Never Too Late at Pope St. John XXIII Seminary

Next up on our Faculty Spotlight series, Msgr. Bill Fay sits down with Rev. Vincent Daily. Fr. Vin shares with us his vocation story and the journey that led him to priesthood. Who are the special people in his life? Fr. Vin grew up in the Greater Boston area with many religious in his extended family – religious sisters, priests, and a bishop! What always stood out to him was their joyful demeano...

As we begin the summer break, Msgr. Bill Fay will turn to the faculty side of the seminary house for his next few episodes. This month, he sits down with Deacon John Nicholson, the Coordinator of Pastoral Formation at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. With the direction and guidance of Deacon John, seminarians gain hands-on experience working assignments in the field. This discussion helps us...

In this month’s episode, Msgr. Bill Fay sits down with the newly ordained Deacon Bao Nguyen. Deacon Bao was ordained this past Saturday for the Diocese of Venice in Florida. He shares with us his story about growing up in the United States as a young child, as well as experiences on his journey to diocesan priesthood – beginning with being a newcomer to the U.S. from Vietnam when he was 12 years o...

Leonardo Espinosa-Lopez is a native of Columbia, where he spent four years in seminary and was very involved in his Church. At that time, he did not become a priest. Instead, he came to the United States. Hear Leo’s story of working in America in the commercial trucking industry and what happened that made him re-visit the priesthood. Who are his supporters and who had the most influence? Msgr. Bi...

In this month’s podcast, Msgr. Bill Fay talks with seminarian Maximilian Muenke who is studying for the Archdiocese of Boston. Max teaches us a bit about another part of the world, his native Germany. Hear about his experiences there, what brought him to America, and his wonderful work in the field of medical genetics with a concentration in pediatrics. How did his vocation to priesthood come to f...

In this month’s episode, Msgr. Bill Fay has an insightful conversation with alumnus Rev. Maurice Culver of the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida. Fr. Moe shares with us his experience of being a new priest in his Diocese - What has the first five years of priestly ministry been like for Fr. Moe? What has been most fun? You will hear how throughout his journey to priesthood, Fr. Moe was “taking c...

In this new episode, Msgr. Bill Fay invited recent alumnus Rev. Anthony Hamaty of the Diocese of St. Augustine to have a conversation and to share with us his experience of being a priest in the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida. Before becoming a priest, Fr. Anthony was a pediatrician for close to 30 years. Listen to this episode and hear what happens and what is possible when a man is formed a...

In this episode, we are introduced to seminarian Louis Namugera who is studying to be a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston. Louis has a motivating journey that begins in Uganda, Africa. Hear how he made his way to Boston and why the city is a good fit for him, a place where he “feels at home.” Msgr. Bill Fay and Louis talk about priestly formation but also dive into what hobbies Louis enjoys, ho...

Deacon Chris Aubrey attended a seminary once. After three years of formation studies, he found that continuing would require a level of financial resources that at the time he just did not have. He went back to the workforce as a mechanic. It was 13 years later, and on the threshold of marriage, that he knew he needed to return to formation and determine God’s true will for him. He is now a Deacon...

Deacon Paul Landi is a cradle Catholic from the great state of Texas but his road to formation for priesthood was not a straight one. In this episode, Msgr. Bill Fay talks with Deacon Paul about his prior life of service as a firefighter and paramedic in Houston. How did he become a seminarian for the Diocese of Beaumont? What is it like to trade a life of dedicated service helping people in their...

What led Deacon John Ippolito of the Archdiocese of New York to a decision to connect with his Vocation Director one January night and awaken the journey that will now lead him to priesthood? He sits down with Msgr. Bill Fay to talk about it being never too late to explore God’s call to priesthood. How can you respond to the “gravitational pull” that you suspect is God guiding you to where He need...

Have you ever thought the door has closed for you to become a priest even though God is persistent in asking you to consider it? Deacon Stephen Baruffi of the Archdiocese of Boston will tell you the door is open, and it is truly never too late. Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary is a special place of formation just outside of Boston that exists to form mature candidates for priesthood. Listen t...

This month, Msgr. Bill Fay sits down with Deacon Robert Rooney, a third-year seminarian in formation for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas. We learn from Deacon Bob about experiences that have shaped his current road to priesthood, like growing up on a farm and his pursuit of a career as a lawyer. What, and who, inspired him to become a priest? Did his interest and participation in outdoor ho...

In this episode, learn about the transition from deacon to priest with one of Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary’s deacons, Deacon Dan Bassile ’26 of the Diocese of Orlando. Deacon Dan talks with podcast host Msgr. Bill Fay about what transpired in his life to inspire him to become a permanent deacon. Then, we learn of that moment he knew that God desired him to move one step over on the altar...

This month’s podcast brings us a conversation with Deacon Sinclair Cushmore of the Diocese of Orlando in Florida. With podcast host Msgr. Bill Fay, we learn about Sinclair’s road to the Seminary and priesthood. Deacon Sinclair honed his skills for leadership and priesthood while working for The Walt Disney Company and then for Rosen Hotels and Resorts before pursuing God’s call. His experiences to...

In this episode, Msgr. Bill Fay welcomes two special guests from the Diocese of Brooklyn. Bishop Robert J. Brennan has been serving in his role overseeing the Diocese of Brooklyn since 2021. Rev. Chris Heanue is the Rector-Pastor of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph and St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Brooklyn and is an adjunct professor at the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, teaching Parish Gov...

This month Msgr. Bill Fay sits down with third-year seminarian Giris Azize who is in priestly formation for the Archdiocese of Boston. Giris discusses his vocation journey with Msgr. Fay and talks about his life before surrendering to God’s persistent call. A life that included marriage, children, and a successful career in the healthcare industry. For Giris, there have been many joys and there ha...

What sustains us as we navigate challenges? What might be the rewarding part of priesthood? Seminarian Clifton Mastran of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia explores answers to these and many other questions in this episode with Msgr. Bill Fay. Clifton starts by sharing his personal vocation journey and why his experience in the secular world will certainly increase his impact as...

In this episode, Msgr. Bill Fay talks with Deacon Charles Tupta who is in his fourth year of formation at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. Dcn. Charles is a member of the Rock Hill Oratory in South Carolina. Dcn. Charles walks us briefly through the history of the order founded by St. Philip Neri of Rome. He reveals his own unique path to becoming an Oratory member and his decision to study...

Deacon John Kim is a Cistercian monk, also known as Trappists, from St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. He is in his final year of formation for priesthood at Pope St. John XXIII and he took time to talk with Msgr. Bill Fay about the balance between monastic and seminary life. When he is ordained, Deacon John will serve as a priest for his monastic community and can also help in local pa...

Deacon Jorge Reyes came to the doors of Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary as a permanent deacon. His faith has always been central to his life. Listen and hear about the road he took that led him to consider priesthood. How did his experience in mechanical engineering help prepare him for ministry in the Church? What did his twin children think of his decision to become a priest? Although he h...

Deacon Brian Delaney of the Archdiocese of Boston is in his final year of formation at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary. He sits down with Msgr. Bill Fay to discuss his personal vocation journey and how he came to understand God’s calling for him. Deacon Brian is a widower and was married 37 years. He has a wonderful daughter and granddaughter. He was very involved in his parish communities a...

In this episode we meet Deacon Gerardo Tlatelpa of the Diocese of Brooklyn in New York. Podcast host Msgr. Bill Fay explores what made Deacon Gerardo discern the priesthood. Gerardo has always lived a life in service to others. He worked in the restaurant industry, as a waiter and server’s assistant…serving many people he encountered daily. There came a time where, for three years, a local priest...

It took some time. Then Deacon Bill Burns recognized that Christ was calling him to a new path, one that would allow Bill to boldly lead people toward Christ. Deacon Bill Burns sits down with Msgr. Bill Fay this month to talk about his personal discernment journey. Deacon Bill is in formation for the Diocese of Orlando. He knew early on that God was tugging at him, but instead he followed a path t...

Deacon Pat Bruen sits down with Msgr. Bill Fay this month to talk about his personal discernment journey and how his priestly vocation blossomed through the faith of his family. Deacon Pat is in formation for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Being raised a cradle Catholic, Pat thought about the possibility of the priesthood as a young altar server. He instead went on to work in the secular world and ha...