Meet Father Jonathan

Article by Dante Massarini ’25

Father Jonathan Fioramonti is the newest chaplain for St. Paul VI Catholic High School.

Born and raised in Manassas, Father Jonathan attended Seton School and was a parishioner at All Saints Catholic Church. The oldest of nine siblings, he is very familiar with being a part of a large family, both in his home life and in his church community.

In high school, Father Jonathan’s passion was sports, especially soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. He loved playing them for the thrill of the game, but it was the people he met in those communities who had such a profound impact on him. Although he did not seriously consider becoming a priest until later in college, the example set by his teammates planted the seeds for Father’s vocation. He saw these good men striving for excellence, and when they themselves entered seminary, Father thought to himself, “Wow, maybe that could be me.”

Father Jonathan Reflects Watch Father’s video reflections to students, faculty, and staff on YouTube.

A real eye opening experience for Father was when one of the friends he played soccer with invited him to a “come and see” weekend. This was an opportunity for him and other members of the community to meet with seminarians, pray with them, and ask them questions. He didn’t really understand what it was all about, but he decided to attend and was impressed by the men giving their lives wholly to the Lord. In particular, the testimony of one seminarian, now Father Sean (who also went to Seton School with Father Jonathan!), really struck home what it meant to dedicate oneself to the holy life.

In his time since becoming a member of the priesthood, Father has been hard at work serving his communities and doing the work of the Lord. He started his ministry by preparing young adults for marriage. Now he is the chaplain at PVI and the shepherd for a flock of 1,200+ students. His favorite things about being a priest are seeing God at work in the students’ lives and helping them hear His voice. In particular, Father Jonathan loves being able to offer the sacrament of Reconciliation and forgiving sins so that students may know God’s mercy and feel His grace working in them. He is elated as a priest, knowing that he gets to forgive sins every time he hears the confessional’s doorbell ring in his office.

Father Jonathan also has a few special devotions. He loves the Mass, of course, and being in the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, the source of all nourishment. Thus, he tries to begin and end every single day at PVI in the beautiful chapel on campus. He also has a devotion to the rosary, and you will never catch him without one on his person. He is fond of the dual images that the rosary presents: one of a spiritual sword, and one of holding the gentle hand of Mary. Devotion to the Blessed Mother has always held a special place in Father Jonathan’s heart; in high school, two of his teammates convinced him to do a 33-day consecration to Mary. He has since greatly relied on her intercession.

The motto at PVI is “Grow in Grace and Wisdom,” and this year, the area of focus and theme is “Living in Communion.” Fittingly, Father Jonathan has placed great emphasis on the importance of family. He often quotes his dad, saying, “The family that prays together, stays together.”

PVI’s advisories, which function like homerooms at other schools, are similar to a basic unit of family. Advisories consist of an assortment of students from all four grade levels. The students do not get to choose who they are in an advisory with, and this is how any family works.

Father Jonathan urges that “learning to love those God puts around us is so important in the Christian life.” This starts with repentance. Jesus’ first call in his ministry was to repent. We have to recognize our shortcomings and learn to accept help from our friends. Recognizing our weaknesses means accepting who we are as the children of God’s creation.

Father Jonathan, recalling that Plato once said to “Know thyself,” shares that this is the starting point of the Christian life. For him, it means to be Father Jonathan well, to point people to the chapel, and to be present for his community.