Edward Fantauzzo
Home Parish: St. Louis in Pittsford
Year you entered the seminary? 2024
What did you do before you entered the seminary? Served in the US Navy
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood? While on deployment with the Navy I worked closely with a Jesuit priest Chaplin. His faith, devotion, and love for his vocation first attracted me to the priesthood.
Why did you enter the seminary? I felt a calling to vocation and a desire to serve the church.
Interests: Board Games, Shooting/Skeet Competitions, Golf/Baseball
Charles Moskov
Home Parish: St. Mary's, Auburn NY
Year you entered the seminary? 2024
What did you do before you entered the seminary?
I served in the Army as a cavalry scout. I entered into seminary because I want to fully give myself over to God in service of his people.
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
After praying on the best way to do this I felt called to the priesthood.
Why did you enter the seminary?
While I was deployed I often had long conversations about the faith with my fellow soldiers. This combined with a pilgrimage to Jasna Gora greatly deepened my love for Christ and the Blessed Mother ultimately culminating in my vocation.
Interests:
I like to read about history. I also really enjoy getting outside to enjoy nature.
Anthony Nicolosi
Home Parish: St. Leo the Great parish, Hilton NY
Year you entered the seminary? 2024
What did you do before you entered the seminary?
I studied biology at St. John Fisher University with the original intention to become a pharmacist or do research, but felt God tug on my heart as early as freshman year.
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
Developing relationships with both priests and particularly Catholics in young adult settings. Talking to several priests about their vocations felt great. The work the priest did was very inspiring to me, especially saying mass and pastoral ministry. In young adult settings, I always felt the desire to minister to those around me. The more I let the Holy Spirit lead, the more God proved to me that I was called to do this work.
Why did you enter the seminary?
I fell in love with the sacraments and liturgy through some classes I took and I found great consolation in reading scripture. I decided to enter seminary right out of college after hearing God's call to make our beautiful Catholic faith more accessible, particularly to those who have fallen away.
Interests:
I enjoy reading, listening to music, and hanging out with friends and family. I also love to listen to podcasts and have conversations around the Catholic faith.
Michael Piersall
Home Parish: Sacred Heart Cathedral Community
Year you entered the seminary? 2024
What did you do before you entered the seminary? Before I entered seminary, I was a student at Christendom College majoring in Classical and Early Christian Studies. I studied at Christendom College for two years before entering seminary, and in my final semester worked as a student supervisor in the Christendom College library.
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood? When I was completing my junior year in high school, it was announced that the school I had been attending would close following that academic year. In the wake of that unexpected announcement, my parents and I decided that I would finish my high school degree through the home-schooling program, Mother of Divine Grace School. During that year I was able to go to Mass and altar serve daily at the Cathedral with Fr. Van Lieshout—this experience opened me to the priesthood more than anything else could have. Serving and attending Mass daily, I was able to experience the richness of the liturgical year in a way I had never done before. Throughout it all, I became aware of an abiding joy within myself and began to wonder if I might be called to serve at the altar in a deeper way.
Why did you enter the seminary? Following my sophomore year of college, I entered seminary so that I could discern and pursue a vocation to the priesthood while yet in college.
Interests: I have a wide range of interests. For almost ten years now, I have played the bagpipes, and I regularly perform at parades and festivals with the Rochester Scottish Pipes and Drums Band. I also love the outdoors and adventure, which has led me to enjoy camping and scuba diving. In my everyday life, I like to exercise and read. In the past few months I have also been interested in perhaps starting a new hobby which would teach me new skills, such as vintage car restoration or jewelry making.
Daniel Spears
Home Parish: Church of Saint Jerome, East Rochester, NY
Year you entered the seminary? 2023
What did you do before you entered the seminary?
Prior to entering the seminary, I spent two years at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, where I studied philosophy and theology. Liturgy and Sacred Music were an important part of the college’s spiritual identity. We read and discussed many documents from the Second Vatican Council, in addition to works by Pope Benedict XVI. One of my favorites was his Spirit of the Liturgy, which reveals the hidden spiritual world that is present at every Mass.
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
I spent the last five summers volunteering as a missionary at the Apostolate for Family Consecration in Ohio. Each summer I lived in community with other missionaries and ministered to families who attended summer retreats there. I served in many different roles: teacher, musician, tech support, french-fryer, and groundskeeper to name a few. I was always amazed at how I was called to use my unique gifts in various ways over the years, and how each summer brought new insights into who God is calling me to be. The summers provided many opportunities for prayer, discernment, and getting to know priests from across the country. We also had many international priests visit. I was inspired by their dedication and joy in the variety of ways that they bring Christ to the families, especially through the Sacraments.
Why did you enter the seminary?
Through many years of personal prayer and the establishment of a relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, I have discerned that the priesthood is likely the way in which God is calling me to serve Him with my life. Before looking anywhere else, I made God my first choice. The more I placed my trust in Him, the more doors opened leading me to the seminary. It was a difficult decision to transfer colleges, but my welcoming at Our Lady of Providence Seminary has been affirming that I am on the right path. I look forward to the many years of study and formation ahead in which I can continue to discern God’s call and grow in love for Christ and His Church.
Interests:
I am passionate about Sacred Music and enjoy singing, composing, and playing the organ. I also like to design websites and build computer software. My two hobbies combined when I had the opportunity to design and build an electronic pipe organ to play at Mass for the Apostolate for Family Consecration. When I’m not writing code or making music, I like to read books and engage in philosophical and theological discussions with friends.
George Bastedo IV
Home Parish: St. Joseph the Worker, Clyde
Year you entered the seminary? 2019
What did you do before you entered the seminary? Why did you enter the seminary?
I entered the seminary in the fall of 2019 after spending a year as a music teacher in a public high school. I entered the seminary because I began to wonder through prayer and encounters with the people around me whether God might be calling me to become a priest, and because I was struck by how the local priest shortage has affected our parishes.
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
It’s hard to pinpoint one influence in particular, but if I had to choose I would say being a music minister and becoming involved in the liturgy was a major factor that led to me considering the priesthood.
Interests:
As a musician, I enjoy singing as well as playing piano, trumpet, and organ, and I have been involved with many musical theatre productions over the past several years. I also like to read, play board games, and participate in trivia/academic competition.
Joseph Maurer
Home Parish: Saint Kateri Parish, Irondequoit – Saint Thomas the Apostle Church
Year you entered the seminary? 2022
What did you do before you entered the seminary? Why did you enter the seminary?
I studied woodworking and business in college and then I worked for about 5 years for a local custom window and door manufacturer specializing in high quality wood windows and doors. I eventually decided to enter the seminary and pursue the priesthood after growing much deeper in my faith and genuinely feeling called to it. I also continually heard about the priest shortage and the need for more priests and I felt that I could do it and be happy and hopefully be part of the solution.
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
One of the bigger influences for me was simply having the opportunity to spend time and talk to current priests in our diocese. Talking to them and asking them questions and learning more about what the actual role of a priest is helped me hear the call.
Interests:
My biggest interest and hobby is woodworking. I also enjoy spending time with family and watching movies.
David Cataline
Home Parish: Our Lady of Peace Parish, Geneva NY
Year you entered the seminary? 2019
What did you do before you entered the seminary?
I was an educator and school administrator for Baltimore City Schools
Why did you enter the seminary?
I have always been involved in the church in some capacity since I was an altar server. The more I became involved, the more I felt drawn to the priesthood.
What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood? My involvement in the church as well as the priests whom I know personally. They have been a guiding star in my discernment.
Interests:
I enjoy reading and hanging out with friends. I am very involved in my brother’s foundation so I do a lot of work with them for awareness and other events for families.
