Pittsfield Man Being Ordained at St. Michael's Cathedral
 The Rev. Christopher A. Fedoryshyn |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — A Pittsfield man will be ordained on Sunday morning at 11 during a Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral.
Springfield Bishop Timothy McDonnell will ordain the Rev. Mr. Christopher Andrew Fedoryshyn, 29, of Pittsfield and the Rev. Mr. Francis Jeffrey Lawlor, 57, a native of New Haven, Conn.
With their addition, it will bring to a total 26 men McDonnell has ordained in his 10 years as leader of the Springfield diocese,making it among the top U.S. dioceses for ordinations.
The public is invited to attend the morning ceremony. It is also be streamed live on www.iobserve.com.
Fedoryshyn is a 2003 graduate of Taconic High School and a 2007 graduate of Siena College. He is the son of Marie Fedoryshyn and the late Peter Fedoryshyn. After college he began doctoral studies in economics at American University in Washington, D.C.
Following his father's sudden death in 2008, he returned to Pittsfield. He credits his pastor, the Rev. Peter Gregory of St. Charles' Parish, with encouraging his vocation.
He entered the Oblates of the Virgin Mary but later determined he wanted to be a diocesan priest. He then entered St. John's Seminary in Brighton.
Lawlor is the son of the late Eugene and Mary Jane Lawlor. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Conn., in 1974. He then attended Providence (R.I.) College and Southern Connecticut State College. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore in 1978.
 The Rev. Francis Lawlor |
He was married and has three grown children, Colleen, Matthew and Timothy, and a grandchild.
Before entering the seminary, Lawlor worked for more than 20 years in the financial investment field, employed as a first vice president at Connecticut Complex Manager for Gruntal & Co LLC in New Haven, and was a first vice president, New England Complex manager, for Ryan Beck & Co. Inc.
Just prior to entering the seminary, Lawlor was the development director for the Newman Catholic Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was a seminarian at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston.
The Rev. Gary M. Dailey, director of vocations for the Diocese of Springfield, said the ordination day is special.
"Always, when we ordain new priests, it's a sign of great hope. It's also a sign of continuity. Christ continues to work in the church. Through the priest, the sacraments are being administered to the people God and that alone is, in itself, a great joy," said Dailey.
He said one ordination is scheduled for next year and none for 2016.
Following the ordination there are six men studying to be priests. However, Gary said there are 12 men in the application process for this fall.
"Also, we have ordained 24 men in the past nine years," he said. "Still, we need to continue prayers for an increase in vocations."
On June 6 at 7 p.m., a Holy Hour for Priestly Vocations will be held at St. Michael's. A Corpus Christi Procession for Vocations is scheduled for Sunday, June 22, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. in Ludlow.
Tags: ordination, Springfield Diocese,
