Casting the Net: A NYPriest Podcast

Father Connolly’s homily from Father’s Day 2026 encourages us as a Church community experiencing a priest shortage crisis to pray for the young men whom God is calling to share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ and serve the Church as spiritual fathers.

Father Heasley is currently pastor of the Parish of Corpus Christi and Notre Dame in New York City and Chaplain to Columbia University. A native of Detroit, he has worked as an architect in New York and Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa, before seminary and has completed a doctorate in Biblical Theology in 2019, which has been published as Prophetic Polyphony (Mohr Siebeck, 2020). In addition to pastoral care in the parish and the university, he teaches Scripture at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. On the side, he writes novels and short stories about hope within dystopian situations.

Fr. Kareem Smith, Pastor of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Co-Op City (and Fr. Connolly's classmate!), an incredibly joyful, prayerful, and selfless priest, shares how he heard God calling him to the priesthood, especially through the gift of Catholic education.

Fr. Matthew Breslin, Parochial Vicar of the Church of St. Joseph, Chaplain at Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School in Somers, NY, and Associate Vocations Director for the Archdiocese shares the profound impact of the early loss of his father and the example of good priests on his decision to follow God's call to the priesthood and joyfully live the life of a spiritual father.

Listen as Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shares his vocation story as well as his insights into the roles that service, excellence, and the beauty of the Church's liturgy play in the discernment of a vocation. Join Archbishop Cordileone this summer at the "Fons et Culmen Sacred Liturgy Summit." The Summit will take place at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, CA from July 1-4. More information is available at liturgysummit.org. Please like, share, and subscribe to "Casting the Net" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube!

Fr. Michael Connolly and Fr. George Sears discuss the beauty and the drama of the season of Lent, the liturgies of Holy Week, and the glory of Easter from the perspective of a parish priest.

Fr. John Figueroa, the Parochial Vicar at St. Augustine Church in ossining, told God he'd say "yes" to whatever He willed, and the rest is history! Fr. Figueroa shares his beautiful journey to the priesthood from training in a bodybuilding gym in the Bronx, to choosing to receive Confirmation, praying with the Missionaries of Charity, even discerning with the Carmelites, all culminating in a joy-filled priestly ministry in the Archdiocese of New York. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Please like, share, and subscribe!

What a joy to interview my pastor! Fr. Brian McSweeney, Pastor at St. Augustine's Parish in Ossining, left behind a promising career in finance and a comfortable life to answer the question, "What does God want me to do?" and the priesthood has been the key to his great joy! Listen as he shares his story of hearing God's call to this beautiful life. Please like, subscribe, share, and, most importantly, pray for us!

Fr. Peter Pompesello, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is an Army Chaplain currently serving the Archdiocese for Military Services. Listen as Fr. Pompesello, or, "Fr. Uncle Sam," as he's known on social media, shares his incredible journey to the priesthood. His joy is palpable, whether its coming from celebrating the sacraments and accompanying his people or from jumping out of airplanes! Fr. Pompesello's story s sure to inspire you! Please like, share, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! And please keep praying for priests!

Fr. Hartley Bancroft is the Pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Millbrook. He may not have known that he was going to be a Catholic priest when he was studying physics at Duke University, but he was inspired by a challenging question at his pastor's funeral. This began a journey of discernment which has found Fr. Bancroft joyfully ministering to God's people as a holy priest of Jesus Christ! Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Please like, share, and subscribe!