But the pull of the Spirit toward priesthood was very strong and after much prayer, soul searching and guidance, I made application to the Augustinian Order. The Augustinians seemed a perfect fit in terms of their spirit and traditions, as well as their diversity of ministries, which included secondary education.
I entered the novitiate of the Augustinians in 1971, was professed in 1972, and began preparation for the priesthood at Augustinian College in Washington D.C. I received an MA in Systematic Theology from the Washington Theological Union. Following my ordination in 1975, I was assigned to St. Nicholas of Tolentine High School in the Bronx, New York. The following year, I was appointed principal and guided the school through its reaccreditation and its 50th anniversary.
Still, I was longing for a parochial experience and I requested to be assigned to a parish. In 1980, I was assigned to St. Augustine Parish in Casselberry, Florida. While I was only there for three years, these were rich years, full in the blessings that flow from the diverse pastoral life a parish priest experiences, most notably from preaching and administering the sacraments.
“Being entrusted with the pastorate of a parish was an honor,
a challenge, and a richly rewarding experience.
I received far more than I ever gave or deserved.”
— Father Michael Hughes, O.S.A.
When this assignment came to end, I returned to the education apostolate and I was again appointed principal, this time to St. John Neumann High School in Golden Gate, Florida, where I attained the young school’s first accreditation and raised funds to build a needed gymnasium.
A profound desire to return to parish ministry prompted me to request being reassigned to a parish. In 1989, I was appointed pastor of Resurrection of the Lord Parish in Dania Beach, Florida, where I enjoyed a dozen years of richly blessed ministry. Being entrusted with the pastorate of a parish was an honor, a challenge, and a richly rewarding experience. I received far more than I ever gave or deserved. It was a time of renewed spiritual awakening and growth.
In 1999, I returned to St. Augustine Parish in Casselberry, Florida; this time as pastor. Returning home was an unexpected blessing. This community, which had played such a critical role in my formation as a parish priest, welcomed me warmly. It was at St. Augustine I first preached the word, and performed my first wedding and baptism, all during my diaconate pastoral experience. In 2005, the Augustinians withdrew from St. Augustine Parish. Prior to our departure, I was able to launch a fundraising campaign to finance a total rebuild of St. Augustine’s Church.
Since 2005 to the present, I have served as pastor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal parish on Pine Island, Florida, a vibrant, seasonal parish, committed to stewardship. As with the other parishes I ministered to in Florida, Miraculous Medal boasts a high degree of lay involvement and a commitment to service scripturally based on Matthew 25.
