Pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish Nicholas Waseline dies

The Rev. Nicholas Waseline, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Wilmington, has died, the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington confirmed Wednesday.

Waseline was involved last month in the controversial decision to fire Padua Academy Principal Cindy Mann. She was rehired two weeks later and said then that she and Waseline would work out their differences.

“We learned that Father Nicholas Waseline, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua, passed away around 9 a.m. this morning,” said Stephen Hurley, vicar general of the Diocese of Wilmington, in a statement posted by The Dialog, the diocese's news service.

Hurley is in Annecy, France, with a group of 135 people are part of a pilgrimage led by Bishop Francis Malooly. They are marking the 150th anniversary of the diocese.

Malooly spoke of Waseline's death during a mass at the Basilica of the Visitation, in the presence of the relics of St. Francis de Sales.

“I was saddened to hear of Fr. Nick’s death," the bishop said in a statement. "He was an outstanding pastor of St. Anthony of Padua and leader of the parish and its schools. We send our condolences to Father’s parish family and to the Oblates (of St. Francis de Sales).”

Waseline, who was ordained in 1980, was 67 years old. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year, the diocese said.

Last month, he drew ire from the Padua Academy community for abruptly terminating Mann for "insubordination." Her dismissal set off a series of protests and threatened to divide the Catholic community right in the midst of Holy Week, with some strongly in favor of Mann's reinstatement and others less than eager to see her return.

She was reinstated on March 27.

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On Wednesday, Mann wrote a letter to Padua students and parents informing them of Waseline's death and asking them to pray for his family.

"Dear Lord God, We thank you for the gift of Father Nick Waseline," Mann wrote. "We traveled a very painful road with him over the past years as he battled pancreatic cancer. His life is not over, but he now has rest within your shadow of peace and joy.

"Please help all of us guide our students and each other through this farewell to a man who loved you, Lord God, wholeheartedly."

While concerns about Mann's health dominated conversations about the employment dispute, Waseline's battle with cancer was kept more private.

Members of his parish voiced concerns about his condition but were reluctant to share details or make it a major focus of news reports.

On Facebook, parishioners said he will be remembered as an amazing man and a great listener. They prayed he rest in peace and were thankful he would no longer suffer.

The Rev. Kevin Nadolski, a member of the Oblates, said Waseline was one of his mentors and served as his novice director in the seminary.

"In fact, he was the reason I came to be a priest, to be honest with you," Nadolski said. "This is certainly a deep, deep loss for us. He was an esteemed member of our religious community."

Nadolski said Waseline had served as a Catholic high school teacher and principal.

In a profile of Waseline on the Oblate's website, the pastor answered several questions about himself. He said his commitment to the Catholic Church defined his life.

"It challenges me to 'inspect' my motives," Waseline wrote.

His greatest hope for religious life in the church was "that it finds its voice as a prophetic gospel call to the world – prophetic in the sense of speaking the truth."

Funeral services for Waseline have already been set, Nadolski said.

If you go

April 25: St. Anthony of Padua Church, 901 N. Dupont St., Wilmington

Viewing: 2-7 p.m.

Mass of Christian Burial: 7 p.m.

April 26: Oblate Community Cemetery, 1120 Blue Ball Road, Elkton

Internment: 10 a.m.

Light reception to follow

Condolences may be sent to:

Office of the Provincial, 2200 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19806

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.

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