Just a few weeks after getting a new job, Father Ed Manalis has acquired a new title - monsignor.
"It's an honorary title, given in recognition of the type of work and quality of work one does," Manalis said.
The elevation came as a surprise to Manalis and five other priests who were summoned to the Catholic Center in Baltimore Oct. 8 by Cardinal William Keeler on the pretext of a meeting.
"The cardinal suddenly stood up with several large parchments in his hands and came around to each of us," Manalis said. "He called us monsignor and handed us a parchment."
The pastor of St. Ann's Catholic Church for the past eight years, Manalis is working with two other Western Maryland priests to meet the pastoral needs of the 46 parishes in the western vicariate after the death of Bishop Francis Murphy.
