Friar Richard ROME, OFM Conv., is the newest priest of the Province of Our Lady of the Angels in the USA. He was ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 8, 2024, at St. Casimir Catholic Church in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
The Most Reverend Gregory John HARTMAYER, OFM Conv., Archbishop of Atlanta, presided. Friar Richard’s priestly ordination was preceded by his ordination to the diaconate on October 6, 2023, at the Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City, Maryland. In May of 2024, he received his Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
“As a Franciscan bishop, it is a unique privilege to ordain a Franciscan priest,” said Archbishop HARTMAYER. “When I called down the Holy Spirit upon Richard ROME, laid my hands upon his head, and anointed his hands with sacred chrism, it was an extraordinary and humbling moment. It is during this ancient rite that the Catholic Church and the Franciscan Order will proudly welcome a new priest. He is called to serve and not to be served. He will be forever changed. It is truly an honor for me to ordain a brother friar to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. This special event is a precious gift from God to the Mystical Body of Christ.”
Friar Richard’s first assignment will be at St. Casimir Church in Baltimore where he has served as a friar-deacon.
Friar Richard’s spent his postulancy year in Chicago followed by his novitiate at Arroyo Grande, California. His post-novitiate studies were completed in Silver Spring, Maryland, followed by an apostolic year in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, and post-novitiate studies in Silver Spring.
“After I was ordained a deacon, I saw Holy Orders as being given the grace and mission to serve the Church in a particular way: to proclaim the Gospel, to teach, to preach and to baptize,” said Friar Richard. “It was a calling to be ‘for them’ in a special way. Now, as I receive Holy Orders as a priest, the meaning is still the same, but the mission’s scope is broadening. I will still be called to proclaim the Gospel, teach, preach, and baptize. But added to that will be the grace and mission to feed the Church through the Eucharist, and to heal it through reconciliation and anointing.”
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Friar Richard is the son of Sharon and Kenneth ROME, U.S. Navy Captain (Retired). Friar Richard has a brother, Jim, and grew up in the Military Archdiocese, moving every two years. He has lived in the states of Virginia, Maryland, and Rhode Island. He also lived in Italy. Friar Richard graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Classics. He also has a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management from Towson University in Towson, Maryland. Before entering the Conventual Franciscan Order, Friar Richard spent eight years as a U.S. Army Civil Servant working in logistics.
Kevin A. KEENAN, Director of Communications
Province of Our Lady of the Angels in the USA
