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| Photo courtesy of Maddie Gionet |
By Maddie Gionet, features editor, @MaddieGNA
Gionet: You entered the Franciscan Order in 1995. But describe your journey of becoming a Franciscan priest before that.
Fr. John: Well, religious life runs in my family … Some of my family members saw the priesthood in me before I even saw it! When I was at Hunter College as an English major, I really began to get into my faith. I wasn’t a practicing Catholic after I made my Confirmation at age 13, but somewhere in my 20s I began to get interested. I took some religious classes, and over time my personal reading became more and more Christian.
Gionet: After entering the order, where were you placed? What did you do?
Fr. John: I did an internship between my fourth and fifth years of theology in Anderson, S.C., where I did a lot of ministry with the Hispanic community. After that year, I was ordained as a deacon and considered working with the Latino community. I was attracted to one of the most Hispanic and poorest parishes in the country, St. Anthony of Padua in Camden, N.J. Utilizing my Spanish, improving on it and working with the poor were all things I wanted to do. When I was ordained as a priest in 2002, I became a parochial vicar at St. Anthony’s for nine years until I moved here to Mt. Irenaeus. While I was at St. Anthony’s, one of my favorite ministries was teaching English as a second language. I started an ESL class once I arrived, and it had a lot of success.
Gionet: What caused you to move to Mt. Irenaeus after nine years at St. Anthony’s? And what attracted you to the Mountain?
Fr. John: I’d been coming to the Mountain for years, trying to get there once a year for a personal retreat. I also came there with one of the ministries I was involved in — Franciscan Volunteer Ministry — which works with young adults right out of college looking to volunteer. Going with them on retreats throughout the year really helped me to know the Mountain and the friars.
Gionet: Was it a hard transition to life at Mt. Irenaeus and St. Bonaventure?
Fr. John: It was difficult because it was a total change in the rhythm of my life. In many ways, though, it was very pleasing and exciting with wonderful new things and people to enjoy. I’m still finding my way, but it’s both exciting and challenging. There is so much support, though. I have the friars at the Mountain, and down here, I have Br. Kevin (Kriso), Fr. Dan (Riley), Fr. Bob (Struzynski) and Fr. Francis (DiSpigno). All of them have been extremely helpful to me in growing into campus ministry. I consider myself a freshman here with teachers all over campus.
Gionet: What are some of your roles on campus?
Fr. John: I help with MCL (Mountain Community Leaders), which meets on Sundays at 5 p.m. in the Thomas Merton Center. I work with RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), and I’m beginning a prayer group called Kingdom Quest which will meet on Monday nights at 7 in the Thomas Merton Center.
Gionet: What are some of your hopes for your future here at Mt. Irenaeus and St. Bonaventure?
Fr. John: I hope to excite people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, about belonging to something greater than just the society they live in. To help people understand that they belong, that they’re loved, and to be part of the educational process that goes on here.
The Intrepid, 2011
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