St. Bridget Catholic School’s Pastor Honored By Archdiocese

Press release from The Center for Catholic Education and Formation:

Aug. 29, 2022

The Archdiocese of Hartford’s Center for Catholic Education and Formation announced that Rev. Jeffrey V. Romans, Pastor of St. Bridget of Sweden Parish and St. Bridget Catholic School in Cheshire, has been named the recipient of the 2021-2022 Distinguished Catholic Elementary School Pastor Award. The Archdiocese will honor Father Romans at the 43rd Annual HOPES (Help Our Parish Elementary Schools) Dinner scheduled for September 19, 2022.

“Father Romans prioritizes the formation of the entire school community,” said Valerie Mara, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. “He is a visible presence—the students know him and he knows the students. We are very pleased to recognize his hard work, dedication and love for his school community by naming him our Distinguished Catholic Elementary School Pastor—it’s a well-deserved honor.”

“Our students enter St. Bridget to learn and receive a great education, but when they leave they are leaving to serve and make a difference in their community,” shared Rev. Romans. “I’m very proud of our administration, teachers, faculty and volunteers—I see this award as representing their great work, as the school would not be what it is today without everyone doing their part.”

Following a brief period of temporary leadership, Father Romans was officially installed as Pastor of St. Bridget in May 2014. Since then he has also overseen St. Bridget Catholic School, an elementary school serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2017, three years into his tenure in Cheshire, St. Bridget Parish merged with St. Thomas Becket and Church of the Epiphany to form Father Romans’ current parish, St. Bridget of Sweden.

Father Romans grew up in nearby Bristol, CT where he attended public school. Following his high school graduation he entered St. John Seminary in Brighton, MA, where he later earned his Master of Divinity degree. After being ordained to the priesthood in 2003, he was assigned to serve at St. Augustine and St. Paul, both of Glastonbury, and served on the School Board of St. Matthew School in Forestville, CT.

He was later transferred to Torrington, where he served St. Francis of Assisi Church, St. Peter Church, Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary Church (all now known as St. John Paul the Great Parish), as well as St. Peter/St. Francis School (now known as St. Paul the Great Academy) where he was very involved as a young priest.

In 2008, following other assignments at several other parishes and before his eventual transfer to Cheshire, Father Romans began serving as the Assistant Chancellor and Secretary to both The Most Reverend Henry J. Mansell and Leonard Paul Blair, the Fourth and Fifth Archbishops of Hartford.

This press release was produced by The Center for Catholic Education and Formation. The views expressed here are the author's own.