There are many ways one can describe Father Conrad Jaconette. He grew up in a farming family in Kentucky. He is a former Baptist who converted to Catholicism. He is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. But the title he enjoys most these days is “Father.” The young priest was ordained on May 31 for the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky.
As he begins his priestly ministry, he has one dream: that all people encounter the beauty and power of faith, and that they, in his words, “look at the Church as a [place] of hope, true value and true support.”
A family steeped in faith
Growing up on a farm, Jaconette lived with his parents and two younger siblings, just a stone’s throw from his maternal grandparents and great-grandparents, and together they regularly attended their local Southern Baptist church. From a young age he learned to love the Christian faith and embrace a strong work ethic.
After high school, he attended Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. There, his faith began to blossom, thanks in part to Catholic Extension Society’s support of the campus ministry that would shape the course of his life.
During college Jaconette bounced around various Christian denominations, only to be left unsettled until he stepped foot inside the university’s St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Newman Center. There, he found community and clarity.
He fondly remembered his fellow students:
Their faith was real, and it was the driving force of who they were.”
He continued,
“They prioritized Mass and the sacraments, having dinner together and spending time together.”
Also, the infectious joy of his spiritual director, the Newman Center’s priest, captivated him. Jaconette wanted to be a part of this healthy and life-giving community.
He soon entered the Catholic Church’s initiation program. Later that year, he made his profession of faith and received the sacrament of confirmation at the Newman Center in an unforgettable Easter sunrise ceremony—marking the beginning of his life as a Catholic.
Jaconette graduated with his biochemistry degree in 2018 and began applying to medical schools—but something else was tugging at his heart. Through spiritual direction, he started to consider seminary.
In 2019 he entered St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. He is one of several men from the Diocese of Owensboro whose seminarian education Catholic Extension Society has supported over the years, including Father Martin Ma Na Ling who was ordained in 2022.
Those early years were far from easy. He was still adjusting to the rhythm of structured prayer and study when the pandemic hit, forcing him to continue his classes back home. In addition, his Baptist family was understandably skeptical of their beloved son not only becoming Catholic, but taking the extraordinary step of pursuing the priesthood. Like any good parents, they just wanted to make sure that their son was in a good place and well supported.
“I had to prove to my parents that I am loved and safe in this space with the Church.”
Meanwhile, his priestly vocation quietly deepened.
“I was realizing that if I did anything else, I’d be running away from Him.“
A dual calling
As the pull toward priesthood grew in his heart, so too did a concurrent calling as a chaplain in the military.
While in seminary, he attended a discernment retreat through the Archdiocese for the Military Services, which serves the men and women of the U.S. armed forces. As a new seminarian and Catholic at that point, he did not know what to expect. That weekend experience changed his life. He was shocked to encounter members of the armed forces who thanked him simply for going to seminary.
“I did not realize the impact that the priest chaplain had on our military members,” he said. “The retreat was filled with camaraderie, and there was an overwhelming sense of excitement for the priesthood. I left the retreat not just eager and excited about pursuing military chaplaincy, but I was on fire for the priesthood.”
Jaconette discovered the crucial need for chaplains in the military, of which there is a national shortage.
The people of God are there, and they need sacraments.”
Chaplains also provide service members with spiritual support and counseling. They understand the challenges of life in the military because they are living it themselves.
Seminarians are allowed to continue to study for their home diocese while being “co-sponsored” as future military chaplains. With his bishop’s permission, Jaconette chose to serve both the people of Western Kentucky and Air Force members.
“I will be doing this for all airmen, even those who are not Catholic,” he said. Jaconette chose the Air Force because, with its high suicide rates and mental health concerns, it was where he felt he was needed the most.
After completing boot camp, he spent his summers gaining hands-on experience performing chaplaincy duties. On a military base, he immersed himself in the training environments of airmen. He is pictured below with a sergeant as he spent a month during his last summer as a seminarian completing military training at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
He met with the spouses and children of deployed servicemembers who sought spiritual and emotional accompaniment. He also served at a field Mass for cadets at the Air Force Academy alongside chaplains, seen below.
Meanwhile, he also prepared to serve the people back home in Kentucky through his parish assignments. They helped strengthen his vocation.
“They’ve experienced life and its difficulties … but they love God more than anything,” Jaconette said of the parishioners.
That simple love and wholehearted devotion to God is contagious.”
He also learned Spanish, a valuable skill in his current ministry at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, home to many Latino Catholics.
Ready to serve
As a co-sponsored priest, Father Jaconette will spend the first three years of his priesthood serving parishes in Western Kentucky before going on full-time active duty as a military chaplain for five years. During his first three years, he will have the opportunity to serve on a U.S. base for one month a year.
Father Jaconette strives to share the faith and warmth of the Church with everyone he meets, just like he experienced as a college student. As a priest and military chaplain, he hopes to make the Church visible in any setting he will encounter.
Catholic Extension Society supports the education of hundreds of seminarians in the poorest regions of our country every year. Please support our mission and help us build up the next generation of priests!
