Msgr. Thomas J. Scanlon, 79

Msgr. Thomas J. Scanlon, 79, a former pastor, educator, and facilitator at Marriage Encounter weekends, died of a stroke Monday, Aug. 30, at St. Mary Manor, a retirement residence in Lansdale.

In 1971, Msgr. Scanlon helped conduct the second Marriage Encounter weekend held in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The weekend retreats were developed by a priest in the 1950s to encourage open and honest relationships within marriage. The retreats involve a team of three couples and a priest who work with 20 to 25 couples. Some husbands and wives regularly attend the encounter weekends to reconfirm a lifestyle of daily note-taking and talking that the movement promotes.

Msgr. Scanlon spent many weekends conducting Marriage Encounters in this area and attended Marriage Encounter conventions around the country, said his nephew the Rev. James Goeke.

At a 1983 Marriage Encounter conference in Philadelphia, Msgr. Scanlon told an Inquirer reporter that the 20-minute daily sessions of note-writing and talk, "open couples to the possibility of a greater reflection, an intensity of reflection in their lives." Some spouses - especially husbands - have difficulty writing notes exhibiting emotions, he said. "I don't think it ever becomes natural," he said. "I think it becomes habitual."

Msgr. Scanlon graduated from Northeast Catholic High School and studied for the priesthood at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood.

After he was ordained in 1959, he assisted pastors at churches in Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Chester Counties. He taught religion and conducted spiritual retreats for 13 years at Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia, and taught for four years at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote. He also taught theology at Holy Family College and was chaplain at La Salle University.

Msgr. Scanlon was rector at St. Joseph's-in-the Hills Retreat House in Malvern from 1981 to 1989, when he was appointed pastor of Resurrection of Our Lord Church in Northeast Philadelphia. After seven years as pastor, he assisted the pastor at St. Titus Church in East Norriton for five years until retiring in 2005.

He enjoyed traveling, visiting with his extended family, vacationing in Nantucket, and golfing.

Msgr. Scanlon was always reading theology and Scripture and he collected books on the subject, his nephew said.

"He was a gentle, kind man who was passionate about serving the church. He was a good model for me," said his nephew, a Jesuit priest.

Msgr. Scanlon is survived by sisters Gerri Ibberson and Mary Goeke; and nieces and nephews.

A Reception of the Body followed by a viewing will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at St. Titus Church, 3006 Keenwood Rd., East Norriton. A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.

Contact staff writer Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 or sdowney@phillynews.com.