GAINESVILLE, VA — Fathers Michael T. Nugent and Charles C. Wilton were ordained Catholic priests on Saturday, June 3, in a solemn Mass and an overflowing congregation at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, VA. Both are on track to become U.S. Navy chaplains with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
Father Nugent, 35, completed his formation and theological studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, earning a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas; Father Wilton, 46, completed his formation and theological studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD, where he earned a Master of Divinity and a certificate in Hispanic Ministry.
Both priests were ordained by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge through the laying of hands and the prayer of consecration invoking the Holy Spirit. His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, concelebrated the 11:00 a.m. ordination Mass.
Among those in attendance were Father Nugent’s parents, Capt. and Mrs. Alfred Steven Nugent III (USN, Ret.), his sister, Ms. Emily Nugent; his brother, Mr. Steven Nugent and his wife Heather. Praying with the family from Tallahassee, FL, were his maternal grandparents, Lt. and Mrs. Thomas Keenan (USN, Ret.) and from Freehold, NJ, his paternal grandmother Regina Nugent. Father Wilton’s parents and siblings live in Europe and watched the ordination Mass via livestream.
“My heart is full of gratitude to the Lord and to those who have prayed for me and supported me in this journey,” Father Nugent said. “I am eager to serve the people of God as a priest of Jesus Christ.”
Father Wilton said, “I feel so much joy, so much peace, serenity, so much excitement, and gratitude to God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me, and I can’t wait to begin active ministry. I can’t wait to begin serving our incredible and amazing men and women in uniform and their family members, to be radically present to them whether it be at home or in the most austere and dangerous environments, to minister to them “in every clime and place.”
The two are among 12 prospective Catholic U.S. Military chaplains set to be ordained this calendar year—seven as transitional deacons on track to be ordained priests next year, and five as priests—as the AMS works diligently to overcome a chronic shortage of priests on active duty. For decades now, aging Catholic 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.
Father Nugent is a 2006 graduate of Catholic High School in Virginia Beach, VA. In 2010 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Economics from the University of Virginia. He worked in the financial sector in New York before entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, PA, where he graduated in 2019 with a Master of Arts degree in Philosophical Studies.
Father Wilton is a veteran of the Navy where he served for 14 years as a Hospital Corpsman and experienced combat on deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a 1995 high school graduate of the Archbishop’s School in Kent, England. In 2001, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from De Montfort University in Leicester, England and in 2012, a Master of Science in International Relations from Troy University in Alabama. The new priest says he discovered his vocation shortly after converting to Catholicism in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2013, largely through the influence of a Catholic Army chaplain, Father Tyson Wood, CH (LTC), USA (Ret.).
Both new priests are enrolled in the “Co-Sponsored Seminarian Program” (CSP) whereby the AMS partners with cooperating dioceses and religious communities to support vocations. Currently, 38 men are enrolled in the CSP, up sharply from seven (7) in 2008, thanks in large part to the creation of an active AMS Office of Vocations, the support of Catholic chaplain recruiters in the military, and the cooperation of bishops and religious superiors across the country. An additional five chaplain candidates are scheduled to enter the CSP this year, and the AMS Vocations Office is processing applications from still more.
Young men interested in discerning a priestly vocation and the vocation within a vocation to serve those who serve can find more information at www.milarch.org/vocations, or may contact Father S. Matthew Gray, AMS Vocations Director, at vocations@milarch.org or (202) 719-3600.
Gifts in support of AMS Vocations are gratefully accepted at milarch.org/donate.
