LANCASTER, NY – The Reverend Mr. Christopher J. Wild, LTJG, USN, a candidate for the Catholic priesthood and United States Military chaplaincy, was ordained a transitional deacon on Saturday, May 17, in his home Diocese of Buffalo, NY. The new deacon, 27, is on track to be ordained a priest next year and hopes eventually to serve as a Catholic chaplain in the U.S. Navy, providing pastoral care to Catholic sailors and their families with endorsement and faculties from the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS).
“Shortly after I received my First Communion,” the Rev. Mr. Wild said, “I started altar serving, and although I couldn’t articulate it at the time, I knew that something very important was happening at Mass. I loved being close to the altar, and I was eager to sign up for Holy Days. Around the same time, I started attending the parish school at Our Lady of Pompeii where I learned to love the faith through religion and history classes.”
It was at that same parish—Our Lady of Pompeii in Lancaster, NY—that the new deacon received the sacrament of Holy Orders from Bishop Michael W. Fisher through the laying of hands and the prayer of consecration invoking the Holy Spirit. AMS Auxiliary Bishop Joseph L. Coffey, after an unexpected long drive, concelebrated the 10:00 a.m. ordination Mass. Among those in attendance were the Rev. Mr. Wild’s parents, Brian and Kimberly Wild, and an uncle, retired U.S. Army officer Joe Wild.
The Rev. Mr. Wild holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Philosophy and Catholic Studies from St. John Fisher University in Rochester, NY. Now in his final year of formational studies at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, MD, he is completing work on a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.).
“Through high school,” the Rev. Mr. Wild recalls, “I had a sense that God was calling me to give my life in service, but I wasn’t quite sure what that would look like; I considered teaching, nursing, firefighting, lay ministry, and holy orders, but nothing seemed to be certain.
“It was in college that I dove much more deeply into our faith, guided by wonderful priests, professors, and lay ministers in campus ministry. I spent some time dating and considering marriage, but the same thought kept tugging at my heart in prayer: that God might be calling me to be a priest. As graduation drew near and I began to consider whether I would begin working or continue studying at graduate school, a discernment retreat in Syracuse marked an important moment in my journey. It was there that I resolved to apply for the seminary to offer to God the time and space to reveal Himself and His will to me. The years of seminary and time spent at parishes, hospitals, and military installations have confirmed time and again that this is the vocation to which God is calling me. I can’t imagine life any other way.”
Under his co-sponsorship agreement with the AMS, upon priestly ordination next year, the Rev. Mr. Wild will serve three years in his home Diocese of Buffalo, honing his pastoral skills before acceding to active duty. The eventual service of the Rev. Mr. Wild and other Catholic chaplain candidates is greatly anticipated by the Navy, which, like all other branches of the U.S. Military, continues to suffer a chronic shortage of Catholic chaplains. Currently, the Navy has only 47 priests on active duty and 17 in the Reserve, serving a large Catholic population of more than 135,000 Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen spread worldwide, not counting their families, who Navy chaplains also serve.
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