Fr. William Spillane, C.Ss.R., is turning 90 this May. Some may hear that and say “Well, done
good and faithful servant – enjoy retirement!” The beauty of the Redemptorists, though, is that “A Redemptorist, not in spite of old age…but through [it] can remain a missionary to the end.”

Fr. Spillane was born in Boston, and due to not having an automobile at the time, was quite
limited to his neighborhood. Lucky for him, that neighborhood was where Mission Church was located. “I remember Mission Church from my childhood quite clearly,” says Fr. Spillane. “The priests at the time had a big collar, and robes and a rosary, and a cape! I was an altar server at the time, so I remember them vividly. The Redemptorists were embedded in my life from a young age. I went to a Redemptorist school, went to Mission Church (Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help), and even lived on Mission Street! In a way, I grew up a Redemptorist.”

While attending a school run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame through eighth grade, Fr. Spillane attended a Vocation Club where he heard firsthand from a priest about his time serving in Puerto Rico. Shortly after, Fr. Spillane wrote a letter to the Redemptorist Minor
Seminary in North East, PA and got accepted.

“I was so young,” says Fr. Spillane. “Your ‘why’ is so different when you enter the seminary at a young age. It was a unique experience from the guys who enter when they’re older. As I said before, I almost didn’t know any other way of life than the Redemptorist Mission from where
I grew up. It felt like a natural next step.”



For Fr. Spillane, his journey was one that required a lot of trust in God. He entered the Minor
Seminary, went to Novitiate and then finally was at Major Seminary in Esopus, NY. He did all that to become a priest. Imagine his surprise when, after seminary, he ended up being sent to Catholic University in Washington, D.C., toget a degree…in physics.

“When I finished at Major Seminary I was set to go on foreign missions. I couldn’t believe when
I got called in and was told I’d be going to graduate school for physics! The journey to trust God
in some ways began there. I had no background in physics. I entered the priesthood to become a priest! Talk about a curveball. That really was a major change in vocation. I went on to teach at the Minor Seminary for 10 years followed by two more years of service in facilities. It wasn’t where I thought I’d be, but the community life was so strong,” says Fr. Spillane.

After his time teaching, Fr. Spillane was finally sent on foreign missions. After a crash course in Spanish for three months in Mexico, Fr. Spillane went to Puerto Rico. He recalls his time there as his favorite time in ministry. Community life proved to be a huge part of his time in Puerto Rico, as well.

“The people were so incredibly warm there,” says Fr. Spillane. “The faith of the people in Caguas, Puerto Rico was so well preserved. For them, going to Mass was a special occasion. They got dressed up, took a break from their work, and were able to be in community
together. The music ministry stands out to me – the people couldn’t read music, but it didn’t matter. They played guitars and sang the most beautiful songs.”

After his time in ministry in Puerto Rico, Fr. Spillane had a full life of ministry in Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina. He spent a few years in Jacksonville, FL, Hampton, VA, and Concord, NC as a parish priest. He now resides at Saint Alphonsus Villa in New Smyrna Beach, FL. “Community life was strong in all of these locations,” says Fr. Spillane. “I remember in Hampton we attended a lot of hospital calls. The hospital was in a neighboring parish, but they always called the Redemptorists because they knew we’d show up and care for those who needed it.”



Retirement is here for Fr. Spillane. For most of us, that means its finally time for us to rest, relax, and put our needs first. Not for Fr. Spillane. He is in New Smyrna Beach, FL at St. Alphonsus Villa where he still can be seen helping with maintenance, harking back to his time when he was over facilities at the Minor Seminary.

“At the Villa I am still in community – it just looks a little different. It’s the Redemptorist way. I’ve been in community, and I’ll always be in community with them.” To quote another Redemptorist, Fr. James Brennan, “For the rest of us, old age, or elderhood as it’s sometimes called, is either already here or not far away. No matter how old you are or how young you are, some day you’ll preach your last mission or your last retreat of your last homily. Is there life after that?”

If Fr. Spillane is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes.