Staff Member

Born in Bangor, Maine, the fourth of six children, Fr. William met the Franciscans at Siena College in New York and entered the Order shortly after graduating with a B.A. in English in 1976. He did his graduate studies at Weston School of Theology (now part of Boston College), earning a Master of Divinity degree in 1981. Seven years later he received a Master of Liturgical Music degree from Catholic University of America.  In his nearly 40 years as a priest, he has worked in a variety of ministries, serving in parishes, urban ministry centers, a retreat house, the provincial council of Holy Name Province, and his alma mater where, from 2002 to 2015, he was the college chaplain, an adjunct professor in religious studies, the guardian of the friar community, and a writer and editor in the College’s communications department. His most recent assignment was as an associate pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Church in midtown Manhattan. Fr. William enjoys preaching, teaching, writing, reading literary classics, working out, and doing the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle (which it takes him much longer to complete than it takes Fr. Tim Shreenan!).  Although new to Connecticut, coming to Hartford feels like coming home to this New England native.