Fr. Ferry Galbert

“The priestly vocation is essentially a call to holiness.”
-St. John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis, 33

Every vocation begins with Jesus’ invitation: “Come, follow me.” Looking back, I can see that my own vocation unfolded gradually as God quietly prepared my heart through experiences that, at the time, seemed unrelated but were all part of His providential plan.

I was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and immigrated to the United States with my family when I was eleven years old. Like many young men, I did not always know where God was leading me. Before entering the seminary, I worked in my home parish, earned an Associate Degree in Nursing, and worked for five years as a Registered Nurse at Stamford Hospital. Accompanying patients and their families through moments of suffering, uncertainty, and hope taught me lessons that no classroom could. Looking back, I now realize that God was forming my heart to become a spiritual father long before I entered the seminary.

In 2017, I entered seminary formation, completing my philosophical studies at Sacred Heart University before continuing my theological formation at Saint Joseph Major Seminary in Yonkers, NY (Dunwoodie). There I earned a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in Theology, and the Bachelor of Sacred Theology through the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).

I was ordained to the priesthood in 2023. My first assignment was as Parochial Vicar at Saint Lawrence Parish in Shelton while also serving as Chaplain of Saint Joseph High School in Trumbull. Those first years of priesthood were an incredible gift. Accompanying parishioners, students, faculty, and families taught me that spiritual fatherhood is not simply about having the right answers, but about walking with people as they learn to recognize the voice of Christ in their lives.

Today, I have the privilege of serving as the Director of Vocations. My greatest joy is accompanying men who are discerning whether God is calling them to the priesthood. Because I have wrestled with those same questions myself, I understand both the excitement and the uncertainty that often accompany discernment. I have come to discover that God’s call is never something to fear, it is always an invitation to deeper freedom, purpose, and love.

Outside of ministry, I enjoy strength training, hiking, traveling, spending time with friends and families throughout the diocese, and experiencing the beauty of God’s creation. I believe that authentic priestly ministry flows from a balanced life rooted in prayer, healthy friendships, genuine human formation, and joyful service.

Fr. Férry’s Advice to Men Who Are Discerning

If you’ve ever wondered whether God might be calling you to the priesthood, don’t be afraid of that question. You don’t need to have everything figured out before taking the next step. God rarely reveals the whole journey at once…He simply asks us to trust Him with the next step.

My own path to the priesthood was not a straight line. It led through immigration, nursing, friendships, parish life, years of study, moments of uncertainty, and countless experiences that only later revealed their purpose. Looking back, I can see that God never wasted a single moment. He uses everything. He was quietly preparing me for the vocation He had planned all along.

I have come to believe that God is not looking for perfect men. He is looking for generous hearts, men who are willing to let Him shape them into the disciples and shepherds He desires them to be. The priesthood is not about becoming someone extraordinary; it is about allowing Christ to do extraordinary things through an ordinary man who says: Yes.

If you sense the Lord stirring something in your heart, don’t ignore it. Pray. Spend time before the Blessed Sacrament. Ask questions. Speak with a trusted priest. Give yourself the freedom to discover where God may be leading you.

You may find, as I did, that the deepest joy in life comes not from following your own plans, but from trusting the One who created you and knows your heart better than you know yourself.

“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9)

Fr. Christopher Ford

Fr. Christopher Ford was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Bridgeport on June 1, 2019. He serves as Director of Seminarians, accompanying the men of the Diocese through the discernment and formation that prepare them for priestly ministry. In this role, he works closely with each seminarian, the Bishop, and seminary formation teams to support the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions of priestly formation.

A native of Naugatuck, Connecticut, Fr. Ford is the youngest of four siblings. He attended St. Francis of Assisi School and Naugatuck High School before graduating from Southern Connecticut State University in 2011 and completed graduate school at Kent State University in 2013.  Before entering seminary, Fr. Ford worked professionally for political campaigns and in the Department of Residence Life at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.

Fr. Ford entered St. John Fisher Seminary in August 2013 and completed his priestly formation at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York. He subsequently earned a Ph.D. in Administration and Supervision from the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University, where his research focused on the formation and Catholic identity of educators.

In addition to serving as Director of Seminarians, Fr. Ford serves as the Episcopal Vicar for Education and Formation for the Diocese of Bridgeport and Pastor of Notre Dame of Easton Parish.

Fr. Ford has a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John Paul II, both of whom played an important role in his own vocational discernment and seminary formation. A lifelong Connecticut resident, he is nevertheless an avid Minnesota Twins and Alabama Crimson Tide fan, which means scheduling anything on Iron Bowl Saturday may require additional discernment.

Fr. Eric Silva

Father Eric Silva was born on Long Island, NY but his family moved when he was four years old to Trumbull where he grew up going to public elementary and middle school before attending St. Joseph High School. He grew up playing soccer and going to NY Jets games with his father and two brothers.

The beauty and the wonder of the Catholic faith was introduced to Fr. Silva during his high school years, and it was there that the seeds of his vocation to the priesthood were planted. After graduating from St. Joseph’s High School in 2008, Fr. Silva attended Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH to study psychology. It was while he was away at college that he encountered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in a much deeper and lasting way as well as a community of Benedictine priests and brothers living out holiness in a way that was very attractive.

After a period of serious prayer, Fr. Silva left St. Anselm’s in the spring semester of his junior year of college to enter Saint John Fisher Seminary Residence in Stamford, CT. After a year and a half, he finished minor seminary and received a BA in Philosophy from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. He was sent to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD for four more years of formation, studying theology; after his seminary formation in Maryland, he received a Master’s Degree of Divinity as well as a MA in Systematic Theology. He was ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ on June 25, 2016 for the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Fr. Silva’s first assignment and his first two years of priesthood were spent serving the good people at Saint Joseph’s Parish in Brookfield, CT. In the spring of 2018, the Bishop assigned him to be the Chaplain of St. Joseph High School in Trumbull for five years. From the summer of 2023 until January 2025, Fr. Silva served as parochial vicar of Saint Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, and he is currently serving as Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Danbury.

Fr. Juan Colon

Fr. Juan José Colón was born and raised in Norwalk, CT and after graduating from
Norwalk Public Schools, entered the former St. John Fisher Seminary Residence in
Stamford, CT to begin his seminary formation for the Diocese of Bridgeport. Fr. Colón
would go on to continue his seminary formation at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in
Philadelphia, PA. Ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop Frank Caggiano on June 13,
2026, Fr. Colón has been assigned to St. Mary-St. Benedict in Stamford, CT as
Parochial Vicar while also being named a member of the Diocesan Vocations Team. 

While he was born and raised in Connecticut, Fr. Colón’s family is from Puerto Rico,
where he has spent significant time, and he is fluent in both English and Spanish. Fr.
Colón’s interests include watching New York Yankees baseball, playing sports,
traveling, reading books on the American Civil War, and spending quality time with
family and friends.

When asked what his favorite part about being a priest is, Fr. Colón says, “Aside from
celebrating Mass and hearing Confessions, to be able to accompany someone as they
encounter Jesus Christ, and to help them see how God is working in their daily life.
There is nothing more transformative than the love of Christ, and there is nothing more awesome than to see that love operate in someone’s life.”

Fr. Miguel Betancur Lenis

I was born in 1988 in Medellin, Colombia, in a practicing Catholic family. I was twelve when Jesus touched my heart and called me to continue His mission on earth. My vocational journey began after watching a wonderful movie about St. John Bosco. My heart still trembles when I remember the scene when Don Bosco extended an empty hand to Miguel Rua, saying, “Take it.” Miguel, who was a little confused, answered, “What? You’re not giving me anything.” Finally, Don Bosco explained “I’m giving you what I have.” The world wouldn’t think that Don Bosco had anything to give the boy, but Don Bosco was bringing the love of Jesus to his heart, the most valuable gift a young man named Miguel could receive. When the movie finished, I was deeply touched, and the seed of the priestly vocation was sown in my heart.

It was not until I was in high school that I realized the path that God had chosen for me. One day, I listened to a teacher defining priest as “pontiff.” Priests in ancient Rome received the name of “pontiff.” I really liked that definition because of its Latin root: pontiff comes from the word pontis, which means, “bridge”. I realized that I was meant to be that bridge, a bridge between men and God. Jesus called me to be His instrument, to bring His love to the world and to help people reach heaven where all of us will find true happiness.

As the apostles felt the call of Jesus to be fishers of men, I also feel that Jesus calls me to be his disciple; he calls me to continue his mission of spreading the Good News throughout the world. As a priest, I desire to be God’s instrument of salvation, a bridge through which God can reach men with his eternal love, and a bridge through which men can reach God and enjoy heaven in his presence.

Now, in my third year of priesthood, I feel more deeply than ever how blessed I am to give Jesus to others. Each Mass, each confession, each encounter with a soul longing for God reminds me of the incredible privilege of being a bridge. I am humbled to see how God works through me, transforming hearts, offering hope, and drawing people closer to His love. Every day, I am grateful for the trust Jesus places in me, allowing me to share His presence and mercy, and I pray that I can always be a faithful instrument of His grace.