The life of Fr. Creedon
His Childhood village:
Where in the world is Inchigeelagh? Inchigeelagh is a small country village in the county of Cork. Cork is a city in the south of Ireland. The Creedon family are among those still there today.
"THE LEGEND OF FR. CREEDON"
There once was an immigrant priest...
Gerard Creedon of Inchigeelagh was he...
To the red, white & blue in the US so true; a strong voice for the least became he...
Advocate whats right; stand up for the fight; dignity for all human beings.
While the priest is now gone; the Creedon legend lives on;
because his strong voice for the least carry we.
His work in Northern Virginia and nationally:
The link below will take you to a summary of the things he was involved with in our community, at the State Capital and our nations Capital. advocacy and leadership
How will we remember the way forward?
We look forward to where we can connect with those doing the work that Fr. Gerry did & how we can continue the same and recognize those organizations & individuals that are most closely emulating and moving the community activities that were most important to him. We are establishing the Rev. Gerard Creedon Advocacy Awards and the Rev. Gerard Creedon Leadership awards to honor his work and remind us that we see his love in the ongoing efforts within our community. advocacy and leadership nonprofit Woodbridge
Remembrance on the 1 year anniversary of his passing
Pictorial gallery of Inchigeelagh & County Cork
The Social mission
Housing:
In 1979, Fr. Gerard Creedon and a group of Catholic laity created Catholics for Housing in response to the U. S. Catholic Bishops’ 1975 Pastoral Letter, “The Right to a Decent Home”. Catholics for Housing is a non-profit organization providing housing opportunities to eligible applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, gender, familial status or religious affiliation. The Catholics for Housing service area is the geographic footprint of the Arlington Catholic Diocese, although CFH is an autonomous organization. advocacy and leadership
Charities:
Rev. Gerard Creedon became the Director in 1981, the agency then consisted of the following programs: Children's Services, Family Services, St. Martin de Porres Senior Center, Christ House Shelter, Emergency Assistance, Immigration and Refugee Services, Prison Ministry, Child Development, Neighborhood Development and the Winchester District Office. During Fr. Creedon's tenure, Parish Social Ministry, Services to the Disabled and AGAPE Hispanic Social Services were added as programs. advocacy and leadership
Commission:
Rooted in Christ, the Peace and Justice Commission advises and collaborates with the Bishop of Arlington in promoting evangelization, formation and advocacy in the diocese for true justice and peace by fostering resolute dedication to the sanctity of life and the dignity of every human person, as expounded by the principles of Catholic social teaching. Fr. Creedon developed the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission in 2002, for which he served as chair until his death. Under his leadership, the commission held numerous programs to increase understanding of Catholic social teaching and motivate action on behalf of peace and justice. advocacy and leadership
Mission in Banica
As reported by The Catholic Herald online...
Fr. Gerry Creedon
1991-95
I came to Banica in July of 1991 as the founding pastor of the mission in Bánica. San Juan Bishop José Grullón developed a whole pastoral plan for the mission and I was very active with him in its development. He wanted to create neighborhood-based faith communities organized along the lines of districts led by lay leaders, or animadores.
Around that time, there were no telephones, no running water, the electricity was sporadic and you had no paved roads. Much of that has changed since then...
My favorite memory is the strength of a particular person named Maura, an animador of the local church in Pedro Santana. At that time, there was a coup in Haiti and we provided sanctuary for some of those refugees, though the traditional relationship between Dominicans and Haitians was not very warm. One day, the Haitian military captain came to raid the church and to bring back the refugees. Maura said, “Have you come here to pray? If you come here for another purpose, you can go home.” And he did.
Death Penalty
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP) is a statewide citizens’ organization dedicated to educating the public about alternatives to the death penalty.
Human Trafficing
Despite being a relatively new and less prevalent issue in the Prince William area, as a concerned and aware community we should be aware of how human trafficking might appear in our community, including sex trafficking by gangs.
Social mission continued
CCoM
Empowered by the Grace of God, and acknowledging that we can accomplish more together, The Cooperative Council of Ministries (CCoM) is a coalition of Christian churches actively witnessing our common faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through advocacy and service to those in need.
S-A-L-T
Social Action Linking Together (SALT) is a network of persons in Virginia embracing the principle that “The justice of a society can be measured by how the most vulnerable members of that society are faring and being treated.” This principle can be found in all the great religious traditions and inspires SALT members to propose and shape fair public social policies through our education of policy makers & our advocacy for the poor and powerless.
VOICE
Fr. Creedon worked closely with Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) a collaboration of more than 45 congregations trying to address the issues hurting Dale City, Prince William County, and Northern Virginia at large. Specifically; VOICE addresses immigration issues, foreclosures and affordable housing, and access to health care, prison reform and public schools. advocacy and leadership