Monsignor Robert Weiss, pastor of St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, recently announced to parishioners the addition of two new staff members.

Father Eric Silva is now serving as Parochial Vicar and Father Reagan Fernandes is a Resident Visitor at the Church Hill Road parish.

Fr Silva has been the Chaplain at St Joseph High School in Trumbull for the past five years.

He was born in Long Island, N.Y., but his family moved when he was four years old to Trumbull, where he grew up going to public elementary and middle school before attending St Joseph High School.

The beauty and the wonder of the Catholic faith was introduced to Father Silva during his high school years and it was there that the seeds of his vocation to the priesthood were planted. After graduating from St Joe’s in 2008, Father Silva attended Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., to study psychology.

It was while he was away at college that he encountered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in a much deeper and lasting way as well as a community of Benedictine priests and brothers living out holiness in a way that was very attractive to him.

After a period of serious prayer, Father Silva left St Anselm’s in the spring semester of his junior year of college to enter Saint John Fisher Seminary Residence in Stamford. After a year and a half, he finished minor seminary and received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.

He was sent to Mount St Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., for four more years of formation, studying theology. After his seminary formation in Maryland, he was ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ on June 25, 2016 for the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Father Silva’s first assignment and his first two years of priesthood were spent serving at Saint Joseph’s Parish in Brookfield. In spring 2018, the Bishop asked him to be the next Chaplain of St Joseph High School in Trumbull, where he supported students in grades 9-12 in their spiritual growth journey.

Father Fernandes

Fr Reagan Fernandes is from Goa, India, and a priest of the Society of Missionaries of St Francis Xavier, also known as the Pilar Fathers.

After completing his philosophy and theology degrees, he was ordained a priest on May 5, 2013.

His first appointment was Secretary to the Provincial Superior in Delhi, India. After two years, he was appointed parish priest to Saint John’s Catholic Church in Jammu and Kashmir. He also served as Chaplain to the Missionaries of Charity in Jammu.

The following year, he was given an added assignment as Director of Catechetics and member of the Commission for Sacred Music and Liturgy for the Diocese of Jammu and Srinagar.

In 2019, he completed his License in Spirituality at Jnana Deepa Institute. He was then appointed as a Formator and Choir Director at the All India Mission Seminary at Pilar-Goa, India. During this time, he taught theology and music at the Major Seminary.

He was appointed in 2020 as Dean of Theology and Vice Rector at the Major Seminary.

Last year he was sent to Rome to pursue a doctorate in dogmatic theology.

Fr Fernandes will be with St Rose Parish through September.

In his July 1 address to parishioners, Monsignor Weiss extended a warm welcome to both priests.

“We are blessed to have Fr Silva, who has experience with young Catholics and will be such an asset to our vibrant youth group and altar servers ministries,” he said. “And Fr Fernandes is a gifted priest who will bring his unique experiences from India to our altar every week.”