SAN ANTONIO • Msgr. Lawrence J. Stuebben, vicar general of the archdiocese, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood with a Mass of thanksgiving on Sunday, May 29, at 3 p.m., at St. Matthew Church, 10703 Wurzbach Road. A reception in the parish center will follow the liturgy.
    “There are just too many people I want to invite to have invitations sent out,” Msgr. Stuebben said. “I want to convey that if anyone wants to attend, they can.” The vicar general shared that he especially wants to encourage people from parishes he has served and organizations he has been affiliated with during his five decades of ministry to come to the activities.
    “I want it to be a festive celebration of God’s gifts,” said the monsignor. “I’ve had 50 years of joyful, exciting ministry as a priest. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m thankful to God that I’ve had no work station or assignment that I haven’t truly enjoyed.”
    A pre-Mass concert at the church will feature the choirs from the Vietnamese Martyrs Community and Holy Redeemer Parish. The San Antonio Liederkranz will sing at the liturgy. Ministers of hospitality will be from the Texas Catholic Conference on Ethnic and Community Affairs.

    The opening procession will feature members of the St. Joseph Society, Knights of Columbus, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, Knights of Peter Claver and priests and deacons of the archdiocese. Special guests at the celebration will include Msgr. Stuebben’s classmates from the class of 1948 at Central Catholic High School.
    The men re-scheduled their 58th annual reunion around the monsignor’s anniversary gathering, with attendees coming from California, Ohio and Virginia.
Concelebrants at the golden jubilee liturgy will include about half a dozen bishops from Texas as well as seminary classmates ordained with the monsignor. Classmates are Msgr. Sherrill Smith; Msgr. Ramon Garcia; Father Joe Montelabano from the Diocese of Alexandria, La.; Father Eugene O’Callaghan; Father Patrick O’Callaghan and Msgr. Charles Carolan. Additional concelebrants include the honoree’s brother, Msgr. George H. Stuebben, a retired chaplain and colonel in the U.S. Army; and Msgr. Michael Yarbrough, pastor of St. Matthew Church.
    Readings will be proclaimed by Thomas L. Stuebben, the other brother of the jubilarian, and Sister Charlene Wedelich, CDP, vicar for religious of the archdiocese. Msgr. Roy Rihn will be the homilist. Prayers of the faithful will be recited in seven different languages. Gifts will be presented by Msgr. Stuebben’s nieces and nephews, two of his first and second grade teachers, and two other persons in attendance at the monsignor’s ordination 50 years ago, friends Marcia Grant and Gerry Scheel.
    The reception following the Mass will feature entertainment from the ACTS group at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Belgian dancers and Filipino dancers from Santo Niño de Cebú Parish.

    Msgr. Stuebben was born on April 4, 1932, to George H. Stuebben and Clara Henzen Stuebben. He was educated at St. Joseph Academy, Central Catholic High School, St. John’s Seminary and Assumption Seminary. He received a master’s degree in education from Our Lady of the Lake University in 1969 and took part in a special study program at North American College in Rome, Italy, in the mid-1970s.
    He was ordained to the priesthood on May 31, 1955, in San Fernando Cathedral by Archbishop Robert E. Lucey.
    From 1955-56, he served as an associate pastor at St. Cecilia Parish in San Antonio. From 1956-65, he served in the Matrimonial Tribunal for the archdiocese, was a chaplain and theology instructor at Incarnate Word High School and worked as a secretary to Auxiliary Bishop Stephen A. Leven.
    From 1965-69, he worked as vocation director of the Archdiocese of San Antonio as well as a faculty member of St. John and Assumption seminaries.
    Pastorates followed at St. Patrick Church in Bloomington from 1969-70, St. Louis Church in Castroville from 1970-76 and St. Matthew Church in San Antonio from 1976-80. He was rector of Assumption Seminary from 1981-87.
    In the biggest assignment of his career, Msgr. Stuebben worked as coordinator of the papal visit of Pope John Paul II to Texas and San Antonio from 1986-87.
    Following that assignment, he became administrative assistant to the archbishop and head of the Department of Administration of the archdiocese in 1988.
    The following year, in 1989, he was named vicar general of the archdiocese and moderator of the curia. Since that time he has resided at both St. Ann and St. Agnes parishes in San Antonio.

    Other posts Msgr. Stuebben has held over the course of his five decades in ministry include: parish and district Catholic chaplain of Boy and Girl Scouts; archdiocesan moderator of the High School Sodality Union; co-founder of the Texas Vocation Directors Conference; president of the Alumni Association of St. John and Assumption seminaries; member of the Senate of the archdiocese; executive director and president of the Provincial Conference of Priest Councils of Texas; member of the Board of Trustees of Our Lady of the Lake University; co-founder and president of the Texas Catholic Conference on Ethnic and Community Affairs; member of the Board of Trustees of Ursuline Academy in San Antonio; member of the national bishops’ Committee for Priestly Life and Ministry; member of the Board of Directors of the Consultation Center for the archdiocese; co-founder of Catholic Television of San Antonio; member of the Coordinating Committee of the National Assembly of Rectors and Ordinaries of Catholic Theological Schools; member of Ad Hoc National Committee for Hispanic Vocations and Formation Programs for Hispanics; chairman of the Seminary Department of the Texas Catholic Conference; chaplain of the Serra Club of San Antonio; chaplain of the Knights of St. Gregory the Great in the archdiocese; member of St. Joseph Society; member of Alhambra, Bejar Caravan 56; member of the Board of Directors of the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health; member of the Board of Trustees for St. Mary’s University; spiritual director of the Catholic Life Insurance Union; chairman of the Assumption Seminary Board of Directors; member of Bexar County Detention Ministry Board; chairman of the Administration Department of the Texas Catholic Conference; board member of Catholic Charities of San Antonio; board member of the National Diocesan Fiscal Managers Conference; and chaplain of the San Antonio Legatus chapter.
    In 2003, Msgr. Stuebben was honored with the Leadership Award from Catholic Television of San Antonio.