Father Leroy Metro, a priest for the Diocese of Salina, passed away on March 7, 2026. He was 88 years old.
Fr. Metro was born on March 17, 1937—St. Patrick’s Day—in Concordia, Kansas, the oldest of six children born to John and Lillie Metro. Though his family lived in Concordia, his parents were originally from Aurora, where he was baptized on March 21, 1937, the feast of St. Benedict.
Fr. Metro often spoke with gratitude about the strong Catholic heritage of his family. The Metros were of French Canadian descent, with ancestors who had moved from Canada to Kansas generations earlier. As a child, he enjoyed hearing stories from his grandparents about the faith of their family—including their distant relationship to Saint André Bessette, who was canonized in 2010.
Leroy attended Catholic grade school in Concordia. Fr. Metro often said that he first felt drawn to the priesthood at the time of his First Holy Communion in the second grade. As he grew older, that call continued to grow. He began attending daily Mass, serving at the altar or singing in the choir, and by seventh and eighth grade he was helping train younger altar servers.
At 13 years old, after finishing eighth grade, he entered the high school seminary in Victoria, Kansas. Though leaving home was difficult and filled with uncertainty, the friars and fellow students quickly became a second family. Fr. Metro later recalled those seminary years as a time of great growth, friendship, and faith—years that shaped both his character and his vocation.
After high school, he continued his formation at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, where he completed both college and theology studies over eight years.
Fr. Leroy Metro was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1963, at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina by Bishop Frederick Frecking. He often remembered with deep emotion the moment during the ordination liturgy when he lay prostrate before the altar and later when the priests of the diocese placed their hands upon his head in welcome to the brotherhood of the priesthood.
Throughout his many years of ministry, Fr. Metro served the people of the diocese in numerous roles:
- 1963 – Associate Pastor, Seven Dolors Parish, Manhattan
- 1963 – Associate Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish, Colby
- 1966 – Associate Pastor, Seven Dolors Parish, Manhattan, and instructor at the parish grade school and high school
- 1968 – Pastor, St. Peter Parish, Aurora, and instructor at Notre Dame High School, Concordia
- 1969 – Pastor, St. Philip Parish, Hope, and St. Columba Parish, Elmo; instructor at Sacred Heart High School, Salina
- 1971–1977 – Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Salina
- 1973 – Chaplain, Nazareth Motherhouse and Manna House of Prayer, Concordia
- 1984 – Pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Gypsum, in addition to duties at Marymount College
1988 – Pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Lincoln, and St. Mary Parish, Glasco - 1989 – Pastor, St. Thomas Parish, Stockton, and St. Francis Parish, Claudell
- 1993 – Pastor, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Salina
- 1997 – Pastor, St. John the Baptist Parish, Clyde; St. Mary Parish, Clifton; and St. Peter Parish, Aurora
In 2007, he retired from active parish ministry, but he continued to serve the Church as a spiritual director.
Fr. Metro often said that his greatest joy as a priest was being with the people of the Diocese of Salina. In his vocation story, shared with the Diocese in 2011, he wrote simply, “I have loved being a priest.”
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. Please continue to pray for Fr. Metro and for his family.