William F. McGrath Jr.

I was raised principally in Rochester and then in Palmyra, NY, fourth-born of ten children born of William F. McGrath Sr. and Mary Kay White. My given name is William F. McGrath Jr. (I was nicknamed “Mickey” so that I would not be called “Junior” or “Sonny”, etc). One sister, Colleen, who died when I was an infant.

I was baptized at St. Pius X Church in Chili, NY but shortly after that, we moved to Rochester. We grew up on Genesee Park Blvd and I attended Our Lady of Good Counsel thru fifth grade. We then moved out to Palmyra where I graduated from Pal-Mac High School in 1982. I went to several colleges but was never content with the majors I pursued or the direction in life toward which they led.

I took a break from school and worked for a couple of years when I experienced a life-changing event. I had been reading several articles about the claims that Our Lady was appearing to six children in Medjugorje in former Yugoslavia. I read about these apparitions and from that I experienced something I never had experienced before – the intimate presence of God’s love for me. It was something totally new, powerful, and all embracing.

My life did not completely change overnight, but it did change dramatically over time. In keeping with the messages from the apparitions I had been reading, I began to pray and fast on my own. I read more and more about the Church and her teachings, and slowly I began to feel called to the priesthood. It took a while for me to get comfortable with the idea of being a priest, but, realizing that I had not been happy with my other choices, I sensed that God was saying to me that He had a better plan for me – though one that I would never choose on my own, one that was meant for me. Indeed, this calling has led me down a beautiful path ever since.

In 1991 I finished my undergraduate degree at St. John Fisher College and went off to seminary at the North American College in Rome, Italy. Things went very well for a while, but in my third year I found myself very unsettled and could not pursue the priesthood any further at that time. I left the seminary in 1995 (though with an inkling that I may return one day) and found a job in a parish in Mobile, Alabama through a friend from the seminary who lived there. I was Director of Religious Education for three years when I felt I was indeed called to the priesthood. I returned to the seminary for the Diocese of Rochester and was ordained by Bishop Clark June 24, 2000. I served three years at St. Charles Borromeo in Greece before being sent to Our Lady of the Lakes Community – a cluster including the churches of Penn Yan, Dundee, Stanley, Rushville, Naples and Prattsburgh. After that I was assigned as pastor for the first time at St. Columba Church in Caledonia and remained so for six years. My last pastorate was the parish of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in the city of Rochester.

As for hobbies and personal tastes, I have enjoyed sports throughout my life. I have played a great deal of golf, some tennis and during my time in the Finger Lakes I learned to ski. I love a variety of music and I am self-taught on both guitar and piano.