Priest going home after local service

View larger image Euteneuer

By Ben Orcutt - borcutt@nvdaily.com

FRONT ROYAL -- The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer is stepping down as president of Human Life International to return to his diocese in West Palm Beach, Fla.

"Nearly ten years ago, I answered the call of the Lord to come to Human Life International and work full-time in pro-life work with the permission of my bishop," Euteneuer says in an online column he wrote for HLI posted on Friday. "I have been utterly privileged to serve this great mission for a decade, and now I am called back to my diocese to continue my priestly service in parish work, which was the original calling of my vocation."

Euteneuer, 48, could not be reached for comment due to his making preparations to leave the post on Monday. A native of Detroit, he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Notre Dame and a licentiate degree in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Euteneuer speaks fluent Spanish.

Founded in 1981, HLI bills itself as the largest pro-life organization in the world with associates and affiliates in over 100 countries. HLI opened its 59,344-square-foot headquarters in the Happy Creek Technology Park in 1995 on an 84-acre tract. The organization was founded in 1981.

Those who have worked with Euteneuer and who know him well say he will be missed in the community.

"Marvelous man to work for," said the Rev. Frank Papa, the chaplain at HLI. "Amazing gifts. I'm one of his tremendous fans. He has tremendous zeal for the Catholic faith and the for the mission of saving life."

HLI opposes abortion and contraception and Papa, 73, who has worked with Euteneuer for five years, said he believes the departing priest will continue to promote such efforts.

"I'm sure he did it as a prayer and I'm sure he'll continue to do the work in whatever role he plays in the church," Papa said. "He's an international figure. He's known in countries all over the planet and yet he receives people as just kind and gentle. You'd get the feeling that he was a nobody. If you could just see the amount of work he's done, he's a phenomenon. He would go from country to country like I would to from the kitchen to the living room. I think he was in an airplane more than he was on the ground."

Front Royal Town Councilman Thomas H. Sayre, 47, also is a Euteneuer fan.

"Father Euteneuer is a very much beloved priest," Sayre said. "He will be sorely missed by our local and international community because he has traveled the world over spreading the message of love, life and family. He is an excellent and very holy priest. I hope he comes back to our community often.

"Some of my fondest memories are playing basketball with Father Euteneuer at Christendom College on men's night," Sayre said. "He brought stability to HLI."

Euteneuer says he has traveled more than a million miles and visited 58 countries. He believes that HLI is in good hands with Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro Carambula, of HLI's Rome office, who will become interim president during the search for Euteneuer's successor.