The Rev. Alphonse G. Rose, a former rector of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, who earlier had been pastor at St. Margaret Roman Catholic Church in Bel Air, died Friday from a pulmonary embolism at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. He was 85.
"Al was a giant, and absolutely brilliant," said the Rev. Michael J. Roach, pastor of St. Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in Manchester and a close friend of many years.
"He was a real cultured gentleman and priest, which is a rare combination. He was one of the most outstanding priests that I've known in my lifetime," Father Roach said.
"Father Rose was a kind, gracious, generous man. He was a priest through and through, in the best sense of the word," the Rev. Lawrence M. "Larry" Johnson, director of pastoral care at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium, wrote in an email.
"He was open and created a safe space for anyone who came to him for counsel," said Father Johnson. "He was generous with his time and always willing to lend a hand."
The son of Alphonse J. Rose, a construction worker, and Grace M. Vecere Rose, a homemaker, Alphonse Gabriel Rose was born in Little Italy and later moved in 1938 with his family to a home on Milton Avenue in East Baltimore.
He was a 1948 graduate of Loyola High School and attended what is now Loyola University Maryland for several years before preparing for ordination at St. Mary's Seminary in Roland Park, where he was awarded a license in sacred theology.
During summers between school years, Father Rose worked as a clerk in the records office at the Baltimore Courthouse.
In 1955, he was ordained a subdeacon at St. Mary's Seminary in Roland Park, and was ordained into the priesthood in 1956 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Archbishop Francis P. Keough.
He began his career that year as associate pastor at the Roman Catholic Church of the Ascension in Halethorpe. He remained there until 1964, when he was named pastor at St. Margaret Roman Catholic Church in Bel Air.
While at St. Margaret's, Father Rose was named a part-time teacher of religion at John Carroll High School in Bel Air and worked to reduce the debt incurred in building a new 18,000-square-foot church. The church opened in 1968 and could seat 1,000 people.
In 1967, Cardinal Lawrence Shehan appointed him to serve as a member of the Archdiocesan Commission on Christian Unity.
In 1976, he was granted an educational leave from St. Margaret to take part in a program at the Institute for Continuing Theological Education in Rome.
That fall he was appointed rector of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, a position he held for six years until becoming temporary associate pastor at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington.
During his tenure at Mary Our Queen, the Cathedral School was accredited, and through his guidance the cathedral became "a center of spiritual and religious activity for the broader community," The Baltimore Sun said in a 1981 article.
The article noted that through Father Rose's leadership, "the Cathedral is today in excellent financial condition despite the recent burden of putting on a new roof," and said he "had the reputation of being one of the best administrators in the Archdiocese of Baltimore."
In 1984, Father Rose was appointed chaplain to the Motherhouse of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. He served there two years, then returned to the Shrine of the Sacred Heart as associate pastor.
"His preaching was soundly researched, prayerful and well prepared," Father Johnson wrote in the email. "He communicated a loving God and a compassionate church. His voice, kind countenance and warm presence will be sorely missed."
"He was very hospitable but was not an establishment figure. He was independent," said Father Roach. "He was a liturgist in the best tradition and admired by young priests."
Father Rose served as associate pastor of St. Mark Roman Catholic School in Catonsville from 1990 to 1991, then became a chaplain at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
In 1991, he was named state chaplain to the Maryland State Court of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, and a year later, state chaplain to the Maryland State Council Knights of Columbus.
Though he had retired from active ministry in 1998, Father Rose continued his work at Hopkins and was vigorously involved there until recent years, said his brother, Vincent P. Rose Sr. of Cockeysville.
"Even though Al had spinal problems and was stooped over, he continued going to Hopkins," Father Johnson said in an interview. "He was always a big help to me and was always willing, if his health allowed, to come to Stella Maris to say Mass."
For the past five years, the former Roland Park resident had lived at the Mercy Ridge retirement home in Timonium.
Father Rose enjoyed traveling to Europe and attending or listening to the opera. He also had an interest in art.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, 5200 N. Charles St.
In addition to his brother, Father Rose is survived by two sisters, Frances R. Pilson of Parkton and Rosemary Albert of Millville, Del.; and many nieces and nephews.