New Paulist priest’s Concord connection

St. Bonaventure has always been a place of faith and family for the Chisolm family, including newly ordained Paulist Father Ben Chisolm. “This is the community that helped form me. I grew up here, I had my first contact with the faith here,” he said. “The people are good Christian examples.” He received most of his sacraments during his formative years at St. Bonaventure. His father, Rod, was received into the church there more than a decade ago. Five of Father Chisolm’s nieces and nephews have been baptized there. 

Father Chisolm now adds another milestone to that list: he celebrated Mass for the St. Bonaventure community on June 22, the Feast of Corpus Christi. “To celebrate Mass with them in gratitude is something that will give me great joy,” he said.  

His road to the priesthood was not straightforward. “It has certainly been a winding path, and it continues,” he said. That winding path includes a law degree from the University of Notre Dame and a job in administration at the Fordham School of Law, where he encountered the Paulists and began his discernment.  

Along the way, he had many priestly influences, including a Jesuit priest during his undergraduate education who spoke clearly about the nature of God, a Franciscan father during his law school days who wove together faith and legal concepts, and a pastor in New York where Father Chisolm worked as a parish secretary. “I learned how to be a pastoral priest, someone who cares for his flock and goes out of his way to retrieve lost sheep,” he said. At St. Bonaventure, Jesuit Father David Lawrence “offered quiet encouragement and a steady presence.” 

Fr. Ben Chisolm poses with his parents and sisters.
(Photos by Leslie Jones/ Courtesy of the Paulist Fathers)Father Chisolm chose the Paulists because of their missionary spirit. “I like the idea of being a Catholic presence in non-Catholic places, being a presence to people who don’t know the Gospel or might have forgotten about it. To be outside the church walls is an exciting thing,” he said. His new assignment, as associate director of the University Catholic Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), fits that vision. He looks forward to being in a campus setting at a time when young people are searching for God. 

His mother, Kathy, is excited that he will be stationed on the West Coast for the first time since he left for college.  

Father Chisolm is the middle child of five and his parents’ only son. It was not a total surprise to his mother that he had a vocation. “He always had this thread of spirituality. He was always the one who kept our spirituality solid,” she said. 

Rod says his conversion to the Catholic Church started with his son. “I was happy. I knew it would happen,” Father Chisolm said of learning about his father’s decision to convert. Although he was living on the East Coast at the time, he returned for that special Easter vigil, noting that he could recall the night in detail.  

The timing of Father Chisolm’s diaconate ordination last September was perfect for another family milestone. “His first official act as a deacon was to preside over his sister’s wedding,” Rod said. 

Kathy added, “We’re counting on him to be there like he has always been there for all of us.”