Father Ralph Lawrence, who taught at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary for 25 years, died Feb. 16 at St. Margaret Hall in Cincinnati. He was 80.

CT FILE PHOTO

Father Ralph Lawrence

A native of Cincinnati, Father Lawrence graduated from Purcell Marian High School in 1945 and began attending St. Gregory Seminary.

In 1948, he taught philosophical studies at Mt. St. Mary’s and graduated from the seminary in 1949. He then began a four-year theological course in Rome and was ordained there on Dec. 20, 1952.

His first assignment was at St. Louis Church in Cincinnati, and he later served at Old St. Mary’s. He taught at Elder High School from 1953-1956, when he joined the faculty of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and taught from there for 25 years.

From 1981-1982 he was pastor of St. Michael Parish in Mechanicsburg and Immaculate Conception in North Lewisburg, and Queen of Martyrs in Dayton. He was pastor of Visitation Parish in Eaton from 1985 until his retirement in 1995.

Father Francis Kinney

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 14 for Missionary of the Precious Blood Father Francis Kinney, 86, at St. Charles Center in Carthagena. He died Feb. 9 at St. Charles Center.

A native of Ironton, he entered the Precious Blood Community in 1943 and was ordained in 1947.

Father Kinney spent his life as a priest in education and in parish ministry. Following ordination he became a member of the staff of the high school seminary at Brunnerdale in Canton. While there he served as an instructor and later vice rector, principal and rector. In 1957 he was named the first principal of Central Catholic High School in Lafayette, Ind. where he served until 1960, when he returned to Brunnerdale.

In 1965 he received assignment as dean of the Calumet, Ind., campus of St. Joseph’s College. In 1983 he became pastor of St. Mary of Pine Grove near Ironton, where he served until he retired to St. Charles Center in May 2007.

He is survived by three sisters, Marcia Hock of Vandalia, Henrietta Hanifin of Ironton and Dominican Sister Jean Kinney of Scotia, N.Y. Burial was in the community cemetery.