BIDDEFORD — A seminary student from Biddeford has moved a step closer to his dream of becoming ordained as a Catholic priest.

Seminarian Alex Boucher, who grew up attending St. Joseph Church in Biddeford was instituted into the ministry of lector during a Mass at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts on April 8.  This is a key step toward ordination as a priest and took place during Boucher’s second theology, his fourth year of six years of theological studies at the seminary.

He was among 11 seminarians instituted as a lector during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester, New York.

According to the Catholic church’s law and practice, an instituted lector is charged with proclaiming the readings from the Sacred Scriptures except for the gospel, announcing the intentions in the Prayer of the Faithful in the absence of a deacon, and reciting or singing the responsorial psalm if there is no cantor. 

Boucher is the son of Daniel and Lisa Boucher of Biddeford and attended St. James School in the city. 

“It was as a student there that I first perceived that God might be calling me to serve him and the Church as a priest,” Boucher said.

While attending classes at St. James, Boucher became involved in the activities of Good Shepherd Parish as an altar server and also spent considerable time helping out with the charitable works of the parish.

“Working alongside these people of faith was truly life changing,” he said. “It instilled in me not simply a love of Christ and the Church, but showed me the importance of collaborating with parishioners from all walks of life to build up our local community of faith.”

Boucher later attended Cheverus High School in Portland and assisted in the development of a youth ministry program in the Biddeford and Saco areas. He also completed two years as a member of the former Maine Diocesan Council for Catholic Youth.

Boucher earned a bachelor’s degree in Theology and Religious Studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“As a college student, I continued to discern that God might be calling me to the priesthood. I was fortunate to be in an environment that was very conducive to this kind of discernment,” Boucher said.

While in college, he participated in an array of volunteer and professional work experiences that provided him with a wider view of the Catholic Church. He was involved with the Knights of Columbus, along with being active in campus ministry and a men’s discernment group, and served regularly at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 

He also worked as a project administrator for the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management in Washington, D.C.; served as program and operations manager for the Catholic Apostolate Center in Washington, D.C.; and as an intern in the Office of the Vicar General for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. In addition, he was a pastoral associate for the Portland Peninsula and Island Parishes.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journal tribune.com.