WASHINGTON, DC – Fathers Joseph Heisey and Christopher Feist were ordained Catholic priests on Saturday, June 15, in a solemn Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the nation’s capital. Both are on track to serve as active-duty U.S. Military chaplains with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). Father Heisey plans to serve on active duty in the Army, Father Feist in the Navy.
Father Heisey, 29, completed his formational studies at the Theological College in Washington, DC; Father Feist, 25, at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary, in Emmitsburg, MD. Both new priests were ordained through the laying of hands and the prayer of consecration invoking the Holy Spirit by His Eminence Wilton Cardinal Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, who also ordained 14 other men in the same Mass in the largest group of new priests ordained in Washington since 1962. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, concelebrated the 10:00 a.m. ordination Mass.
Among those in attendance were Father Heisey’s parents, Nicole and Peter Heisey, and siblings Caroline, Matthew, Gabriel, Maria, Gianna, and Christian. Also in attendance were Father Feist’s parents, Diana and Barney Feist.
“I feel ready to start serving the Church and exploring the meaning of servant leadership in my life,” Father Heisey said. Father Feist said he looks forward to celebrating the sacraments and “getting to see people grow and walk with them on their journey with God.”
The two new priests are among 15 prospective Catholic U.S. Military chaplains ordained this calendar year, either as priests or transitional deacons on track for priestly ordination next year. This comes as the AMS works diligently to overcome a chronic shortage of priests on active duty. For decades now, aging chaplains have been reaching retirement faster than they can be replaced. Just since the time of 9/11, for example, the active-duty Catholic chaplain roster has shrunk from more than 400 to fewer than 200. While 25% of the military is Catholic, Catholic priests now make up only seven percent of the chaplain corps.
Both new priests are alumni of St. Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown, MD, where Father Heisey graduated in 2013 and Father Feist graduated in 2016. Both are also alumni of the Catholic University of America, where Father Heisey earned a Bachelor of Science in Physicsand a Master of Divinity (M.Div.), and Father Feist earned a Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph.B.). He earned an M.Div., and a Master of Arts (MA) with concentration in Moral Theology at St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg.Father Heisey is currently a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve. Father Feist is an ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Both priests participated in the “Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program” (CSP) whereby the AMS partners with cooperating dioceses and religious communities to support vocations. Currently, 34 men are enrolled in the CSP, up sharply from seven in 2008, thanks in large part to the establishment of an active AMS Office of Vocations along with the support of Catholic chaplain recruiters in the military and the cooperation of bishops and religious superiors across the country. A half-dozen more chaplain candidates are scheduled to enter the CSP this year, and the AMS Vocations Office is processing additional CSP applications from still others.
