Published: September 26, 2009 10:40 pm      

Parish pastor named

JOHNSTOWN — A former teacher and administrator at Bishop McCort High School has been named the new rector and pastor of St. John Gualbert Cathedral in downtown Johnstown.

Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese announced that the Rev. James F. Crookston will succeed Monsignor George Flinn, who died earlier this month after serving as the parish’s leader for 16 years.

Crookston, who will take his Johnstown post Oct. 7, has served as pastor of Altoona’s St. Rose of Lima Parish since 1997.

Before that, he was a pastor in Lock Haven for eight years.

Crookston graduated from Bishop McCort in Johnstown.

He also taught religion there, served as the school’s business manager and was named principal in 1984.

He was ordained as a priest in 1971 and taught religion at Bishop Guilfoyle High School in Altoona in the 1970s. Crookston’s resume includes a doctorate in education administration from Penn State.

Flinn, who died from cancer at age 69, was regarded as a leader throughout the diocese.

In addition to his duties at St. John’s, he also had served in the past as the diocese’s vice chancellor and chancellor.

At the time of his death, Flinn was the diocese’s vicar general for pastoral life and ministry, a position he had held since 1992.

Flinn also was remembered for leading a fundraising campaign to pay for renovations at the Johnstown cathedral.