By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

Father Don McCarthy and Father Roger Meitl have traveled their fair share of road in northern Kansas.

Now, current and past parishioners can travel to see the two celebrate the 50th anniversaries of their ordinations Sunday.

Mass will be offered by Bishop Paul Coakley at 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Joseph's Church, Damar. A social and dinner will follow.

McCarthy has been the pastor at St. Joseph's and Hill City's Immaculate Heart of Mary for the past 16 years.

"That's unusually long for one place," McCarthy said.

Priests usually leave a church after 12 years, but McCarthy spent many of those years caring for a retired priest before he died.

McCarthy attended Assumption Seminary in San Antonio and was ordained at St. Mary's Cathedral in Galveston, Texas, his hometown.

"I think I was inspired by the priests, nuns and brothers who taught at our high school," McCarthy said. "It was an inspiration to me to go on in church work."

McCarthy came to Kansas to obtain an education degree. He was a teacher for seven years before serving as a principal for 38 years in Catholic schools across northern Kansas.

Although trying, his favorite time was the 10 years he spent as principal of Tipton Catholic High School and St. John's Catholic High School, Beloit.

"That was a challenge, of course, especially when they're 30 miles apart," McCarthy said.

During that time, he also served as pastor in Esbon and Smith Center, Cawker City and Downs and finally Beloit.

Even during his 16-year tenure in Hill City and Damar, McCarthy commuted back to Tipton, Ellis and Colby for a few years to be principal of the respective schools.

Even longer than his priesthood is his time spent as a high school referee.

"That's sort of unique for a clergyman," McCarthy said.

For 55 years, he has refereed football and basketball games and volleyball and wrestling matches in Kansas and Texas. Although he has slowed down at the age of 75, McCarthy still referees volleyball, announces basketball games and keeps score for wrestling matches.

McCarthy will retire July 1 and move to Cawker City. The parsonage has been empty there for a few years and McCarthy has been invited to return to the area.

Sunday's gathering won't be the first for McCarthy and Meitl.

The two, along with Father Alvin Werth, celebrated the 40th anniversaries of their ordinations in Oakley in 1999.

Meitl, the pastor at St. Francis of Assisi in St. Francis and St. Joseph's in Bird City since 2005, will celebrate his 50th anniversary close to family.

A native of Leoville, Meitl considers himself semi-retired and plans to eventually move to Colby for his retirement.

"I told the bishop since we're short of priests, I'd be willing to stay on here," Meitl said.

Meitl began his church work in a new parish in Salina in 1959 after attending Conception Seminary College and Kenrick Seminary in Missouri.

Meitl said he thought about becoming a priest in high school after seeing his cousin, Paul Meitl, and two other Leoville natives ordained in 1942.

"That was unusual to have three priests in that little village," Meitl said.

Meitl said 50 years of church work has been interesting, but he's learned one important lesson.

"If you're good to the people of the congregation, they're good to you," he said.