FATHER FATHER

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of profiles of the three newly ordained priests in the Albany Diocese: Father Michael Melanson, Father Samuel Bellafiore and Father Kyle Eads, who were ordained June 15 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.

It took the biggest heartbreak of his life to lead Rev. Michael Melanson on his unique journey to the priesthood.

After all how could he even become a priest in the first place? He was married to the love of his life, Peggy, for 50 years, had three grown children, grandchildren and had retired after working 40 years at General Electric and the State University at Albany in computer programming. He and his wife were an extremely active presence in their church, Immaculate Conception in Glenville, for 45 years. Oh, and he played lead guitar in a local rock band for 10 years.

“There was never ever even a speck of a drop of a thought in my mind (to becoming a priest),” said Father Melanson.

He was happy in his life and in his deacon ministries for the past 26 years; that was going to be his calling. And his wife was also instrumental in getting Father Melanson started on his religious path.

“It was all my wife’s fault,” Father Melanson said jokingly. “I was a back-of-the-church Catho­lic; get in, get out as fast as you can, get up to Sacandaga and go boating. But my wife wanted to get involved in things. She was a school teacher professionally and she wanted to teach religious education and said ‘You are coming with me.’ And that’s how things began to go.” 

But teaching religious classes, turned into getting involved with Cursillo, the hugely successful renewal project at his church and eventually the diaconate at age 47.

“Over time as I got into things, I didn’t want to, but I fell in love with God. I was in love with my wife, more than any woman in the whole world, but this was different,” said Melanson. “And I just couldn’t get enough. When I was 62 years old I decided to get my Masters degree in Theology and I enrolled in St. Bernard’s … I was starving for more data.” 

The calling to be a deacon for Father Melanson had an almost providential beginning.

“I was at church praying alone and I heard Jesus call me ‘Tell my people how much I love them,’ ‘How am I going to do that Lord?’ God didn’t tell me the how-to, it was up to me,” he said. “I wasn’t given any direction what to do, and I found the diaconate through another very dear friend of mine.”

But then everything stopped. Peggy died of breast cancer in 2017. 

“I went into deep depression the first three or four months after she passed. I have never been alone in my life … And I was really all alone; my children are gone, my grandkids are gone,” Father Melanson said. “I was at church and I was crying ‘Lord what do you want me to do with the rest of my life?’ I loved my deacon ministries but I don’t know how I am going to survive.”

“And then I heard the same voice that called me into the diaconate ‘Show my people how much I love them.’ Here we go again Lord: ‘What do you mean?’ 

“I couldn’t possibly be a priest. I am married and then the Angel also said: ‘No you are not; your wife is with me in paradise,’ so that was a revelation. The more I felt Him calling me to the priesthood, the more I said no. And the more I said no, the more He brought me into the path and nothing was an obstacle.”

He consulted with many people at the Pastoral Center, receiving sage advice from Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger (“he jumped out of his seat with joy and happiness.”), his children and Rev. Rick Lesser, who was married, had a family and joined the priesthood at 60 after his wife had suddenly died, and is now pastor at Corpus Christi Church. 

But how exactly does a father of three tell his family that he is going to be a priest?

“I went to the guys and I said, mom’s gone and I am feeling like I am going into the priesthood,” Father Melanson said.” And they said ‘Go for it, dad, you are being called to go.’ All three of them. The only problem they had was are we going to call you ‘Father Dad’ or ‘Father Father.’ ”

His son, Scott, said he was surprised when his dad said he was going to be a priest.

“I really didn’t know the specifics of it, if it was even possible for him to do this,” Scott said. “I know religion is a very large part of his life. It was an out-of-left-field type of thing I didn’t even think about, but not in a bad way.”

One thing the priesthood has brought him is happiness, says Scott.

“After my mom passed away, they were married for 50 years; love of his life, head over heels for my mom,” said Scott. “And he mentioned just recently that he didn’t think he could be happy again and that has changed. He is beyond happy.” 

He still wears his wedding ring and will always have his wife near him during Mass.

“I wanted my own personal chalice. And I took Peggy’s crucifix … and I had a jeweler put that on the chalice,” Father Melanson said. “And when I elevate that for consecration, my wife is always with me.”

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Father Melanson, 74, brings to mind the line from the movie “The Natural,” where Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) tells the Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford): ‘People don’t start playing ball at your age, they retire!’ But Father Melanson, from the Bellevue section of Schenectady and the pride of the 1963 Class of Mont Pleasant High School (“best class to ever go there”), has a youthful exuberance and genuine excitement and joy for what is to come which belies his age. He tugged on his reddish-brown hair, noting it was all natural.

“When I sat in front of the Bishop he said ‘Mike, how old are you?’ and I said ‘74,’ and he said ‘You look good.’ And I said, ‘Bishop, this is real hair and real color.’ ”

He is also quick to point out that he is nearly 50 years older than Father Samuel Bellafiore and Father Kyle Eads, who he was ordained with. His humor comes through again in talking about celebrating his first Mass at Immaculate Conception in Glenville on June 16.

“I tell all my friends: ‘Trinity Sunday, oh my goodness of all the theological Sundays I got to get Trinity Sunday as my first as a priest,” he said but then added during his homily, “I get to sit in the big boy chair now.”

He will begin his new pastoral assignment with good friend, Rev. Joseph G. Busch, at Our Lady of the Annunciation, Queensbury, and Sacred Heart, Lake George, on July 1. 

“I am looking forward to it; overwhelmed with great joy. I am just flabbergasted that all this has happened to me,” Father Melanson said. “I am a husband; I am a deacon. I was very happy and comfortable with my life except when Peggy passed away, but even still, God was just unbelievable. 
“I am in good health and I just want to help and I want to get to work.” 

Scott knows the new parishioners will immediately take to his dad.

“He is going to do fantastic,” Scott said. “They are going to really miss him (at Immaculate Conception), but I know that everybody is going to fall in love with him real quick.”