The people love the Church and
are committed to living and enhancing
their faith. They are generous in outreach to the needy in our local Church.
They desire to deepen their understanding of Scripture and the teachings of
our faith.
“The vibrancy of the parish is due to
the loyalty of the many senior members
and also to the many young families,
some who attend our thriving parish
school and others who participate in
our faith formation programs. Parents
are dedicated to the formation of their
children in a Catholic way of life,” Father Percell said.
“One of the greatest joys for me,” he
added, “has been the way we celebrate
the Sunday Eucharist—with full, conscious and active participation. We are
a community that sings and prays well
together. I will miss that the most.
“But now it is time for new leadership, new energy and a new alignment
with St. William, our sister parish.
These parishes will be served well by
their new pastor, Bishop Tom Daly, and
their new parochial vicar, Father John
Poncini. And I will now have more time
to spend with my four grandchildren.”
Father Percell will stay busy in retirement. He will serve on the staff of the
Jesuit Retreat (El Retiro) in Los Altos.
Q