Funeral Mass was celebrated July 8 at St. Joseph Church in Carpinteria for Msgr. Joseph Kearney, 92, who died July 6 at Nazareth House where he had been in residence since 2002.

Msgr. Joseph V. Kearney

As a parish priest, pastor, teacher, labor leader and missionary, he had combined all these ministries in his 58 years of priesthood in Los Angeles, Rancho Palos Verdes, Pomona, Carpinteria and even Peru in South America.

Born in Spokane, Wash., Msgr. Kearney not only shared the birthplace of the famous Crosby brothers and knew them well but also managed the band for Bob Crosby. When he retired in 1988 after 12 years as pastor at St. Joseph Church, some 400 people gathered to wish him well, present him with unique gifts and several noted musicians from the big band era sent greetings, including Crosby. At the time he expressed his gratitude for family and friends, saying "I feel so blessed, so lucky."

He was a graduate of Gonzaga University in Spokane but when he entered St. John's Seminary, he created quite an impression. Recalling the event, Msgr. William Barry, his classmate, said "the rest of us were on retreat, in our black outfits and here comes this young man with bright orange pants and this flaming red hair." Msgr. Kearney's humor, talents and zeal continued throughout his many ministries and endeared him to many friends and his fellow priests. Other seminary classmates include Bishop John Ward and Msgr. Thomas Kiefer

As an associate, he served at Immaculate Conception, St. Gregory, St. Agatha in Los Angeles and as pastor at Sacred Heart, Pomona and St. Joseph, Carpinteria. He served on the faculty at St. John Vianney High School and for five years worked as a Maryknoll missionary in Peru where he developed a team to aid the slum dwellers around Lima. For 19 years Msgr. Kearney directed the Catholic Labor Institute. In 1984 he was named a Prelate of Honor.

Family survivor is his nephew, Barney Kearney, in San Francisco.

Sr. Manuela Dieringer, OSF
Funeral Mass was held June 8 at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Santa Maria for Franciscan Sister Manuela Dieringer, 107, who died May 29. A career educator, Sister Dieringer was sister to the late Franciscan Sister Noella Dieringer, who founded Our Lady of Perpetual Help Hospital in Santa Maria (Marian Medical Center).

Born in Toledo, Wash. on Oct. 3, 1896, she was the ninth of ten children of Barnabus Dieringer and Margaret Mauch. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Stella Niagrara, New York in 1912 and made her Profession of Perpetual Vows in 1917. She began her teaching career, which during the next 55 years, took her to Ohio, New York, Washington, Montana and California to serve in such educational positions as grade school teacher, high school teacher and principal and instructor in a school of nursing.

While serving in the Los Angeles area, Sister Dieringer taught Spanish at Bishop Conaty High School in Los Angeles and senior English at Alverno High School in Sierra Madre. In 1971, she retired to Mount Alverno in Redwood City and then moved to Santa Maria in 1984 continuing to serve as librarian and tutor.

Survivors include two nieces, also Sisters of St. Francis, Sister Angela and Sister Norberta and a nephew, Father James Dieringer. Interment was at Santa Maria Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Francis at Marian Residence, 124 S. College Drive, Santa Maria, CA 94354.

Sr. Kilian Eaton, SSL
Funeral Mass was celebrated July 10 at St. Mel Church in Woodland Hills for Sister of St. Louis Kilian Eaton, who died July 7 at the Regional House of the Sisters of St. Louis.

A native of Ireland, Sister Eaton had been a Sister of St. Louis for over 70 years, and was one of the first group of her community to come to California in 1949. She served as a teacher and principal in many schools in the archdiocese including Nativity, El Monte; St. Cyprian, Long Beach; St. Bede, La Caņada; Holy Name of Mary, San Dimas; Our Lady Help of Christians, Los Angeles; and St. Mel, Woodland Hills.

She spent her retirement years at St. Mel, where she endeared herself to the school and parish community. Lovingly known as the "little Sister," she tutored students and participated in parish activities. She visited the Motion Picture Hospital until she could no longer safely manage riding the buses and continued her school duties almost to the end of her life.

Msgr. John Naughton, a friend since Sister Eaton first came to California, was the main celebrant at her funeral Mass. Concelebrating with him were Father Ramon Valera, Father Kenneth Deasy, a former student of Sister Kilian, and two priests from missionary areas in Africa, Msgr. Richard Afrim and Father Cyprian Tatah.