May 26, 2006

Bishop Kmiec to ordain two men to the priesthood

St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St. in downtown Buffalo, will be the setting for the ordination of two men to the priesthood on Saturday, May 27 at 10 a.m.

Bishop Edward U. Kmiec will confer Holy Orders on Rev. Mr. F. Patrick Melfi and Rev. Mr. Todd Remick through the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the imposition of hands.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Rev. Mr. Melfi grew up in Olean and was a member of St. Mary of the Angels Parish. He designed bridges for the New York State Department of Transportation before entering Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora. “When I was in the Navy and away from home for the first time, my faith kept me rooted,” he said. “That carried on into college. There was something unfulfilled. I needed to look at the whole thing. In 2000, I had a meeting with a priest for some spiritual direction.”

That meeting was followed by a visit to the Holy Land and Rev. Mr. Melfi said “It spurred me on to formation.”

Rev. Mr. Remick, a native of Troy, NY, his home parish is Our Lady of Lourdes in Bemus Point, said he felt a sense of emptiness while working as an engineering consultant for a decade. “I had a good experience in engineering, but still there was something lacking. I had a longing to be closer to God.”

Following ordination, the new diocesan priests will receive their first pastoral assignments at a parish in the eight-county Diocese of Buffalo.

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