A native son: Faith and family are the foundation for the priesthood
Deacon Christopher James Pujol stood near the fifth row of pews from the back at Mount St. Peter Roman Catholic Church on Monday morning.
He was replaying the memory of him as a 7-year-old making his First Holy Communion.
“I was sitting right here,” he said, as he smiled recalling the moment. “When I came back after receiving the body of Christ, my grandmother leaned over and said to me, ‘Thank Jesus for coming into your heart.’ I say that every time I receive Communion.”
A faith foundation from his grandparents and parents created holy times that inspired him as a child. Throughout his life, he built on that faith upbringing, which continues to strengthen and has helped guide and nurture him. As a senior at Duquesne University, he chose to enter the seminary and become a priest.
Deacon Christopher Pujol will be ordained at 10 a.m. June 4 at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg. His first Mass will be at 3 p.m. June 5 — on Pentecost, which marks the end of the Easter season — at his beloved Mount St. Peter in New Kensington.
Pujol will be the first native son of the parish to be ordained in more than six decades. The last one was Msgr. John Regoli.
Pujol attended Mount St. Peter School until the merger of New Kensington and Lower Burrell Catholic schools, which formed Mary Queen of Apostles. He is a Valley High School grad.
The school community, as well as the parish community, is proud of Pujol, and the entire Catholic community of New Kensington is looking forward to seeing a native son be ordained to the priesthood and to serve his home diocese, said Diocese of Greensburg Bishop Larry J. Kulick.
Pujol brings a great pastoral sensitivity to people, Kulick said.
In addition to receiving his first Holy Communion at Mount St. Peter, he was baptized and confirmed there. He chose the Confirmation name Antonio.
His parents, Laurie and Rick, gave an example of covenantal love to Pujol and his brother, Andrew, 33, and their sister, Rebecca Knotts, 30.
Their parents and grandparents gave them faith, he said.
“And not just faith, but a lively faith, which was a whole reality of how not only we live but how we encounter others, love, serve and take pride in our community, parish and schools,” said Pujol, who turns 28 this month.
Laurie Pujol recalled her son’s interest in the death of Pope John Paul.
“Devotion to the Holy Father was instilled in me in grade school,” he said. “The death of St. John Paul II moved me to see the importance of the pope as the successor of St. Peter and the wonderful universality of the church.”
Easter Sunday and Holy Week have an extra special meaning for Pujol this year.
“This week takes us from Palm Sunday, which is Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem to his crucifixion and resurrection,” he said. “We relive his life from the darkness to the light. And that resembles the life of a priest in some way. We help bring people from the darkness into the light, where we can eventually live and reign with Christ in heaven.”
The call
Pujol said he felt an attraction to the priesthood and to the church in grade school. One of his religion teachers mentioned to Laurie Pujol that her son would make a good priest. He was an altar boy and member of the church’s youth group.
He said studying abroad in Rome in the fall of 2013 further solidified it was the right choice.
“Being immersed in Rome, studying in the shadows of the martyrs and saints, opened my eyes to not only the sacrifices, until death, that the faithful and clergy have made, but made real for me who we are as the Universal Church, the Body of Christ,” he said.
Influential in Pujol’s religious calling was Msgr. Michael Begolly, who was his parish priest for 16 years.
“He showed me what it is to have the heart of a shepherd, to meet the poor, to help the suffering and comfort the dying,” Pujol said. “Monsignor was a prime example of who and what a priest is, and he has influenced generations of faithful, my friends, too, whom he has nurtured in the faith and strengthened through the sacraments. “
Pujol has a bachelor of arts degree in International Relations from Duquesne, a master of philosophy from St. Vincent and a master of divinity from St. Charles Borromeo in Wynnewood, Pa.
He will graduate this spring with a master of theology from St. Charles.
He currently is assigned to a parish in Warrington, Pa., St. Robert Bellarmine. The pastor there is Msgr. James Beisel.
Pujol, who is fluent in Spanish, traveled to a sister diocese in Peru with members of the Diocese of Greensburg. He was a translator and communication liaison.
Kulick said Pujol’s ordination is very, very critical because there are 37 active priests in the Diocese of Greensburg, in addition to missionaries and other religious priests who assist.
“As we move forward, the number of those native incarnated priests are going to be the ones who are going to be called upon for not only the pastoral, liturgical and administrative care of the parishes, but they are also going to take on increasing leadership roles within the church and the communities with which they serve,” Kulick said. “Chris really represents what we are very blessed to have, a nice group of younger men who are in seminary formation. They become a great sign of hope for us spiritually and pragmatically as they become instruments for the church’s work.”
Solid men
Pujol said there are people who say the church is declining and that it is irrelevant, but he believes differently.
“We will have so many young priests who are solid men, and who want to serve the church and love the Lord and bring people with them,” he said. “I see us as giving strength to the church. It is important for priests to be able to relate to the people.”
The Psalms are a part of the Bible that speaks to Pujol. He said he loves preaching.
For his first Mass, he will be wearing a vestment purchased by his grandparents. His parents bought his chalice for him. That further solidified his Catholic faith.
“We knew that by sending our children there, the Catholic school and teachers would only reinforce how we were trying to raise them,” Laurie Pujol said. “And then this way, when they entered high school in the public school system, they would have a good foundation to continue on.”
Pujol said the priesthood is essential to the world for Christ came to save. He said that culture today often sees the church as irrelevant, but he believes that “we are on the brink of something really wonderful in the world.”
“What Christ gave us, from the cross to the empty tomb, we still have, and it is a wonderful gift to be shared to the world,” he said. “A message of salvation, redemption, conversion and forgiveness open to all — we only have to respond to His love.”
Pujol told his parents and grandparents about the call to become a priest when he was in college.
“It’s amazing,” Rick Pujol said. “If you know Chris, you know his smile. He is always smiling. This is his life’s work.”
His grandmother, Dolores Brewer, said what her grandson is doing is so important. She said that we need great priests.
“He is so personable, and I am so happy for him,” Brewer said. “So many people are drawn to him. When he says something, I listen because he is so sincere. He always has a wonderful message.”
Just like she had for him on his first Holy Communion.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.