El Paso Catholics bid farewell to beloved priest after 56 years

EL PASO, Texas -- Catholic parishioners at the Saint Raphael Parish in east El Paso formed a car parade this weekend to say goodbye to a retiring priest who served the Borderland community for 11 years.

Monsignor Victor Kayrouz, 81, announced he would be retiring after 56 years of working as a priest in both Chicago and El Paso.

The church put together a parade for the community to drive by and say their goodbyes to Kayrouz. A long line of cars, honking and filled with people holding signs, formed outside the church to share their love for the priest.

“I’m overwhelmed," Kayrouz said. "I don’t know what to say. The people are so good and so loving. I’m overwhelmed.” 

Kayrouz is from Lebanon. When he came to El Paso after serving in Chicago for 30 plus years, he knew nobody.

“They have been a family to me," Kayrouz said about his parishioners.

Kayrouz started the parade while riding on the back of a motorcycle surrounded by a motorcade of the Knights That Ride. The motorcade drove around the parade, creating cheers and yells from the people in the cars.

“We hope that he continues to smile throughout, and we thank god for his life and giving us an opportunity to share," Jesus Chavez, President of the Knights That Ride, said.

Now Kayrouz is getting ready to enjoy retirement, even though he knows his job will never stop.

“The priest never retires," Kayrouz explained. "The priest retires when he closes his eyes and they put him in the coffin.”