In another surprise, DiCenzo brought family members of Msgr. Glynn from Ireland to see the priest at the rectory the evening before the celebration.
"He could not believe it. He was totally shocked," DiCenzo said.
After serving several parishes Msgr. Glynn retired as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Duxbury on June 30, 2007. He had served as the pastor of the South Shore parish since September 1981.
"It has been a great life here in Duxbury," he said.
Over the years Msgr. Glynn had a 20-year career at the archdiocesan office for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and as pastor in parishes throughout the archdiocese.
"You meet some great people regardless of where you go, whether it was Beverly or Wrentham, or St. Catherine's Somerville, or St. Gregory's Dorchester," he said.
Msgr. Glynn said when he arrived the parish had a very small church, and the cost of the mortgage included buying land and building the new church on the sight.
He thanked the former chancellor of the archdiocese Paul Devlin at the Mass.
"He had great hope in the future by allowing us to borrow that sum of money," Msgr. Glynn said.
The plaque to be installed at the church calls Msgr. Glynn a "priest's priest," and on the day that he spoke with The Pilot he confirmed his care for the priests.
In the spirit of care for priests and the priesthood, he repeated a message he gave in his homily. He pointed to the need for young men to step up and serve in the priesthood, and called upon lay people to encourage vocations.
"It has been a great life to have been a priest. I regret that there are not more vocations," he said.