Catholic Diocese of Arlington
Encourage and teach with patience

Our diocesan family, and especially my brother priests and I, are experiencing on the human level a profound loss in the death of Monsignor John T. Cilinski on August 14^th. He served faithfully as a priest for 61 years in both the Diocese of Richmond and, after 1974, the Diocese of Arlington.

He was energetic and dedicated in giving pastoral care in the various parishes where he ministered as a Parochial Vicar and Pastor, including his years as Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More. 

What has truly inspired and touched all of us was Monsignor Cilinski’s extraordinary ministry to the sick. His years of retirement were filled with his daily visits to the sick in the hospitals and convalescent homes, especially at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.  He not only ministered to the sick, but gave support and counsel to their families and to the healthcare providers.  Truly, his pastoral care for the sick was epic.

Our fervent prayer is that, even now, he may be welcomed into our true and eternal home, there to enjoy forever the presence of our Triune God in the company of Our Blessed Mother, all the saints and those members of his family who have gone before him, marked by the sign of faith.