Fr. James E. Molgano is a priest of the Diocese of Palm Beach. Ordained in 2003, Fr. James served as parochial vicar of St. Paul of the Cross in North Palm Beach and then served as pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Jensen Beach, Florida before entering into “active retirement.” He now assists the pastor of a local parish, as well as, offering occasional support for other parishes in his diocese.

Fr. Jim is a native of Connecticut and came to the priesthood as a so-called “late vocation” although he considers God’s timing of the various epochs of his life not late at all, but truly perfect.

One of those epochs was with the United States Marine Corps, which he entered fresh out of high school in 1970, whereupon he embarked upon a shortened 9-week all-expense-paid vacation to a luxury getaway named Parris Island. Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) followed at Camp LeJeune and Specialty Training prior to KMCAS, HI.

He then volunteered in service for a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1972. His MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was Special Radio Operator. After being shipped through Okinawa to DaNang, Vietnam, he spent nearly six long months on a Navy Command Ship in the Gulf of Tonkin in support of the 9^th MAB (Marine Amphibious Brigade) during the last amphibious operations of the war.

He forgot to tell his superiors that he was not immune to seasickness. In his upcoming autobiography, he summarizes his tour of duty this way:

The rest of my “tour” was relatively event-free aside from the occasional missile attack that was launched upon us or the massive naval bombardment we threw back at them.  But all in all, it was not bad duty.

Sergeant Molgano rotated out of the Marines ten months later and returned home, where he began the next epoch of his life.

After jumping through various occupational hoops, he settled into the life of a chauffeur and had the precarious pleasure of shuffling various types of people and a few celebrities (Dustin Hoffman and Paul Newman the most memorable) through the rigors of the CT-NY highways and byways. He continued in this profession for about a decade but admits that he was far away from God and the life of grace during that period of his life.

Then, on August 15^th, 1983 his life changed forever.

After a long-haul overconsumption binge with some clients, he returned home and suffered the effects of overdose with alcohol and drugs, a frightening enough experience that caused him to fall to his knees and invite God back into his life. He would later realize that this day was the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary and would credit Our Lady with his miraculous healing and restoration and reversion to a new life of faith and grace.

He recovered from his extreme experience with the most profound sense of peace he had ever felt in this life. There and then he decided to cut all ties to his old life and embarked on a period of searching for what God’s will was for him in the new epoch of life.

In 1984, he led the way for his family to make a move to Florida’s east coast, which led him to the founding community of a new parish where he did some volunteer work, regular Mass attendance and prayer, spiritual direction, and ultimately, to the doors of the seminary. But first, he spent two years with the Franciscans where he became introduced to college at 39 years old. Then, through the influence of several good and holy priests, he discerned the call to the priesthood. He describes it as a “Hound of Heaven” pursuit by Jesus the High Priest. He knew he was being called, and he knew he had to respond.

His journey to the priesthood led him back to Connecticut, to his next epoch, where he pursued philosophy studies for his old home Diocese of Bridgeport and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Sacred Heart University while at St. John Fisher Seminary Residence. He spent the next several years at Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts as a “second career” priesthood candidate for the Diocese of Bridgeport. Yet, his journey to the priesthood was not yet complete.

With his parents having domicile in Florida, in the year 2000 he applied to the Diocese of Palm Beach and was accepted into a pastoral year which included a life-changing and vocation affirming trip to Medjugorje and a very positive welcome to a new diocese.

The events of September 11, 2001, inaugurated what would have been his final year of seminary studies, and his Diaconate Ordination, on May 23, 2002. However, due to the transfer and the pastoral year, Fr. James would have to delay his priesthood ordination until the following year. Yet he knew he was where God wanted him, in the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida.

One year and one day later, May 24, 2003, James E. Molgano was ordained to the sacred priesthood by the Most Reverend Seán Patrick O’Malley, then-Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach.

From the Halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Galilee, he was ready to begin another epoch of life.

From his upcoming autobiography, entitled From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Galilee:

The day a priest is ordained is like his wedding day. First, he becomes wed to Christ and to His Holy Bride, the Church, not through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony but through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

To know that I am now an instrument of grace who is able to bring the True Presence of Christ to His people in both word and sacrament, is in a word ineffable, for just as all believers are not of this world, but in it, so too are the holy actions of a priest configured to Christ, not of this world, but are made manifest in it for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls until the Lord returns in Glory!