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Fr. Anthony F. Ligato
I am Fr. Anthony Ligato, a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York. I was born in Troy, New York and raised in the nearby town of Brunswick and my home parish was Our Lady of Victory Church in Troy. I am a graduate of Siena College, Loudonville, New York class of 1990 with a degree in Marketing and Management.
I entered seminary for the Diocese of Albany in 1990 and graduated from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore Maryland in 1995. During these past 18 years as a priest I have been privileged to serve in parishes |
throughout the diocese of Albany, from city parishes to suburban and rural parishes. I currently am the Pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Church and School in Wynantskill, New York along with serving as Vocations Director for the Diocese of Albany.
I am a pastor as heart and have a deep love for parish ministry. I believe that my two positions in ministry as a Pastor and a Vocations Director fit together well. As a Pastor I understand the importance for the need for Priests in our parishes, to serve the people of God by providing the Eucharist and caring for the pastoral needs of the people. As a Vocations Director I have a responsibility to form men to be faithful and compassionate priests who humbly serve the needs of the people that have been entrusted to them by the Church.
I am blessed to be supported by a Vocations team which is dedicated to the ministry of encouraging and supporting vocations to Priesthood and Religious life. That team includes Sr. Rosemary Cuneo who is Vocations Director for Religious life. Also on our Vocations team are our Vicars for Vocations, Fr. Tom Lawless, and Fr. James Ebert, Fr. Rendell Torres, Fr. Matt Wetsel, Fr. Dan Quinn and Fr. Scott VanDerveer. They will focus on recruitment and discernment, working with those who are discerning a Vocation by conducting regional discernment groups throughout the diocese. Along with the above mentioned members of our Vocations Team are two priests who help me oversee St. Isaac Jogues House of Discernment in Watervliet, New York; Fr. Edward Deimeke who runs the day to day life of the house of discernment and Fr. Anthony Barratt who has developed our formation program for the house of discernment.
At Jesus’ Ascension, he commissioned the Apostles into ministry, Jesus said, “Full authority has been given to me both in heaven and on earth; go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt.28:18-19) We have been given a share in Jesus’ ministry, now we need workers in the field. My role is to help men discern if they are called to be workers in the field as Priests.
Fr. Anthony Ligato
Director of Vocations
Diocese of Albany |
