After a short hiatus from #TeacherSpotlightTuesday, we are back shining the spotlight on some very important St. Mary's staff members during Catholic Schools Week... our priests!
First up is Father Joe Franz, our SMS School Chaplain. let's get to know him a little better:
Father Joe attended public school in Eden, NY, and graduated in 1989. He received his Associates degree from Alfred State College in Drafting and Design in 1991, and worked for 25 years in Commercial Heating and Plumbing doing drawing and design.
In 2016 he received a Bachelors degree from D’Youville College in Philosophy, and entered seminary in the Fall of 2016. He attended Christ the King in East Aurora until it's closing, then St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, MD. Father Joe graduated with a Bachelors in Sacred Theology and Masters in Divinity in 2022. He then went back for further studies and received a License in Sacred Theology in 2023. Father Joe was ordained to the priesthood in June of 2022, and our family of parishes is his first assignment!
Speaking of families, they are very important to Father Joe. He is the 5th of 6 children in his immediate family (3 boys and 3 girls), and has 13 nieces and nephews! He was married for about 7 years prior to becoming a priest and received an annulment, which allowed him to be ordained.
Father Joe's favorite Bible verse is “[Jesus] said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?’” (Matthew 16:15). His favorite subject in school was Math, and his favorite food is soup!
When asked what message he'd like to convey to our students, Father Joe shared the following, " Make sure you have a devotion to Mary, Our Blessed Mother. Surround yourself with good and holy people."
What wonderful advice Father Joe! Thank you for sharing your story with us and letting us all get to know you even better.