We are very pleased to introduce Fr. Earl Fernandes as our new pastor at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish! Fr. Fernandes’ appointment is effective November 1, 2019, to enable him to wrap-up his current responsibilities.
Fr. Fernandes has been a member of the Staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. for the past three and a half years. Prior to that, from 2008-2016, he was the Dean of the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West in Cincinnati and an associate professor of moral theology. From 2008 to 2014, he was a weekend assistant at Guardian Angels Church in Cincinnati, and from 2014-2016, he was the administrator of Sacred Heart Church in Cincinnati. Fr. Fernandes served as Parochial Vicar at Holy Angels Church and taught religion at Lehman Catholic High School in Sidney, Ohio from 2002-2004, prior to being sent for further studies in Rome in 2004. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on May 18, 2002.
Fr. Fernandes holds a doctorate in moral theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Pregnancy Center East in Cincinnati and of the National Catholic Bioethics Center headquartered in Philadelphia. From 2012-2016, he was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Catholic Theological Schools. In 2014, Fr. Fernandes concluded a three-year term on the board of the Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati, which assists disabled persons. He is the published author of one book and numerous articles and essays, and has given talks and retreats across the country.
Fr. Fernandes is a native of Toledo, Ohio, the fourth of five boys, and the son of Indian immigrants. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo and came to Cincinnati to study at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine before discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Fr. Fernandes enjoys sports, movies, and hiking. He is an avid reader and writer and has particularly strong interest in education, culture, and languages. Most of all, he enjoys people.
Fr. Fernandes will be with us at all weekend Masses next Saturday and Sunday, September 28-29. Please be sure to introduce yourself and welcome him to the St. Ignatius of Loyola community!
Please remember Fr. Earl and our parish in your prayers.
