First Mass of Fr. Kevin Young, FSSP

Father Kevin Young, FSSP, was Ordained on Saturday, June 1, and offered his first Mass the next morning at Immaculate Conception, our apostolate church in Omaha, Nebraska. Fr. Young was assisted by Fr. John Byrne, FSSP, assistant pastor of Saint Benedict, our apostolate parish in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Father Young was born and raised in Boonton, New Jersey, where his family had roots since immigrating from Ireland in the 1840s.  Father Young spent his youth in the parishes his parents grew up in. These were Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the Slovak parish of his mother, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the historically Irish parish of his father.  After graduating from high school, Father became more serious about his faith, as he worked delivering spring water and tending stables.

In this time, Father became involved in Catholic apologetics, due to a Protestant friend. In his search for sources to defend the Faith, he came across information related to the “Latin Mass.” At the time, he did not know he lived a mere 15 minutes from Our Lady of Fatima, the FSSP apostolate in Pequannock, NJ. Father did, however, locate the chapel, and began attending Mass there.

He was immediately convinced of the power and beauty of the Mass of the Ages.  All the more interesting, is that his experience came only with a low Mass. As Father states, “This was no grand polyphonic Solemn Mass either; it was ‘only’ Low Mass. I did not even see a High Mass for almost a year. I was hooked however. I began attending regularly and attended there until entering seminary.”

The priests of Our Lady of Fatima, and the power of the ancient Rite, made Father realize clearly what a priest is, and the crucial role a priest plays in the life of souls. Father’s vocation deepened seeing the example of several priests, especially Fr. Gregory Pendergraft and Fr. Joseph Howard.  After completing two years of theological coursework, Father applied to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, and the rest is history.

Enjoy Father’s first Mass, a low Mass.