Walsh U adjunct professor headed to the Vatican on special assignment

Canton Repository staff
Updated ·3 min read
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Rev. Shawn Conoboy talks about his assignment to the Vatican while in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Aurora on Friday. Rev. Conoboy will work on the staff of Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Rev. Shawn Conoboy talks about his assignment to the Vatican while in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Aurora on Friday. Rev. Conoboy will work on the staff of Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

YOUNGSTOWN − A priest with the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown has accepted an appointment to serve at the Vatican.

The Rev. Shawn Conoboy will serve on the staff of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

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The Dicastery helps to fulfill the mission of Christ and the church through attending to the material needs of the poor and vulnerable. Attention also is given to questions of economy, health, migration, ecology and peace.

Conoboy, who will remain a priest with the diocese, will be released for this special assignment effective May 1, with his appointment at the Vatican beginning June 1.

He will work for the section of the Dicastery that interacts with local Bishops' Conferences around the world to help identify the material needs of churches and to support action plans to resolve them.

Currently, he serves as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Aurora, St. Joseph in Mantua and St. Ambrose in Garrettsville.

The Rev. Frantisek Katrinak will succeed Conoboy as pastor of these parishes, and also St. Joan of Arc Parish in Streetsboro.

Conoboy also currently serves as director of ecumenical and interreligious affairs for the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, as an adjunct professor at Walsh University, and as chair of the diocese’s presbyteral council.

Bishop David Bonnar, head of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, left, speaks with the Rev. Shawn Conoboy, who has been reassigned to the Vatican.
Bishop David Bonnar, head of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, left, speaks with the Rev. Shawn Conoboy, who has been reassigned to the Vatican.

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He has also served the sacramental needs of the Hartville Migrant Ministry, including celebrating Mass in Spanish.

In 2021, Conoboy earned a doctorate in systematic theology from Duquesne University. He previously earned a sacred theology bachelor's (equivalent to a master of divinity) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and a specialized sacred theology license in spiritual theology from the Teresianum, Pontifical Institute for Spirituality.

In 2022, Rev. Shawn Conoboy (right) hosted "The Meeting of Two Bishops: East and West" which he organized as the diocesan director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. With him are (l-r) Monsignor Robert Siffrin, Rev.. Joseph Distefano, Metropolitan Savas Zembillas of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh, and Bishop David Bonnar, head of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown. (Photo: Bob Zajack, Catholic Diocese of Youngstown)

Bishop David Bonnar, head of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, said he will miss Conoboy's contributions.

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“Father Conoboy’s appointment is a great honor, not only for him, but for the Diocese of Youngstown. Father Conoboy has so many gifts as a priest and theologian, and I am excited that he will now be using those gifts in his work with the Holy Father and the dicastery’s staff, led by Cardinal Michael Czerny, Sister Alessandra Smerilli and Father Fabio Baggio," Bonnar said in news release. "While we will miss him during his time of service to the Vatican, I give thanks that the Holy Spirit has opened up this new way for Father Conoboy to use his gifts for the good of the universal church. Upon the completion of his duties, we will welcome him back with open arms.”

Rev. Shawn Conoboy stands with the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the sanctuary of the church in Aurora on Friday. Rev. Conoboy is going to the Vatican to work on the staff of Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Rev. Shawn Conoboy stands with the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the sanctuary of the church in Aurora on Friday. Rev. Conoboy is going to the Vatican to work on the staff of Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Conoboy was ordained a priest in 2006. In addition to his current assignments, he served previously as parochial vicar at St. Charles in Boardman and Good Shepherd in Campbell (and then as pastor); as a sacramental minister at Holy Family in Brewster and Navarre, and administrator of St. Mary and St. Joseph in Newton Falls.

His ecumenical work has included membership in the Youngstown-Warren Chapter of the Society of St. John Chrysostom, and on the local Lutheran-Catholic Covenant Commission.

"Pastoral ministry to the most vulnerable has been a consistent focus throughout my life and ministry," Conoboy said in a release. "My sharing in the priesthood of Jesus Christ has brought me to many wonderful assignments and experiences. I look forward to serving God's People and Christ's Church in this new way at the Dicastery."

Celebration

Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Aurora will host a farewell party for the Rev. Shawn Conoboy at 4:30 p.m. April 29. The parish is at 342 S. Chillicothe Road. Call 330-562-8519 or visit https://www.olphaurora.org.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Catholic Diocese of Youngstown priest appointed to staff at Vatican