With sadness Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission announced the death of Fr. Peter Goldbach, C.M. With his rosary in hand, he died peacefully at 8:00 a.m., today, April 30, 2013 in the age 102. He was the oldest Vincentian priest in the United States and presumably in the world. For him serving the Lord as a dedicated Vincentian priest and confrere placing the needs of others before his own is what gave meaning and importance to his life. He will be missed by his family, confreres and friends.
Fr. Goldbach was born August 16, 1911. He entered the Congregation of the Mission in 1939 and was ordained priest June 3, 1944.
A week ago Father went to the ER of Chestnut Hill Hospital because he was experiencing pain and difficulty walking. While there, the Doctors discovered that he has inoperable cancer. Later the same day, Peter returned to St. Catherine’s Infirmary, Philadelphia, where he was kept comfortable and cared for by the staff and his confreres.
St. John’s University Magazine gave this story of Fr. Peter life on the occasion of his centenary in 2011: “A Cherished Vincentian Passes the Century Mark”
In April 2013 Fr. Goldbach was interviewed by Fr. Astor Rodriguez CM:
One of the best! One of a kind! Very kind!