Answering the call to the priesthood for Father John T. Folchetti, pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft, meant putting aside other interests – including the possibility of a medical profession. But it’s been 50 years, and he hasn’t looked back.
PHOTO GALLERY- Fr. Folchetti’s 50th Anniversary
“There was a point in my young life when I wanted to be a priest and a medical doctor,” he recalled. “I even contemplated becoming a medical missionary in Africa. I felt called by Christ through the example and life of a priest I knew as well as the religious brothers.”
Father Folchetti has spent his half-century of priesthood by “assisting people in their moments of joy (Baptism, Marriage, First Holy Communion) and in moments of sorrow (the loss of a loved one, divorce, separation.)”
“I learned that people have a great hunger for God,” he said. “The hunger of some is obvious, and for others, not so obvious. But people have many questions about God and their faith, and they want to ask and have an answer for their questions.”
Inspired and Called
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1946, John Folchetti was influenced in his vocation by nuns and priests in his family, his schoolteachers and the parish he attended.
“I was blessed with good and holy priests in my family’s parish,” he noted. “I was blessed to be taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood. My favorite subject was religion. Sister St. Bernard, my sixth-grade teacher, encouraged my vocation to the priesthood, as did my aunt, Sister Mary Beatrice. My high school teachers strongly supported my interest in the priesthood.”
He attended Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception, Douglaston, N.Y., and was sent to the Pontifical North American College, Rome, where he pursued graduate studies in dogmatic theology and pastoral theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Then Bishop James A. Hickey, rector of the North American College, ordained Father Folchetti to the priesthood June 27, 1974, in St. Peter’s Basilica.
As a priest, Father Folchetti hoped “to deepen faith in Jesus Christ through the celebration of the Sacraments and priestly service,” he said. “I also wanted to facilitate community.”
He served at Immaculate Conception Parish, Astoria, N.Y., then Star of the Sea Parish, Brooklyn.
In 1982, Father Folchetti joined the faculty of Cathedral Prep Seminary, Elmhurst, N.Y., where he taught psychology and biology for three years. In 1985, he was assigned to Cathedral College, his alma mater, as the dean of students and professor of psychology. During this period, Father Folchetti obtained a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Iona College.
From 1982 to 2009 he served as a weekend assistant at St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold. In 1988, he became chaplain of Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, and in 1993, Father Folchetti earned a doctorate in counseling psychology from the Graduate Theological Foundation and continued to work on his second doctorate in psychology from the same institute. He taught counseling psychology at Georgian Court College (now University), Lakewood, for 15 years. He was formally incardinated into the Diocese of Trenton in 2009 and was named pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft, by Bishop John M. Smith.
In 2013, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan invested him as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; in 2016, the order’s grand master, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, elevated Father Folchetti to Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Ministry Continues
Father John T. Folchetti pauses for a photo with well-wishers.
Hal Brown
Father Folchetti looks forward to continuing sacramental ministry and using his psychological counseling skills, providing retreats and classes in the Catholic faith and writing.
“I am very fond of Pope Benedict XVI,” he said, “and I have an extensive collection of his writings and would like to lecture on his life and his works.”
For those who feel called to serve the Lord as priest or religious, Father Folchetti advises: “Embrace the call with all your heart. Never look back. Always look for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, especially through the wisdom of other priests and those in religious life, and the laity, who have so much to offer.”