Date: Fri 10-Jul-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

vicar-Castaldo

Full Text:

St Rose Welcomes A New Parochial Vicar

(with cut)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

When the Rev John J. Castaldo came to St Rose of Lima Church last week to

serve as a parochial vicar, he couldn't believe the reception he got from the

parish.

"What a welcome -- even a carnival!" he said, flashing a big grin as he

introduced himself to the congregation during the homily at the 5:30 pm Mass

on Saturday. Laughter and applause immediately filled the church, welcoming

the 39-year-old priest who was transferred to St Rose from St Edward the

Confessor parish in New Fairfield.

Father Castaldo has served at three parishes since he was ordained to the

priesthood at St Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport in 1987, but his work has

extended far beyond those parishes. For the past 11 years he has provided Pre

Cana counseling, a marital instruction program required for all engaged

couples in the church, throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport. He also has been

involved in prison ministry since he was a seminary student and he serves as a

chaplain for Connecticut State Police Troop A in Southbury and G in

Bridgeport.

Growing up on Long Island, the oldest in a family of five siblings, he first

thought about becoming a priest when he joined the Knights of Columbus as a

senior in high school. He is now a fourth-degree Knight. But instead of

entering a seminary, he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology/psychology at

CW Post University, then worked as an accountant for two years.

"But after I made the decision to become a priest, I never looked back. I have

never regretted it for a second," he said.

Father Castaldo earned a master of divinity degree at Sacred Heart School of

Theology, in Hales Corners, Wis., the largest national seminary specializing

in second-career vocations to the Roman Catholic priesthood.

As part of his seminary training, Father Castaldo was asked to take on a

pastoral assignment. He decided to go into the prison ministry, and was

assigned to Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, N.Y.

"I decided I needed to do it to overcome fear, but I became totally enthralled

with it. It is very challenging work," Father Castaldo said. "Attica is a

maximum security prison, with a reputation as one of the most violent in the

country, largely because of overcrowding and the fact that 80 percent of the

prison population are lifers with no chance of parole. Some of them are

serving double and triple life sentences."

After ordination, he was assigned to St Theresa parish in Trumbull for four

years, then at St Mark in Stratford for three. While he was in Trumbull, he

volunteered as a radio dispatcher for the ambulance corps, then became a

state-certified emergency medical technician serving on ambulance calls. He

met many police officers on those calls and was encouraged to become a police

chaplain. Each year he serves with Bishop Edward M. Egan at a Mass at the

cathedral in Bridgeport for all deceased police officers of the diocese.

For the past four years, while assigned to St Edward the Confessor parish in

New Fairfield, he has volunteered at the jail in Bridgeport, doing individual

and group counseling, saying Mass and hearing confessions.

For the past 21 years, beginning in high school, Father Castaldo has worked as

a sports official, serving as a referee or umpire for four sports -- baseball,

basketball, softball and soccer -- usually on his day off each week, when he

drives to his mother's home on Long Island. (His father died last year.)

"My father was an electrical contractor," Father Castaldo said. "My youngest

brother took over the business after he died. One of my sisters is an FBI

agent in New York City, my other brother is a New York City court officer, and

I have a sister who is in the publishing business. Growing up, we were very

close as a family. I believe family values are so important and have tried to

do a lot in the parishes in the areas of social and spiritual activities."

Father Castaldo's major responsibility at St Rose will be with the youth

group, the school and CCD (religious education for public school students)

programs. He will also work with the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults

(RCIA), the adult education program for people who are converting to

Catholicism or who may have been baptized Catholic but never practiced their

faith. RCIA classes begin each year in October and culminate in April on Holy

Saturday of the Easter Vigil.

Father Castaldo is accustomed to working in large parishes. There were 2,200

families at St Edwards, more than 3,000 at St Theresa's. St Rose has nearly

2,500 families.

"I'm very excited about being in this town," Father Castaldo said. "I will

miss St Edward's, of course. It's very hard to say goodbye, but we know when

we are assigned to a parish that we won't stay forever. It is good, for

personal growth, to work in different parishes. You take what you learn in

each parish with you. My hope is to have my own parish eventually, but that's

probably still a few years away."