St. Michael the Archangel

(from the St. Michael bulletin June 4, 2023)

Dear Parishioners,
I’ve already had a chance to meet some of you, but I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself a bit more. I’m Father Chase Goodman, I’m from Victoria, Texas. I’m the youngest of three boys in my family, both of my brothers are married and have three kids each. My parents still live in Nursery, one of my brothers lives in Victoria and the other lives in Katy.

My home parish is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory, I attended school there and then St Joe’s in Victoria. I’m the proudest member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2013 (just like Fr. Dalton). I worked as an equipment manager for the football team while I was in college, and I still love Aggie Football. I received my BBA in Management Information Systems at A&M, and I started discerning a call to the priesthood during my senior year.

My senior year I was looking at jobs or graduate school, but nothing felt right. I still enjoyed business, but the environment of “networking” felt wrong to me. It was only in going to Mass and thinking about what the priest does that I felt any peace or excitement.

What really pushed me into the priesthood was the birth of my oldest nephew. He had a difficult birth, and a priest came to bless the family. My brother told me when the priest made the Sign of the Cross on baby Dominic’s forehead, that he leaned into it. I kept thinking about my brother and this priest, both being a father to this child, and I felt like God was calling me to be a father like that priest, rather than my brother.

I attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas for two years of study in philosophy, then the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio to study theology. I was ordained together with St. Michael’s own Father Dalton, and Father James (from Frelsburg, assigned to Columbus) in the midst of Covid. I spent two years at St Philip’s in El Campo, and the last year at St. Rose.

As for my hobbies, I enjoy lifting weights, cooking and barbecuing, hunting and fishing, and playing video games. I was warned that if I said I have a favorite food or drink, I’ll be overwhelmed by how much of it people give me, so it’s a good thing I’m pretty easy to please.

I want to write a column here and in the bulletin somewhat regularly, so be sure to keep an eye out.

I’m excited to be here, and I look forward to getting to meet all of y’all in the future. Let us keep one another in prayer!

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Chase Goodman