SAVANNAH - The bishop of the Diocese of Savannah is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a Catholic priest.
Bishop J. Kevin Boland has spent his entire half-century in the priesthood in Savannah, where he arrived from his native Ireland in 1959.
Savannah Catholics attended a special mass Wednesday night in honor of Boland, who has led the diocese as bishop for 14 years. The Savannah diocese governs Catholic churches across 90 counties in southern Georgia.
Boland's tenure may soon reach its end. When he turns 75 next year, the bishop will be required under church rules to submit a letter of retirement to the Vatican.