This is long overdue, me finding out just recently Fr. Parrinello passed away last January. I knew Father through counseling during a very stressful time in my life, and attending the Latin Mass he offered at Sts. Peter and Paul parish.
I considered him in a formal kind of way a friend. We had a lot of good long conversations about a range of topics, and some good laughs. I was shocked to learn he died, and of a heart attack, at the still relatively young age of 56.
Father was dedicated to truth and healing, as a priest, exorcist, and counselor. Those were his gifts. In seminary he helped establish a group of seminarians dedicated to the Latin Mass, and in seminary he was very dedicated to traditional theology and Thomism.
His dedication to the truths upon which our Catholic tradition rest, pertaining to the liturgy and theology, proved a trial as a diocesan priest, resulting in the heroic decision to offer exclusively the traditional Mass.
For a time he pursued a vocation in the traditional apostolate as an associate of the Fraternity of St. Peter, which unfortunately was not able to incorporate so many priests like him, which was a hardship he endured. So he and a few priests explored for years the possibility of founding another Latin Mass congregation to accommodate this growing trend of diocesan priests wanting to be completely traditional.
This led he, Fr. Chad Ripperger, and a small group of priests to my diocese of Tulsa, to establish the Doloran Fathers society of exorcists under the traditional-minded Bushop Slattery, who also supported their exclusive use of the traditional liturgy. Father would be especially instrumental in buying and managing what would become their rural monastery north of Tulsa in the direction of Bartlesville.
He also was the priest in the group, having a degree and work experience in social work pre-seminary, who would screen people for mental issues as part of the process of determining whether or not an actual exorcism should be performed. To this end, Father made the sacrifice, being in his 40s, to go back yet again to school to earn his MS and license in clinical counseling, and to work as a counselor at Catholic Charities, for the ultimate purpose of training in his role as exorcist.
In addition to his work as counselor and exorcist, and the semi-contemplative life, Father heard confessions and offered the Latin Mass on a regular basis for several years at Sts. Peter and Paul parish, where this sacrifice and dedication to Catholic tradition was much appreciated. He formed well the altar servers, and offered a very reverent Mass.
However, as many locals know, after the new bishop was installed, an unfortunate decision was made to remove the Dolorans from the diocese, which was a cross for the priests and Father. For Father, this process signaled for him God’s will to not continue with the Dolorans, but to finish his training as a counselor.
I know this period was a cross for him, in that diocesan priests, which he still officially was for the Omaha diocese, who can only say in their conscience the traditional Mass, can end up in an indefinite state of ecclesiastical limbo.
But Father carried on with little complaint, resigned to his state, and ever optimistic the state of the Church and liturgy would soon be restored, but for him first by there being a great chastisement. He maintained his sober, rational mind through all of this, and hope.
After finishing his training working for Catholic Charities, Father returned to his home diocese to be there for his aging parents, founding a Catholic online counseling service, which I understand also ended up having a physical office in downtown Omaha. I find it a providential blessing that Father lived long enough to care for his ailing mother who died three months before he did.
Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace . Amen