Rev. Daniel J. Crowley Appointed New Parish Administrator of St. Peter’s Church-August 22, 1984

Parishioners at St. Peter’s Church in South Norwood are welcoming a new spiritual leader following the official appointment of the Rev. Daniel J. Crowley as parish administrator. Announced by archdiocesan officials—with confirmation provided by the Rev. Paul V. Moynihan of St. Catherine of Siena Church and Monsignor Stanislaus Sypek, pastor of St. Adalbert’s in Hyde Park—the appointment became effective August 10. Father Crowley succeeds Monsignor Sypek, who had been serving as temporary administrator during a prolonged and unexpected vacancy.

The leadership transition follows a tumultuous period for the parish triggered by the extended absence of former pastor Rev. Thaddeus A. Saja. Two years prior in August, Father Saja departed for what was originally scheduled as a brief one-month trip to Poland. However, his absence stretched across many months without immediate explanation, sparking considerable anxiety and concern among local parishioners before it was revealed that Saja had suffered a prolonged illness requiring convalescence in Poland. Although Sypek confirmed that Saja returned to the United States last November to continue his recovery at St. Adalbert’s and is now in good health and preparing for an advanced post-Vatican Council refresher course assignment, he will not return to the Norwood pulpit.

Father Crowley, 51, brings a wealth of pastoral and healthcare ministry experience to his new post. Residing at the St. Peter’s rectory on St. Joseph Avenue, Crowley will maintain his longtime responsibilities as a chaplain at Norwood Hospital—a role he has held for a decade—while also celebrating monthly Masses at several nursing homes situated within the parish boundaries. While canon law distinguishes an administrator from a permanent pastor, Monsignor Sypek emphasized that the roles are practically identical in daily service, noting that “for practical reasons, he [Crowley] will be the spiritual leader.”

A native of Milton, Father Crowley grew up alongside his four brothers, attending Milton High School. Notably, holy orders run deep in the Crowley family: two of his brothers are also active priests within the Boston Archdiocese, with the Rev. John Crowley serving as administrator at St. Joseph’s Church in Roxbury and the Rev. Richard Crowley serving as associate pastor at St. Joseph’s in Holbrook (where Father Crowley himself ministered for nearly a year prior to arriving in Norwood). His remaining brothers, Harold and Charles, reside in Boston and West Bridgewater, respectively. Ordained in 1968 at Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Father Crowley initially volunteered for missionary service in Alaska, ministering in the Anchorage diocese for five years before returning to Massachusetts. (Reporting by Barry N. Smith, The Patriot Ledger).

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