// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's George Gabet? Gab-et a clue?

The Reverend Father George Gabet FSSP
Pastor, Holy Family Catholic Church
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Cincinnati
Previous posts	North American District Superior, FSSP (2004–2008)
Orders
Ordination	1997 by John M. D’Arcy
Personal details
Born	Fort Wayne, Indiana
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Education	Ball State University Indiana-Perdue University
Alma mater	International Seminary of St. Peter

Ordination history of George Gabet
History Diaconal ordination Ordained by Wolfgang Haas Date 1996 Priestly ordination Ordained by John Michael D'Arcy Date 1997 Place Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

George Gabet FSSP is an American Catholic priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), and previously served as the North American District Superior of the fraternity. He is currently the pastor of the fraternity's apostolate, Holy Family Catholic Church in Dayton, Ohio.

Life and education

Born into a family of nine in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Gabet attended St. Charles Borromeo and Bishop Dwenger High School in his hometown.

After high school Gabet studied at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, earning a Bachelor of Science degree, where he double-majored in medical technology and microbiology. After graduating, Gabet worked as a medical technologist for the American Red Cross for five years. During this time, he also pursued a master's degree at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.

Vocation and seminary

Gabet initially did not plan to become a priest, instead preferring a life with a wife and children. What Gabet calls coincidences led him toward the priesthood. One of these was an incident that occurred at the 20th anniversary Mass for Monsignor Edward Hession, at which Hession expressed a wish for a priestly vocation from his time at the parish. An elderly woman then "turned around, she turned back to the front and then very slowly, turned around and faced me" before she would point at Gabet and declared she thought he was that vocation. This incident left a strong impression on Gabet.

Around the same time, Gabet's parents became involved with the League of St. Anthony, which advocated for the Traditional Latin Mass. Gabet attended a Latin Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Fort Wayne. He remarked that his prayer life improved with the Latin Mass.

Gabet's involvement in the pro-life movement and a Saturday evening men's prayer group also influenced his faith. He was introduced to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, a religious order formed in 1988 in response to Pope John Paul II's Ecclesia Dei. When a friend planned to host an FSSP priest to encourage vocations, Gabet was the only one who attended.

In 1991, Gabet entered St. Peters Seminary, the FSSP international seminary in Wigratzbad, Germany. He had only a basic understanding of French, one of the seminary's languages of instruction, and was advised to perform a daily Way of the Cross to aid his studies.

Ordination

Gabet was ordained a deacon in 1996 by Bishop Wolfgang Haas, the Bishop of Chur-Zurich, Switzerland.

Gabet asked to be ordained in his home diocese, rather than in Bavaria, to allow his large extended family to attend. In 1997, he was ordained priest by John Michael D'Arcy Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Priestly assignments

After his ordination, Gabet was initially assigned to the Community of St. Peter in the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1998, he was transferred to St. Patrick’s Parish in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, where he served for two years. Following his time in Omaha, he returned to the Diocese of Tulsa, serving as pastor of the Parish of St. Peter for three years.

FSSP North American District Superior position

After seven years as a priest, Gabet was appointed North American district superior of the FSSP by the Superior General, Arnaud Devillers, overseeing FSSP communities in the United States and Canada. During his four-year tenure, the FSSP opened 11 new apostolates across the United States. Gabet also helped establish the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska.

In February 2008, Gabet submitted a request to step down from his role as District Superior, which was accepted by the Superior General, John Berg, with the consent of the General Council. He was succeeded by Eric Flood.

Return to parish ministry

After stepping down as District Superior, Gabet returned to parish life, seeking a less demanding ministry with less travel. He was invited by Bishop D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend to lead the small Latin Mass community there.

Gabet became the chaplain of the St. Mother Theodore Guérin Latin Mass Community, serving Sacred Heart Parish in Fort Wayne and St. John the Baptist in South Bend, both of which had offered the Tridentine Rite Mass since 1990. This community had been established by D'Arcy on March 1, 2008, to meet the needs of Catholics wanting to worship in the traditional rite following Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum. Gabet would celebrate daily Latin Mass at Sacred Heart in Fort Wayne and travel to South Bend almost every Sunday to celebrate Mass at St. John the Baptist.

In October 2011, Bishop Kevin Rhoades elevated Sacred Heart Parish to a personal parish dedicated to the extraordinary form, and Gabet became its pastor while continuing to serve the South Bend community. He served at Sacred Heart Parish for eight years. He also administered sacraments according to the earlier rituals as a chaplain.

Current role

Gabet currently serves as the pastor of Holy Family Parish in Dayton, Ohio, a position to which he was appointed by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on July 1, 2016.

See also

• Traditional Catholicism