From the Heart of Fr. Joseph M. Champlin | Together for Life

Joseph M. Champlin (1930–2008) was a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, New York. Born May 11, 1930 in Hammondsport, New York, he was the son of Francis Malburn and Katherine Masson Champlin and stepson of Charles Haynes. He was educated in his hometown public schools before graduating from Phillips Academy at Andover, Massachusetts. After studying at Yale and Notre Dame, he studied at seminaries in Rochester, New York and was ordained to the priesthood in 1956. Father Champlin enjoyed a full and varied priestly ministry for over fifty years. He reported having witnessed over 500 Catholic marriages in the 1990s alone—the closing years of his priestly ministry.

A prolific writer, Champlin wrote over 50 books on liturgy, pastoral theology, and marriage. He traveled over two million miles, speaking on a variety of pastoral and liturgical issues, leading retreats, and preaching parish missions. He was a regular featured guest on “Seize the Day” with Gus Lloyd on Sirius Radio channel 159.

In 2006, Father Champlin received the President's Volunteer Service Award from George W. Bush, recognizing the Guardian Angel Society, which Champlin founded in 1997 to provide tuition assistance, technology updates, and other improvements to the former Cathedral School in Syracuse.

He is perhaps best known nationally for his wedding planning booklet, Together for Life, which for more than four decades has been used by nearly 80% of couples planning weddings in the Catholic Church.