By Sharon Abercrombie
Staff writer

Ideally, a new pastor would have a little bit of down time to gradually ease into the life of his new parish.

Father Vincent Cotter

But Father Vincent Cotter had less than a week to settle in at St. Agnes Parish in Concord when he was called upon to preside at the wake of Capt. John Hallett III, a graduate of St. Agnes School and son of long-time parishioners, who had been killed by a bomb while serving in Afghanistan.

“It was difficult at first because it was a very emotional time for his young wife and three kids. But by the time the service was over, I felt that I knew him and his beautiful family,” Father Cotter said. He credits the man’s friends who told stories about the 30-year-old soldier from school days into adulthood. Their recollections helped to provide a pastoral frame of reference for the priest.

Since then, St. Agnes’ new pastor has been busy “getting a good DNA” on the parish that includes more than 80 committees. “It’s a vibrant parish with a lot of enthusiasm,” he said.

Asked to name other hallmarks, he readily replied, “Hospitality.”

This characteristic melds perfectly with the priest’s deeply held belief in the importance of “welcoming the stranger.”

“St Agnes is doing a lot of that already,” he said, “and we will be looking for more ways to reach out to people, to acknowledge and celebrate the milestones in their lives.” He succeeds Father Jan Rudzewicz as pastor.

Father Cotter arrived at his new parish following a one-year sabbatical which took him to Texas, Australia, and Central America. He spent the first four months at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, participating in a program which “ministers to ministers.” His group — four priests, a religious Brother and 12 Sisters — immersed themselves in academic updating in theology as well as sessions in health and spiritual direction.

“It was a chance to regroup, rest and learn how to get that balance in life that we need,” he said.

Then he traveled to Sydney, Australia, for study at the Center for Christian Spirituality. He spent the rest of his time visiting Guatemala and El Salvador.

Prior to his sabbatical, the priest served as pastor of both St. Albert the Great and St. Philip Neri parishes in Alameda.

A San Francisco native, Father Cotter was ordained in 1983. A former member of the Salesian Order, he taught at the community’s high schools in East Los Angeles and at Richmond’s Salesian High School. He was incardinated into the Oakland Diocese in 1992; served as pastor of St. Ignatius Parish in Antioch from 1993-2001; and served as parochial vicar at St. Michael Parish in Livermore and at St. Augustine Parish in Pleasanton.

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