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They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. The same feels true for Alexander Turpin’s journey toward the priesthood.

After beginning his studies at St. Isaac Jogues House of Formation and Pre-Seminary in Albany, Turpin was selected to continue his formation in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in spring 2022. 

Now, almost three years since starting his studies, Turpin is preparing to return to the Diocese for his Ordination to the Diaconate on Saturday, May 17, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany at 11 a.m. 

And while a lot has changed during his time abroad, one thing has always remained the same: Turpin’s love for the faith and his joy to one day serve his community as a priest.

“We have a funny expression here that I’ve heard echoed from the other guys at other seminaries from Albany: that days are long and the weeks are fast,” Turpin said in an interview with The Evangelist. “A lot has happened in three years, and simultaneously, it’s like, how has there been enough time for this all to happen?”

Turpin will return for ordination and spend the summer serving a parish in the Diocese as a transitional deacon. It’s an exciting step, especially for Turpin, who noted that “the things the deacon gets to do are fundamental and foundational to what it is to be the church.”

“You get faculties to preach and you become an ordinary minister of baptism, which are two of the most important things that Holy Orders entail,” Turpin said. “It was Pope Francis who said the first duty of the priest is to preach, and it was our Lord himself who commissioned the Apostles to go out and make disciples of the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

Turpin served at St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park last summer and witnessed the work that he’ll be bringing to his community this year.

“Many of the best memories of (my) summer assignment are of these baptisms where you’re bringing … these people into the light and love of Christ, bringing them to new life,” he said. “To be the minister of that, that’s very powerful.”

Being back in Albany is never a strange feeling for Turpin: Born and raised in Colonie, he comes from a small Italian-American family. Growing up, they frequently attended St. Pius X Church in Loudonville, where Turpin also sang in the choir from an early age. 

Music, much like Catholicism, was baked into his life. Turpin went on to receive his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Roch­ester’s Eastman School of Music and his Master’s in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan. 

But over time, the call to the priesthood never dimmed. Now, getting to answer that call while studying in Rome has been both an enjoyable and challenging experience. It’s hard at times to be away from the friends he made in pre-seminary, but also, the people he’s met helped remind him how the local church is intertwined with the world. 

“I’ve gotten to meet future priests from all over the country and all over the world,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like it because we’re in our parish serving our people, but the church is the whole world. So it’s been really exciting to come back with that widened perspective and bring that to these relationships.”

Turpin will return to Rome in the fall for one more year of studies, completing his Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) degree, before returning to the Diocese again in spring 2026 for his Ordination to the Priesthood. 

There is also a level of uncertainty with the return, as the Diocese continues to battle bankruptcy and construct a solution for a more sustainable church. Yet, the same mantra for Turpin’s journey toward the priesthood rings true for the Diocese: the more things may change, the more they stay the same. 

“Thinking about, praying about, the situation we find ourselves in — in terms of vocations — it’s a purifier,” he said. “It makes you really stop and ask the Lord, what are you calling me to? Why do I feel like I want to do this, in spite of all these challenges and uncertainty?”

“It comes down to the vocation, which is to love. It’s to love the people and God in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. Love is always created, love is always growing, love is always looking forward. So you say, OK, I don’t know what the future is going to look like, but the Holy Spirit has kept us afloat for 2,000 years, so we might look different in 5, 10, 15, 20 years, but we’ll still be here. And the mission, in a broad sense, will still be exactly the same.”

And with that final return to the Diocese next year also comes the next steps as an ordained priest. After his priestly ordination, Turpin is most excited to administer the Sacrament of Confession: “That is the thing I am so looking forward to: being the dispenser of God’s infinite, perfect mercy.”

In the meantime, Turpin is looking forward to his Ordination to the Diaconate, as he continues to learn about and live out his faith. 

“I know my time in the Diocese, just as a seminarian, has been blessed; it’s been wonderful. So if being ordained is anywhere near it, then it’s a very nice life.”

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