Class of 2022

Fr. Philip Nolan grew up in Williamstown, Massachusetts where his family attended the Parish of Saints Patrick and Raphael. He went to Williams College, majoring in philosophy. As a junior in college, he spent a year studying in Oxford, England, where he first met Dominican friars. After graduating, he worked for First Things magazine for two Read more…

Fr. Paul Marich, O.P. hails from Youngstown, Ohio, where he first met the Dominicans at St. Dominic Parish during his high school and college years. His family still lives in the Youngstown area, and he has one older sibling. Fr. Paul received a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville, Read more…

Fr. Pachomius Walker grew up near Nashville, TN with five brothers.  He attended Vanderbilt University during which time he was received into full communion with the Catholic Church through the campus ministry and was confirmed at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville.  After a brief time working, he attended seminary for three years.  During Read more…

Fr. Maximilian Jaskowak, O.P., hails from Grove City, Pennsylvania, where his family attended the Church of the Beloved Disciple.  After high school, he entered St. Mark College Seminary at Gannon University, majoring in Philosophy.  Following graduation, he matriculated to Duquesne University, earning the M.A. in Theology.  While studying at Duquesne, he taught and coached at Read more…

Fr. Luke VanBerkum hails from outside of Detroit, Michigan, where he attended St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church with his family. He is the second of seven children. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in Philosophy and Theology. While in college, Fr. Luke was attracted to the Order because Read more...

Fr. James Ritch, the younger of two children, was raised in Mahopac, NY and was a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church. After attending a Catholic high school, he received a bachelor of science in biology at Providence College, Rhode Island, where he first met the Dominicans, and subsequently researched Huntington disease for two Read more…

Fr. Damian Day is from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, the second of six children. He served as an altar boy for many years at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Seekonk, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Providence College, where he studied History. It was as a student at Providence College that Fr. Damian first encountered Read more…

Fr. Bernard Knapke grew up in Saint Henry, Ohio, where he and his family of five attended a parish of the same name.  He later attended the University of Cincinnati where he majored in mechanical engineering and earned a B.S. and M.B.A. in 2012.  Immediately after college, he moved to Chicago for priestly formation and Read more…

Fr. Bartholomew Calvano was raised, along with an older sister and younger brother, in an itinerant family, his father being in the Air Force. After his father retired, the family settled in Chesapeake, VA where they are members of the Parish of St. Stephen Martyr. Fr. Bartholomew then attended Rutgers, The State University of New Read more…

Fr. Albert Dempsey was born and raised in Rochester, NY.  He grew up in a Catholic family attending Our Lady of Victory parish.  He studied biology and classics at Williams College in Massachusetts and entered the Order of Preachers shortly after graduating.  “I was attracted to the Dominicans by its form of life, which combines Read more…