Ordination of Father Erin M. Donlon (Front) by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland / Facebook
Father Erin M. Donlon, LT, USNR, was ordained to the priesthood May 31 in the Diocese of Portland, Maine, bringing renewed hope to the U.S. Navy’s efforts to address a growing shortage of Catholic chaplains.
The ordination took place at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, where Portland Bishop James T. Ruggieri ordained Fr. Donlon, according to a recent press release from the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS).
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of AMS, concelebrated the ordination Mass, underscoring the importance of Fr. Donlon’s path not only to priesthood but also to eventual military chaplaincy.
Fr. Donlon, 31, grew up in a Navy family — his father and grandfather both graduated from the Naval Academy — and was homeschooled by his parents, Michael and Rebecca Donlon. In 2017, he earned a degree in Marine Systems Engineering from Maine Maritime Academy and went on to serve as a Strategic Sealift Officer in the Navy Reserve.
But the call to the priesthood persisted, and in 2018 he entered Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Maryland, where he earned both a Master of Divinity and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology.
“I was heavily inspired by the great examples of the priests that I was exposed to in my home parish,” Fr. Donlon said, according to the release.
With endorsement and faculties from the AMS, Fr. Donlon is set to enter active duty in three years, following pastoral service in local parishes under a co-sponsored seminarian agreement.
He is one of four newly ordained priests preparing to serve the Navy and among nine total preparing for eventual chaplaincy across military branches.
One of those about to begin active chaplain service is Father Darren Balkey of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Catholic News Herald reported.
A parochial vicar at St. Matthew Parish, Fr. Balkey will be departing June 8 to become Lieutenant Balkey of the Chaplain Corps. He’ll report first to the Naval Chaplaincy School in Rhode Island, before receiving orders for his first assignment.
Fr. Balkey was ordained in 2022 and has spent the past three years at one of the country’s largest parishes, ministering to thousands of families, students, and patients across Charlotte. He sees his future mission as an extension of his priestly vocation.
“I felt called to give my life for the sake of the Church, and the natural corollary to that was serving my country as well,” he told the Catholic News Herald.
Fr. Balkey reflected on the spiritual challenges facing young servicemembers, emphasizing the unique opportunities for ministry they present.
“The majority of our military are people that are from 18 to 25 years old. They are away from home for the very first time. They’re in a high-stress environment. They’re starting to ask the big questions,” he said. “At that moment, people can have a very profound encounter with God.”
