Deacon Joseph F. Moschetto can relate to the disappointment of
the 2020 high school and college seniors. As the COVID-19 cases in Italy began
to rise, he and many other seminarians studying at the Pontifical North
American College in Rome had to pack their bags and head home sooner than they
expected. “Those ceremonies and traditions are important, so it was kind of sad
to miss those,” he said. “You miss the end of a significant chapter in your
life.”
But he kept his focus on something even more memorable: his
ordination to the priesthood.
He was born Feb. 26, 1994, to Tom and Beth Moschetto in Reston.
He has two older sisters. He grew up attending Our Lady of Hope Church in
Potomac Falls. He graduated from Seton School in Manassas in 2012 and attended
George Mason University in Fairfax for two years before joining the seminary.
He graduated from St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington and then continued
his studies in Rome. He was ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop Michael
F. Burbidge June 1, 2019, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.
One of the joys of his diaconate year was serving at a Mass at
the Missionaries of Charity postulant house in Rome. “They had a (group) of
sisters taking their vows later that day and the Mass for them in the morning
was a special time to be there with them, to see the example of all these young
women who were giving their lives to Christ,” he said. “They live such a
radical life and it was really cool.”
After returning to the United States, Deacon Moschetto spent two
weeks in quarantine, and then moved into the rectory of St. Anthony of Padua Church
in Falls Church, where he finished up his classes online and served the parish.
While not all of his family will be able to attend his
ordination, he still feels their love from afar. “It’s definitely a joyous
occasion and you want to celebrate with everyone. Most people luckily have been
understanding, but it’s also been neat to see how many people still express
really wanting to be there,” he said. “It’s nice to know the support that’s
there.”
He will celebrate his first Mass the following day at his home
parish, Our Lady of Hope. At the end of June, he will become parochial vicar at
St. Luke Church in McLean. He is excited to meet the parishioners and the
school children, and to finally be able to celebrate the sacraments, especially
this fall, when he’ll celebrate the wedding Masses of two of his friends.
Maraist can be reached at [email protected]
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