Saint John’s Seminary thanks Fr. Ed Riley for 12 years of service

Saint John’s Seminary is pleased to announce important personnel changes for the 2022–2023 academic year.

Father Ed Riley, currently Dean of Men and Director of Pastoral Formation, has been appointed by Cardinal Sean O’Malley as Chaplain for Lumen Verum Academy. He will complete his tenure effective 7/1/22 when he takes up this new position in addition to remaining Spiritual Director for the Archdiocesan Office for Homeschooling. Fr. Ed has served on the Faculty of Saint John’s Seminary since 2010. The faculty and seminarians of Saint John’s, and the many priests ordained since 2010, are grateful for Father Ed’s 12 years of service.

Father Richard Fitzgerald will assume the mantle of Director of Pastoral Formation on June 1. Father Fitzgerald will still remain pastor at Saint Columbkille’s Parish in Brighton, where he has served since 2013. Ordained in 1987, Father Fitzgerald also served as the pastor of Saint Paul’s Parish in Wellesley for 11 years until 2013. His many years of experience will with no doubt be a blessing to our men in formation.

Father Ryan Connors of the Diocese of Providence will vacate the position of Director of Sacred Liturgy to fill Father Ed’s role as Dean of Men. Father Connors holds a doctorate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas and has been Professor of Moral Theology at Saint John’s since 2018.

Father Peter Stamm, professor of Liturgical Theology at Saint John’s, will become our new director of Sacred Liturgy. Father Stamm was ordained in 2015 and served as Parochial Vicar of Saint Joseph Parish, Needham. He is presently completing further studies at Boston College.

Founded in 1884, Saint John’s Seminary is the oldest seminary in New England. We train and educate seminarians from 11 dioceses and five religious orders for the Catholic priesthood, in addition to offering graduate degrees in Catholic theology and ministry for laity. We welcome our faculty to their new roles as they carry out our institutional mission: forming disciples, proclaiming Jesus Christ.

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