PROVIDENCE — Serving Jesus Christ and preaching the Gospel has been a lifelong passion for Deacon Albert Marcello, who will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.
Deacon Marcello said he has "always been attracted to the priesthood, and never had any doubts about my calling.
"The presence of God and my faith have always been there," he added during an interview held in the rectory of the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus last Thursday.
The Providence College and Bishop Hendricken High School graduate said his father, Albert Sr., and mother, Norma, recalled how he would get on his knees as a toddler and pray at the bedside of his sick aunt in Central Falls.
"I remember when my grandmother used to care for my sick aunt, and when Father Leon Maynard from Notre Dame in Central Falls would bring Communion to her and anoint her," the deacon recalled.
Deacon Marcello, 26, said it will be a "privilege to serve God and the priesthood of Christ is a great gift. It's above human nature — it's supernatural."
He will become the youngest priest in the Diocese of Providence. The avid reader of National Review and Economist magazines said he knew when he was 18 that he would enter seminary.
"When I was at Hendricken, I had lots of friends who were discerning. Some are in religious communities, some are priests and some are married," said Deacon Marcello.
He said his friend Christopher Feeney will become a priest next year in the Diocese of Norwich, Conn., and another friend, Brother Kyle O'Neill is a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate and is missioned in Italy.
Both Feeney and Brother O'Neill attended Hendricken with Deacon Marcello, who also graduated from St. Luke School in Barrington.
Deacon Marcello said the Catholic Church has to balance fortifying faith in Christ among teenagers and young adults, but without veering from the teachings of the Gospels. He said today's generation wants stability in the Church — which he noticed during four years of study at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
"It's important as priests that we are called to build the Church in faith, hope and charity. We must make sure future generations preserve the faith in Our Lady and the Church, and help the Church build and sustain strong families," said Deacon Marcello.
"The most beautiful thing about the Church is its universality. I've witnessed the life of the Church in different countries. Even though there are differences, we are all united in the faith of Christ and guidance of the Holy Father. We all receive the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist," he added.
Deacon Marcello, who speaks fluent French and Flemish, said he worshipped at Masses at several well-attended churches in Paris and said many people in France "are still committed to the faith and practicing of the Gospels."
He said the Diocese of Providence could reach out to young adults by hosting more activities such as all-day confessions. He recalled "how hundreds of people came for confessions" during an all-day event held during his pastoral internship at St. Paul Church in Cranston. "It got people in the door and it invoked a change of mind and heart," said Deacon Marcello.
"We have to go worship God and give something to offer. It's not what I get out of it, but what I can give," said Marcello.
The Boston Red Sox and Montréal Canadiens fan said his brother Mark, 22, and parents, along with many other family and friends, will attend his ordination on Saturday and the new priest's first Mass celebrated at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 99 Camp St., Providence, on Sunday at 9 a.m.
"My family is honored and joyful and they know I have been called to this for a long time. They feel blessed to have a priest in the family," said Deacon Marcello.
He said he will offer his first Mass with Father Rene Gagne's chalice. Father Gagne was Marcello's spiritual director at Providence College and Seminary of Our Lady of Providence. "He helped me with my life of prayer, and I missed him while I was studying in Italy," said Marcello.
Father Gagne was the pastor emeritus of Precious Blood Church, Woonsocket, and died three years ago. He was retired and living at the John Vianney Residence behind the seminary when he served as a spiritual advisor to Marcello.
Marcello said Bishop Thomas J. Tobin will notify him of his parish assignment on Friday, and his first priestly duties for the diocese will begin on July 1.
He will celebrate Mass in French next weekend in Montréal at Église Saint Irénée. The deacon's mother's family is of French-Canadian heritage and he has relatives living in Quebec.
"My only goal is to be a good and holy priest, which will be a lifelong goal. I know I will make mistakes, but I will do my best," Deacon Marcello concluded. "People need to see the Church as a rock of stability in their lives, and find strength and stability in Christ."
