Remembering Father Roland Julien
Submitted by Burt Wetherington
Fr. Roland Julien was born on July 22, 1938, in Ogdensburg, NY. He grew up in Daytona Beach, where he would walk four miles a day on the beach at sunrise. He was influenced to be a Catholic Priest by the nuns at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Daytona Beach, where he went to church as a kid. In September of 1965, he was ordained as a Catholic Priest in St. Augustine, and in 1980 he became the pastor of St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Gainesville.
During his 35 years as a pastor in Gainesville, he served as chaplain in many areas of Alachua County, including Catholic Charities, St Francis House Board of Directors, Alachua General Hospital, St. Vincent De Paul Society, and Tachachale (formerly SunLand). He was a founding member of the MLK Foundation and recieved the MLK Hall of Fame Award in 2016. He was the chaplain of the Quiet Courage Rosa Parks Foundation with Rev. Milford Griner, where he also helped in the naming of the RTS bus station depot in Gainesville after Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks. Another major part of his leadership was with Rev. Larry Reimer telling Terry Jones of Dove Outreach not to burn the Quran.
He loved to play golf and bowl and never missed a holiday meal at the Fosser/Wetherington home in 35 years, where he loved to eat, along with the Clock Restaurant, where he often ate after Mass.
He wore several kinds of fedora hats and colorful suspenders. Christian music was always important to him, and he dreamed of having a Christian radio station in Alachua County. He did have a small watt station that ran two miles in the back of the church for a few years. He took numerous pictures in his 59 years as a Catholic Priest.
Fr. Julien never met a stranger but it may have taken him forever to remember your name. He loved everyone he met and was a powerful spiritual man who always preached on forgiveness and loving one another “as I have loved you.”
One of his favorite holidays was St Patrick’s Day; at the church, he would lead a St Patrick’s Day Parade in a Bishop’s Hat around the church property, then invite everyone to join him in eating cornbread and cabbage after the parade.
Fr. Julien played an influence in many lives through his leadership and spirit of holiness. I was his personal assistant for 25 years at St Patrick’s Catholic Church. He would take me to meetings, which led me to get involved in volunteering with nonprofits. I currently serve as the Turkey Creek Lions Club President in Alachua, thanks to his mentorship.
Fr. Julien loved Christmas and the holiday seasons at the time of the birth of our Lord Jesus. I found it such a blessing for him to go to his heavenly home on December 26 at The Village in Gainesville, where he lived since retiring at St Patrick’s Catholic Church as a priest in 2015. After retirement, he was always a priest in his priestly alb and the St. Patrick’s Day sole he wore, serving others on Fridays with mass to fellow Catholics at The Village. I always looked forward to seeing him every Friday; he always had a big bright smile and hugs for everyone.
Since hearing of Fr. Julien’s passing, many citizens of Alachua County want to influence the City of Gainesville to name NE 16th Avenue from NE 9th Street to North Main Street, where St Patrick’s Catholic Church is, “Father Roland Julien Way,” since he played a major role for 35 years in the East Gainesville area, helping citizens to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
We love you and will miss you. Fr Julien never would end an email or conversation with “goodbye”; it was always “blessings to you.”
Blessings to you, Fr. Julien, until we meet again in that heavenly home.
Services for Fr. Roland Julien will be at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (500 NE 16th Avenue, Gainesville).
Visitation with prayers: January 5, 4-7 p.m.
Funeral mass with Bishop Erik T. Pohlmeier, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine and Homilist Fr. Mike Williams: January 6, 11 a.m.
No one can forget this man. He was wonderful.
Notice the Priest loved Christianity, why….?
Because Christianity is the Lutheran version of Catholicism.
What? Christian is just a term referring to those who follow Jesus Christ. That includes Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and more.
Biblically only a Hebrew can be a Christian.
Remember a Christian was simply a Hebrew that believed Yahushua was the Messiah of the Old Testament prophecies.
Also every denomination you named are a product of the Lutheran doctrine, Luther disagreed with the church, many agreed with Luther, then the many had various disagreements with Luther on small things and made their own denominations.
From Catholic comes Christianity/Luther/Protestant and from this comes everything else.
Luther didn’t reject the Catholic doctrine outright, he disagrees with parts like indulgences, and that is why all doctrines that come from him have the Catholic aka Universal doctrine that all are loved and welcome regardless of faith and or works.
If the New Testament was not written till long after the Messiah died, then what did the Messiah use to learn about God? What did Matthew, Mark , Luke and John and everyone on the planet during the times of the Messiah learn about God from……The works of Moses and The Prohpets which Messiah said not one jot or tittle shall be taken away from the law or prophets till all be fulfilled, but wait The Messiah dying on the cross is not the fulfilling of the law…..The fulfilling of the Law is Judgement day when we will all be judged by the law and therein fulfill it.
Notice the Catholics and Christians both say Jesus dying on the cross fulfilled the law, but according to Jesus own words this can’t be true.
What about all the prophecies that have not materialized yet? This is why one side only accepts the Torah, and the other the New Testament and both sides try to ignore the prophecies in the middle the same ones Jesus referenced, there are some that have not come true yet, there for all aka the law has not been fulfilled yet in addition to judgement day has not happened yet.
This is the great deception, and its simply because they taught you to piecemeal the work rather than just take it front to back in context.
The only thing the Messiah did was bring the Sons of Jacob back into the covenant, the ultimate sacrifice for HIS people and to do away with the sacrificial law.
and the inclusion of the Gentiles, but to be included as a Gentile you must follow the law as a Son of Jacob, remember Jesus kept the law.
The Gentiles are the 13th tribe, but must be as the 12.
Rest in Peace, after so many District 1 exorcisms he had to refer to public lawyers over the years. Exhausting just thinking about it 🙏🏻🙏🏽🙏🏿
Why all of a sudden so many experts on religion. I did not know him but just reading about him he was truly a good man.
He was a good man and a faithful servant of God. Father Julien did more for our community than most people have dreamed about.
He’s with God now.
He was a good man and a faithful servant of God. Father Julien did more for our community than most people have dreamed about.
He’s with God now.
If you were not aware of all he did for East Gainesville, it’s because he did so without fanfare or worrying about politics. I worked with him for many years. He was indeed a very good person who really cared about everyone in the community NOT just the Catholics. He also oversaw a major expansion of the church and school.
Father Julien dedicated a lot of his time to comforting the sick and their families in the hospitals of Gainesville. His was a familiar face at Shands, AGH, GVAMC, and NFRH. He was a remarkably caring individual and was dedicated to his calling.
I really think that is what made him so very special. He really did care.
Heaven’s gain is our loss. A humble, good, caring man has gone to his God.