Welcome, Seminarian Nick Chapman!

I am excited to announce that Archbishop Coyne has assigned Seminarian Nick Chapman to St. John Bosco Parish for the summer.

Nick, a native of Windsor, Connecticut, and a graduate of UCONN, will join us near the end of June upon his return from Rome, where he has just completed his third year of theology studies at the Pontifical North American College. Nick will serve in various capacities while learning more about daily parish life, ministry, and operations. As an instituted acolyte, his primary responsibilities will include service at the altar at Mass, assistance in the Church’s liturgical life, and he may also assist with funeral liturgies, burial rites, and committal services.

I have had the opportunity to meet Nick on several occasions and have been deeply impressed by him. He is a prayerful, thoughtful gentleman and a faithful son of the Church. Personally, I look forward to having him with us this summer and to sharing in this important stage of his formation.

At the end of the summer, Nick will return to Rome for his final year of study and formation for the priesthood. In October, he will be ordained to the transitional diaconate, and we will look forward to having him back with us at Christmas. God willing, in June 2027, upon completion of his studies, he will be ordained a priest by Archbishop Coyne along with two other men for the Archdiocese of Hartford.

There is even more good news: Archbishop Coyne has indicated his intention to assign (soon-to-be Father) Nick Chapman as Parochial Vicar of St. John Bosco following his ordination in the summer of 2027. What a tremendous blessing for our parish!

Although Nick is in the midst of finals, he took a short break from the end-of semester crunch to send us a greeting:

“Dear Branford Catholics,
Greetings! My name is Seminarian Nick Chapman, and I am very excited to be assigned to St. John Bosco Parish with you this summer. I’m 30 years old and am from Windsor, CT. I graduated from UCONN in 2017, and it was there I first started to think about being a priest. It took me some time to warm up to the idea, though, for I worked as a FOCUS missionary and then as an aerospace project engineer before entering seminary in 2021. My longtime hobbies are cycling and playing the drums; in college, I got my pilot’s license. More recently, I’ve grown to like pickleball. I have a deep love for Jesus in the Eucharist and hope to share some of my faith with you this summer. I’m praying for you—please keep me in your prayers, too, as I wrap up my final exams.” – Seminarian Nick Chapman

Over the years, our parish has hosted several seminarians and newly ordained priests, and we have been blessed to foster vocations from within our own community. This is a beautiful sign of the vitality of St. John Bosco Parish and of God’s continued work among us.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Seminarian Nick and keeping him in your prayers as he prepares for a life of service to Jesus Christ and His Church.

-Fr. Ryan Lerner