Rev. Msgr. John A. Cippel
Deceased: 2025-12-01
Diocese: ST PETERSBURG
ICTE Fall: 1988
The Chancellor’s Office received word that Monsignor John Anthony Cippel, 92, a retired priest of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, passed away peacefully on Monday afternoon, December 1, 2025, while under Hospice care at the St. John XXIII Retirement Residence, in Lutz, following a recent battle with leukemia. Monsignor Cippel was born to John Frank and Julia (Kudasik) Cippel in Ford City, Pennsylvania, on April 8, 1933, and was ordained for the White Fathers (now Missionaries of Africa) in Tunisia, North Africa, on January 28, 1960.
Following his ordination, he served as a faculty member for the following institutions: College Seminary of the Missionaries of Africa, Onchiota, New York (1963-1966); Dayton University and the Formation House for the Missionaries of Africa, Dayton, Ohio (1966-1967); Nyegezi Seminary, Mwanza, Tanzania (1967-1970); and Ntungamo Major Seminary, Bukoba, Tanzania (1970-1971). He also served as Youth Chaplain for the Diocese (now Archdiocese) of Mwanza, Tanzania (1972-1973), while teaching religion in the public schools of Mwanza. In 1973, he returned to the United States, where he studied Pastoral Counseling at the Andover Newton Theological School, near Boston, Massachusetts, earning a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1975. Later that year, Monsignor Cippel arrived in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, where he would be incardinated in 1980. He provided ministry as Parochial Vicar of the following parishes: St. Martha, Sarasota (1975-1979); St. Charles Borromeo, Port Charlotte (1979-1980); and St. Mary Our Lady of Grace, St. Petersburg (1980-1982). He was then appointed Administrator and later Pastor of St. Cecelia Parish and School, Clearwater, where he served from 1982 to 1990.I
In July 1990, Monsignor Cippel was assigned as Director of Spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, where he remained until returning to our Diocese in 1995, assisting as Parochial Vicar of Incarnation Parish, Tampa. In January 1996, he was assigned to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish, Spring Hill, where he was soon appointed as Pastor of the parish and nearby Notre Dame Catholic School until his retirement on July 1, 2006.
In addition to his parish and seminary assignments, Monsignor Cippel served on the diocesan Incardination Commission (1985), Presbyteral Council (1996-2001), and the Priests’ Continuing Formation Committee (1996-1999). He was also Deanery Chaplain for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Upper Pinellas Deanery (1986-1989), and Assistant Director of Vocations for Spiritual Formation (1995-1996). While many priests opt for a slower pace in their retirement years, Monsignor Cippel chose to remain active. From 2005 to 2014, he served as a Spiritual Director for the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. He also provided spiritual direction to seminarians at St. John Vianney College Seminary, Miami (2012-2014), and at the age of 81, he was appointed Administrator pro tempore, of Nativity Parish, Brandon (July-December 2014), after which he served as a Spiritual Director at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary until 2020.
In recent years, Monsignor Cippel lived in St. Petersburg and regularly assisted at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, and at Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Gulfport. As his health declined in the past months, he moved to the St. John XXIII Retirement Residence, in Lutz, where he offered Masses and enjoyed life with his retired brother priests until his passing.
Among the many recognitions and awards received by Monsignor Cippel, he was granted the title “Prelate of Honor of His Holiness” by Pope John Paul II, in 1999, after being nominated by Bishop Robert Lynch. In 2000, his fellow priests nominated him for the Father Luis de Cancer Distinguished Priestly Service Award. And in 2014, the Institute of Priestly Formation at Creighton University honored him with the Our Lady of Guadalupe Award.
Monsignor Cippel was preceded in death by his parents, John and Julia, and his sister, Kathryn Bellas. He is survived by his brother priests, many of whom he mentored over the years, along with former parishioners, students, and dear friends, whose fond memories of him will last a lifetime.
All funeral services will be held at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, 5815 5th Avenue N., St. Petersburg, and will be as follows:
– Visitation: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 4:00-7:00 p.m., with Evening Prayer at 7:00 p.m.
– Funeral Mass: Thursday, December 11, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
– Burial will immediately follow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 5233 118th Avenue N., Clearwater.
Please keep Monsignor Cippel’s brother priests and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
