Responding to God's Call: Fr. David Gaeta appointed pastor of St. Peter Parish

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Fr. David Gaeta

SALT LAKE CITY — Father David Gaeta will become pastor of St. Peter Parish in American Fork on May 15, following the retirement of Fr. James Blaine.

Fr. Gaeta was ordained a priest on Nov. 8, 1980 at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in his home diocese of Revere, Mass., by the Most Rev. Joseph L. Federal, sixth Bishop of Salt Lake. He was the last man ordained by Bishop Federal, who had already retired but was serving as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Salt Lake City until Bishop William K. Weigand was installed on Nov. 17, 1980.

Fr. Gaeta’s first assignment in the diocese was as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish (Ogden). In 1982 he was appointed as associate pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, and for two months he was the temporary chaplain at Hill Air Force Base. In 1983 he served several months as temporary associate pastor at St. Pius X Parish, then held the same position at St. Vincent de Paul Parish. In 1984 he was parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Then, from 1985 to 1999 he was a chaplain for the Military Ordinariate, where he served at various Air Force bases. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 1999, he served for two years as a chaplain at two hospitals in the Diocese of Worcester, Mass. He then attended the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. He earned a Master of Social Work degree in 2002 and was certified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. From 2002 to 2014 he helped in various parishes in the Boston area and also worked for the Veterans Administration at various hospitals in the New England area. Then he cared for his mother, whose health was declining. Upon her death, he returned to the Diocese of Salt Lake City in 2017, where he was assigned as administrator of St. Florence Mission, with residence at St. Joseph Parish.

Q: What would you like your new parishioners to know about you?

A: I would want them to know that I do not come to St. Peter’s with an agenda or a plan for our parish. I have been a Catholic my whole life and a priest for 38 years, and I realize that all parishes have much in common yet each is unique in its own ways. In the beginning, I hope to do a lot of listening and learning. I am anxious to learn about what has been going on and where the parish would like to go in the immediate future. We all come with our own experiences and expectations so I hope that we can grow together as a parish family. I have learned from each ministerial experience I have had, whether in Utah, the U.S. Air Force or Massachusetts, and hope to share with St. Peter’s what I have learned as well as learn from them what works in Utah County. I am from Boston, so I hope my accent and sense of humor is not a problem. I come from a big, Italian family, where I am the youngest of five boys; but all my family is still in the Boston area. I also regret that I do not speak or understand Spanish, but I hope ALL people will feel welcome and accepted at St. Peter’s.  

Q: What are you looking forward to most about your new assignment?

A: I am looking forward to settling in at St. Peter’s and hope to stay for six or 12 years, as this will probably be my final  assignment in the Diocese of Salt Lake City. I look forward to getting to know the people and the area; I’ve never been to American Fork; and to build on the work and ministry of the first pastor, Fr. Jim Blaine. I understand the area is growing and hopefully our parish can reach out to Catholics who have not been a part of the parish as well as newly arrived Catholics who are searching for a parish home. I was told that “space” is an issue and that there are plans to build a religious education center with classrooms and offices, and I hope we can start that project as soon as possible. I am very excited to be in a parish for an extended period, so that we can make plans and see them through to completion as well as becoming a part of parishioner’s faith development over a long period.  I have not had an assignment for an extended period, as in the military we were moved every two years or less.

Q: As a priest, what has been your biggest challenge?

A. There have been so many challenges throughout my priesthood dictated by the diverse locations and types of ministry, whether it was a remote assignment in the military, being in a hospital setting dealing with life and death each day, living for the first time in my life as a faith minority in Utah as a young priest or taking care of my mother in Boston during the final phase of her life. In each setting, though unique, the common denominator was people’s hunger and need for God at pivotal points in their lives. The challenge I found was to be ready, willing and available when they are ready. As much as I love celebrating Mass and preaching with my community, I believe the priest is most effective at times outside of the church building – meeting people where they are physically as well as spiritually, and being a witness to God’s love in all settings.

Q: As a priest, what has been your most satisfying experience?

A: There have been so many satisfying experiences that it’s difficult to enumerate. Celebrating the Sacraments is by far the greatest privilege and honor, as well as preaching at Mass. In the former it is usually a more personal and intimate moment where God touches the person, whereas the latter is more communal and public. Either way to help  people’s lives change for the better and to be able to give us  hope that we are not alone, that God loves us  and there is a community they can rely on in good times and bad times is amazing. That is my vision of a parish and for St. Peter’s. Preaching is so important, as we have the awesome responsibility and opportunity to lighten people’s burdens and free them from misplaced guilt. On a personal note, the hardest and best thing I ever did in my life was being able to care for my mother in her last years. It was extremely difficult to watch her physical and mental health decline, but to be able to keep her at home and make her as comfortable as possible was blessing from God and this diocese. It was a year ago on April 21, and I miss her more every day. I am so appreciative that I was allowed to be in Boston and do this, and I hope that it will make me a better priest and person.