Rev. Mr. Douglas Villanella

I was blessed to come from a Catholic family that has been very involved in the Church through the parish for as long as I can remember. I would often serve at Mass and at other devotions, and help out at parish events when I could. We also prayed together in the home; devotions like the rosary and grace before meals. That said, the faith was never really a foreign thing to me, and neither was the priesthood.

The first call I felt to priesthood came at a very young age. My family noticed and gave me their support to continue to think and pray about this possible call from the Lord. From then on, my desire for priesthood grew throughout the years with little interruption. When I was about to graduate from high school, my parents came into my discernment story in a major way. They said, “This is great if you still want to do it, but you actually have to go and do it.” They gave me the nudge and encouragement I needed to begin looking into seminary more intently. After prayer and discernment, I felt the tug on my heart to apply to be a seminarian in the Diocese of Syracuse.

I studied at a community college while I was applying to seminary and was accepted in 2019. I was first sent to Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Queens, New York to study and receive my Bachelor’s degree in philosophy at St. John’s University. I was then sent to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland to study theology, and I will be finishing my last semester there this fall.  Also during that time, I was sent to the Parishes of Divine Mercy in Central Square and Sacred Heart in Cicero for a Pastoral year in the middle of my theological studies. I returned to these parishes this past summer to serve as a deacon after being ordained this past May.

In the years of formation in seminary, there is a lot about our Faith, our Church, and myself that I have learned. There have been many struggles, but also many blessings the Lord has given that have made it worth everything He’s asked of me. He’s taken care of me through it all, and He’s given me a joy and peace in the ministries I’ve participated in that I know I won’t find anywhere else. But most importantly, the Lord brought me closer to Himself while leading and strengthening me all along the way. I’m excited to see where He will lead me next on my path of formation and priesthood next year if it be His will.