Bishop Battersby asks parishioners to entrust the souls of both men missing after boating accident to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

TRENTON — On Monday night, hundreds gathered at St. Joseph Parish in Trenton to pray and share memories of Fr. Stephen Rooney and Robert Chiles. 

But at times, there was little to say.

Just 24 hours after Fr. Rooney, St. Joseph’s pastor, and Chiles went missing after Chiles’ 39-foot, 2017 Nor-Tech Center Console boat capsized in the Detroit River, Auxiliary Bishop Gerard W. Battersby struggled to find the words as he led the impromptu prayer vigil.

Short of information and full of grief, Bishop Battersby told the congregation that despite the lack of updates — authorities were still searching for the two men Tuesday — the parish could still gather in hope.

“We come together with heavy hearts, but not as a people with no hope,” Bishop Battersby said. “Even this moment is caught up in the Resurrection, and Jesus is Lord. In this testing, the pain we’re feeling, we are giving witness that Jesus is at the right hand of God, gathered in the presence of his Mother and all the saints, praying for Fr. Stephen Rooney and Mr. Rob Chiles.”

Friends, parishioners, family and others gathered in St. Joseph’s parking lot, many wearing masks because of COVID-19, sharing in their sorrows and trying to peel away updates or news, even as the miracle for which many prayed seemed increasingly unlikely.

According to police, Fr. Rooney and Chiles were among 14 people on the boat when it capsized — likely hitting a strong wake or object beneath the water — throwing everyone overboard. A passing vessel from Ontario rescued most of the passengers, including Msgr. Charles Kosanke, rector of Detroit’s Basilica of Ste. Anne, and Chiles’ three children.

The strong river current made recovery prospects increasingly appear dim Tuesday.

During the prayer vigil, clergy from the Downriver area reflected upon a passage from John’s Gospel, in which Jesus tells the Apostles he is going to “prepare a place” for them.

Like Jesus, Fr. Rooney and Chiles prepared a place for anyone they met, said Fr. Marc Gawronski, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Grosse Ile, near where the crash took place.

“To eat a meal at the table of Fr. Stephen Rooney is to be blessed by the gift of rich hospitality in a place with brightly covered walls and beauty all around you,” Fr. Gawronski said. “To be treated with the gift of hospitality by Fr. Rooney is to be treated truly like an honored guest.”

Likewise, “the welcome one receives at the homes of the Chiles family ... is a place where love is shared in a courageous and joyful way,” Fr. Gawronski added. “Wherever we are, as followers of Jesus, we have men like Fr. Rooney and Rob and his family, people who prepare a place for another.”

As musicians played hymns and people grieved and comforted one another, Margaret Beaudry Comer told Detroit Catholic she wants people to know Fr. Rooney “was the best.”

“He exuded Jesus, his soul, his life, his light,” Comer said. “I’m not from the parish, but he was with our family at my mother’s funeral at St. Michael’s (in Monroe). When he came to family reunions, birthday parties, my mother’s house, he was all about love and acceptance and giving his time and love. He just made you feel comfortable, enjoying life and putting God first.”

Fr. Rooney, 66, was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was ordained a priest for the Cistercian order in 1985, becoming incardinated into the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1990.

He served assignments at St. Martin de Porres in Warren, St. Alphonsus in Dearborn, St. Patrick in White Lake, St. Mary in Monroe, St. Michael the Archangel in Monroe, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Temperance and Our Lady on the River in Marine City.

Fr. Rooney became pastor of St. Joseph in 2018, a frequent guest in the classrooms of St. Joseph School, known for his good humor and captivating Irish brogue.

“He had a great sense of humor, loved the kids,” St. Joseph parishioner Laurie Gilbert said. “He had a real rapport with the kids. Always laughing and teasing with the children. His homilies were phenomenal; they struck home all the time. They spoke directly to your heart.”

Approximately 300 people attended the vigil, which was livestreamed for Chiles’ and Fr. Rooney’s families and friends who were unable to attend.

Fellow Irishman Fr. Brendan McCarrick, SAC, administrator of St. Vincent Pallotti Parish in Wyandotte, led a decade of the rosary — the Glorious Mystery of the Resurrection — recalling the two men’s love of the Blessed Mother.

“We believe Fr. Rooney and Rob have joined the angels and the saints and Christ, Our Lord, in the glory of the Resurrection,” Fr. McCarrick said. “In faith, we ask our mother, Mary, who stood at the foot of the cross of her own son, when he went home to God, to stand with us, a community of faith, to give us strength, courage and guide us through these days.”

After the vigil, Bishop Battersby and support staff from the archdiocesan Chancery stayed to answer questions and counsel parishioners. Bishop Battersby will take over pastoral responsibilities at St. Joseph this weekend. 

“We are confident our God is an awesome God, who loves us,” Bishop Battersby said. “We must never give up hope. Hope is the banner of every Christian. Jesus is risen. Jesus is Lord. For what do we have to fear?”