Oratorian Father Steven Bolton Ordained to the Priesthood

Father Steven John Bolton C.O., who grew up in Hillsborough and attended Immaculata High School in Somerville, was ordained to the priesthood as a member of the Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri on June 29 by Auxiliary Bishop Mario Alberto Avilés, C.O., of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, who is also an Oratorian.

“Ordination to the priesthood is not an end, but rather a beginning,” Bishop Avilés said at the Ordination Mass, which was celebrated in St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church, a worship site of Parish of the Visitation, New Brunswick.

Concelebrating the Mass were Msgr. John Fell, diocesan director, Office of Priest Personnel; Msgr. Gerard McCar-ren, rector, Immaculate Conception Seminary; the priests of the Raritan Oratory as well as priests from other Oratories and from Metuchen and other dioceses.

Father Jeffrey Calia, provost of the Raritan Oratory, called Brother Steven Bolton forward as a candidate for ordination to the priesthood, and Bishop Avilés announced, “We chose this our brother for the Order of the Priesthood.” The congregation then erupted in joy and welcome as a sign of their assent to his election.

In his homily, Bishop Avilés referenced the Gospel for the day, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in which Jesus asked his Apostles, “Who do you say that I am?”
Bishop Avilés said this question was not just for Peter and the others, but also for “our Brother who is to be ordained today to continually recognize and pro-claim Christ as the Messiah.”

Then addressing Brother Bolton, Bishop Avilés advised him, “Your success as a priest, as St. Philip showed us, is not to be measured by worldly standards, but by how deep your love for God is and how far and wide is your service to his people.
Father Bolton’s home parish is Mary Mother of God, Hillsborough, where his parents, Margie and John Bolton, have been active members for 35 years and where he received all his Sacraments of Initiation. He has an older sister and a younger brother.

He attended public schools in Hillsborough and then Immaculata High School, where he graduated in 2011,before entering Rutgers University. After graduation, he worked as a business analyst for two years before he entered Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University where he received a Master of Divinity degree.

While at Rutgers, Father Bolton was inspired by the witness of the Brothers of Hope and the Oratorian Congregation ministering to the university’s Catholic community at that time. “It was there that through the grace of the Holy Spirit I felt the strong call of Jesus Christ to serve him as a priest,” he said.

Oratorians are a worldwide order of priests and religious brothers who live together in a community not bound by formal vows but by the bond of charity originally established by St. Philip Neriin Rome in 1575.

The Raritan Oratorian Congregation serves four parishes in the Diocese of Metuchen: the Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and the parishes of St. Ann and St. Joseph in Raritan, and Holy Trinity in Bridgewater.

“Being part of the Oratorian community and knowing that these men I live with, who are truly my brothers, will always be a vital part of my priesthood is a great gift and comfort to me,” Father Bolton said.

Before the final blessing, Bishop Avilés expressed his appreciation to all those who had made the ordination so beautiful and for all those in attendance.

“A year ago, I had the pleasure of ordaining Father Bolton to the diaconate, and I am grateful to be back in the Diocese of Metuchen today to ordain him to the priesthood,” Bishop Avilés said.

“A privilege of being a bishop is the ability to ordain men to carry on the traditions of the Lord’s followers by ordaining men to the presbyterate in order to build up the Body of Christ by nourishing the community of the faithful, “Bishop Avilés shared.

Father Bolton thanked all the people who had contributed to his vocation and who made the Mass so beautiful. He especially mentioned his parents and his last surviving grandparent, Margaret Adams. “It was the love and example I experienced in the domestic church of my family that allowed me to hear the call of the Lord,” he said.