OBITUARY:Popular priest dies at age 46

The Rev. Lawrence Signey, who served as pastor at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, died on Saturday at St. Joseph’s Medical Center after a brief illness caused by a kidney infection. He was 46.

Signey was known for being a mentor to numerous children at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic School, said Denise Wilcox, adult formation and parish planning director.

“Father Lawrence had an incredible relationship with young people,” Wilcox said. “He was young and in the priesthood; it’s unusual to encounter a young priest these days.”

Signey could also relate to young people because he shared common interests with them, she said.

“He loved their music, their toys, iPods,” Wilcox said. “He always wanted the latest technology. On his cellphone, it played ‘Whip It’ by Devo. The kids loved that.”

Before coming to St. Robert Bellarmine about five years ago, Signey served as pastor at St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church in La Cañada Flintridge.

He taught confirmation and religious education classes to children and teenagers.

Those who knew him also remembered his ability to make people laugh.

“He had a sense of humor about him that was very unique, where most would think a Catholic priest would be very formal,” said Craig Schulze, a parishioner and friend of Signey. “He was very fun-loving.”

Wilcox was also fond of Signey’s humor.

“I think the beauty of Father Lawrence is that he could be a very serious priest on the altar doing a wedding or funeral and on the following weekend he could paint himself gold and wear a toga and help us with a Greek party,” she said.

Cherie Sprosty, director of liturgy at St. Robert Bellarmine, worked with Signey for almost four years.

She was in charge of helping him prepare for the Sunday Masses.

“He always made the people who worked with him feel valued, and if he gave us a task, he allowed us to do the task fully,” Sprosty said.

“If something went wrong, he was more interested in how to fix the problem than blame someone.”

Born on April 4, 1961, in England and raised in Long Beach, Signey had an interest in religious vocation as early as the first grade.

In ninth grade, he entered Queen of Angels High School Seminary in Mission Hills, where he later served as spiritual director.

He was then promoted to dean of students at the seminary.

Signey’s education included a master’s degree in religious studies from St. John Theologate, a seminary in Camarillo. He also attended St. John College, also in Camarillo, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a minor in English.

Signey is survived by two brothers and a sister.

A vigil will be held at 7 p.m. today at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 133 N. Fifth St., Burbank.

A funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday at Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Los Angeles, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.