Father Martin Rock celebrates his 50th anniversary

Intermountain Catholic

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Jesuit Father Martin I. Rock (center in gold), Jesuit Father Leo Prengaman, concelebrate Mass for Fr. Rock's 50th anniversary. Deacon Steve Neveraski assists at the altar. Fr. Rock wanted the children to be a part of his anniversary celebration. Fr. Rock said Jesus said bring the children to me. Fr. Rock loves the children.IC photo by Christine Young

OGDEN — "This is the only way of life for me," said Jesuit Father Martin I. Rock as he concelebrated the Mass for his 50th anniversary.

Fr. Rock wanted the children to be a part of his Mass, so he moved the children’s Mass to the 5 p.m. Mass Saturday, June 13.

"Jesus said let the children come to me," said Fr. Rock, as he gathered them around the altar. He explained to them there are many angels surrounding the altar. He also told the children Jesus loves us, and Saint Joseph loves us. Our Mother Mary loves us, too. So let us pray the Hail Mary."

"Today we are focusing on one possible vocation which God could call you to, which is the priesthood," said Jesuit Father Leo Prengaman in his homily. "Because it requires too much faith and trust, and so much self-denial.

"So we are honoring today Fr. Rock for 50 years on the job," said Fr. Prengaman. "A priest is called father, by the way, because in some respects his work is similar to that of a father of a family. He leads, he teaches, he corrects, and he provides a good example of the right way to live – what Christian adulthood is all about.

"These qualities are wonderfully available in Fr. Rock," said Fr. Prengaman. "One time Fr. Rock and his three brothers were in the Society of Jesus, and the four Rocks were a great blessing to the Church and to our providence. For the past 17 years he has been at St. Mary being a blessing to us.

"As we celebrate his 50 years in the priesthood, we can rejoice that Fr. Rock has persevered and been so successful in passing on the Lord’s grace to us," said Fr. Prengaman. "We can thank Fr. Rock himself for saying yes to Jesus when the Lord called him to the priesthood, and to Utah. He could have said no, but he did not. He came and he blessed us for these past 17 years.

"And finally we must never take Fr. Rock for granted," said Fr. Prengaman. "We have to keep praying for him, praying the Lord will take care of him. If we take good care of Fr. Rock, who knows how long the Lord will keep us here; maybe another 50 years. I know, just like myself, you don’t want him to go, you want him here as long as possible. You want him right here where he belongs with us."

Fr. Rock was born in Santa Clara, Calif., Dec. 15, 1927, one of eight children. He went to Catholic grammar schools, and graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory, in San Jose, Calif., a Jesuit high school.

"I had an influence of Jesuit priests throughout high school, and they were always in our home," said Fr. Rock. "They were always visiting us. I liked their lifestyle, and their community. They got along well together."

Fr. Rock and his younger brother Leo (1929-2008), entered the Novitiate at Los Gatos, Calif., Aug. 14, 1945. Fr. Rock knew he wanted to be a priest when he was a freshman in high school.

"My parents were very happy," said Fr. Rock. "I grew up in a very Catholic family. I have four brothers and two sisters."

After studying at Los Gatos and Mount St. Michael’s in Spokane, a campus of Gonzaga University, Fr. Rock returned to Bellarmine as an English teacher from 1953 to 1956. He studied theology at Alma College in Los Gatos from 1956 to 1960, and was ordained a priest in Saint Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco June 12, 1959, by Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco Merlin Guilfoyle.

Fr. Rock said the advice he would give a young priest entering the priesthood would be "love the people and the children. That is the secret to being a successful pastor.

"Love the people. That is all it takes," said Fr. Rock. "There is no other life for me except being a priest. This is the highest possible vocation for me."