Beyond what we think: Fr. Francis Fador

The Rev. Francis Fador is an ordained Catholic priest. He has been pastor of both Sharon’s St. Bernard’s Church and Cornwall’s St. Bridget’s Church for roughly 14 years. 

In his childhood, he was a dairy farmer. He is an Air Force veteran and a former public school teacher. But beyond all that, he’s just a person with a particular way of relating with the world.

A recent interview with Fador revealed his unwavering commitment to his spiritual calling. For him, part of being a pastor entails allowing people to cultivate a moral compass during a time of confusion.

Everyone seeks justification for their actions, he said in the interview. Whether it’s poor grades in school, the decision to refuse a job or the decision to help someone in need, we’re always trying to rationalize our choices. To make such justifications, we interpret our experiences and interactions with others through identities, categorizations, etc.

“We have fixed ideas in our heads of things. Fixed ideas of what the Catholic religion is, what the Methodist religion is. Fixed ideas of a whole bunch of things in our life, and those fixed ideas are not necessarily correct.”

His main criticism of such “dualistic” thinking was, “We’re not getting to know each other.”

He discussed how today, however, Americans are experiencing a “paradigm shift” in which fixed labels in society are in flux.

“My job as a pastor, as priest,” he said, “is to try to establish a conscience for people to work with, not to tell people what to do.”

Fador’s aim as a religious guide is to provide “a point at which you can stand and look at what is the truth.”

In the midst of a national period of confusion, anger and fear, Fador commented that God is the “unmoved mover” — the thing that never changes.

“When you’re in this out-of-balance situation, there is no concrete proof,” Fador said. “There’s just your faith in something. You have to have faith in something, because without faith in anything, we go crazy.”

Faith, he said, can be experienced by anyone.

“You can have faith being an agnostic, being an atheist, a Muslim, a Jew, a Methodist, a Catholic. It’s universal — faith is given to everyone. Whether we use it or practice it or develop it, that’s another situation.

“To me, faith cannot be taught,” he continued. “It can only be caught. Unless you’ve met a holy person, unless you’ve met a person of faith, you will never know what it is.”

Fador had advice for those stricken by confusion or anxiety in light of the nation’s current climate and the recent violent outbursts around the world: hold tight.

“You can only gain perspective by stepping back and looking at what’s going on,” he said.

“We’re in that time of life now where people need to put down their anchors and ride this thing out, because it is going to change.”