Meet Father Mike Joly
About Father Mike Joly
Father Mike Joly is a Roman Catholic priest ordained in 1994. He was born and raised in New England, one of a large family.
“Eleven kids shared three bedrooms with one bath. Our dad was a strong, principled, blue-collar tire salesman who stuck by us kids after the decay of his marriage. Plenty of rough times growing up have given way to me and my siblings now firmly rooted in the Lord and always there for each other.”
Background
Young Michael, having attended Providence College and Rhode Island College, secured a B.S. in Human Resource Management. He obtained his Bachelor of Sacred Theology and Masters of Divinity degrees from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore.
Ordained in November of 1994, he has served as parochial vicar in three parishes, while also spending much time in adult and youth retreat formation. He has directed a large archdiocesan retreat center and served assignments to campus ministry, including the College of William and Mary.
Goals
Totally blind since age six, he nonetheless strives to use his talents and time to celebrate God’s goodness in his own life. As a teen-ager the blind youth became interested in music when his peers would be involved in their sports.
“Music became my outlet for my soul’s growth and self-expression. Yes, it actually provided me with a special threshold to the divine. It’s amazing the dialogue that takes place within lyrics and melody and the God who expresses Himself through them while I reach out in the Holy Spirit.”
Motivation
Father Mike welcomes opportunities to share what motivates his life and how to approach obstacles. Finding meaning, purpose and direction in his own vocation as Roman Catholic priest, Father Mike works to communicate how universally available this is in everyone’s life.
Currently, he enjoys serving as pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Yorktown, Virginia, and loves teaching, preaching, singing, witnessing Christ’s movement in others and having a great time in the Kingdom of God. He is a Catholic recording artist, singer and song writer. In recent years, the Lord has permitted the production of two contemporary Christian music records.
Missions
Father Mike sees the world by travelling through it and experiencing it accompanied by his Lord. He has served as spiritual director on many pilgrimages and missions. “Pure grace permitted me to concelebrate Holy Mass with St. John Paul II in his private chapel and to also receive an embrace by His Holiness, Pope Francis.”
Highlights of Father Mike’s pilgrimage experiences are the Holy Land (Israel), India, Camino de Santiago (Spain), Oberammergau, Fatima, Medjugorje, Rome, and ongoing mission work in Ecuador.
