CINCINNATI, OH – Father Stephen J. Hughes, 2d Lt, USAF, a candidate for United States military chaplaincy, was ordained a Catholic priest on Saturday, May 20, 2023, in his home Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The new priest plans to serve as a Catholic chaplain in the U.S. Air Force providing pastoral care to Catholic airmen and their families with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
Father Hughes’ priestly ordination was celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains through the laying of hands and the prayer of consecration invoking the Holy Spirit by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, J.C.D. AMS Auxiliary Bishop Joseph L. Coffey concelebrated the 11:00 a.m. ordination Mass. Among those in attendance were the new priest’s parents, Thomas and Jennifer Hughes, brothers Michael, Patrick, and Mark, and sisters Mary and Sarah.
Father Hughes, 32, is a 2009 graduate of Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio. In 2013, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy while attending Bowling Green State University on a U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship. He served on active duty in the Air Force for three years, reaching the rank of first lieutenant as a squadron command section supervisor, before discerning priesthood, transferring to the Air Force Reserve, and entering seminary.
The new priest completed formational studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, where he earned Master’s Degrees in Catholic Studies and Divinity. Under a co-sponsored seminarian agreement with the AMS, Father Hughes will serve in his home Archdiocese of Cincinnati for three years before entering active duty, starting as Parochial Vicar of St. Margaret of York and St. Columban parishes in Loveland, OH.
Father Hughes says he discovered his call to the priesthood in college. “I realized my desire to serve in the military reflected a deeper calling to serve the Church,” he said. Commenting on his priestly ordination, the new priest said, “I am humbled to be entrusted with the care of souls and the celebration of the sacraments for the faithful. I am excited to serve in my parish assignments and begin my lifelong commitment to love of God and His people both in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and eventually the men and women of the United States Air Force.”
The eventual service of Father Hughes and other Catholic chaplain candidates is greatly anticipated by the Air Force, which, like all other branches of the U.S. Military, continues to suffer a chronic shortage of Catholic chaplains. Currently, the Air Force is well below the number of Catholic priests needed for active-duty pastoral care to serve more than 80,000 Catholic airmen and their families spread worldwide.
Young men interested in discerning a priestly vocation, and the vocation within a vocation to serve those who serve in the U.S. military, can find more information at milarch.org/vocations, or may contact the AMS Office of Vocations directly by email at vocations@milarch.org.
Donations in support of AMS Vocations are gratefully accepted at milarch.org/donate.
