ORANGE — St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Orange, dedicated to Our Lady of Ransom, welcomes Fr. Peter Naranjo, Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart Parish in Pittsfield, as Administrator, to replace Fr. Jose Bermudez, who has received approval for a six-month Sabbatical. For the past four years, since his ordination, Fr. Pete has been stationed at Sacred Heart, and at St. Joseph’s Central High School in Pittsfield.
Fr. Pete, ordained a priest in 2012, was born on Long Island, youngest of five siblings, two brothers and two sisters. He was “a troubled youth” and got into trouble with drugs. His family moved to southern New Hampshire when he was 14, but he continued to struggle with drugs until the drug-related suicide of a young friend made him realize, at 29, that he really had to change his life. He says with the help of the prayers of family and friends , God intervened to save him from his addiction and led him to review his life and get clean.
He was a high priest in the Mormon church for 17 years. A visit to a chapel with Perpetual Adoration of the Holy Eucharist led to his conversion and studies in Philosophy and Theology at Holy Apostles in Cromwell, Conn., and Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston. He received his Masters of Divinity degree and was ordained a Catholic priest on June 2, 2012.
Fr. Pete’s surname, Naranjo, means “orange” in Spanish, and he feels he was meant to be here in Orange, serving the community as a “street priest,” as encouraged by Pope Francis. He feels he may be of help with the opioid crisis in the area, and hopes to reach out especially to the youth of the area, through a “relational ministry” where he gets involved, finds a common ground, then can bring God into the picture. He has coached baseball and soccer, and hopes to do more coaching here. He was mentored by Fr. Brian McGrath, with whom he shares a love of sports. When asked about his strengths and purpose, he says he hopes to serve the community and evangelize, and wants people to know that he is both approachable and available. He has warned that if one sees a gray-haired man, resembling the parish priest, on a skateboard, that it probably will be him!
Fr. Pete may be reached at Fr.pete@icloud.com.