Former mechanic to be ordained a priest

By Bill Doyle | CFP Correspondent
 
While Christopher Aubrey worked for more than 20 years as an auto mechanic, some of his coworkers and customers called him “Father Chris” because they knew he was interested in becoming a priest. It’s finally about to happen. He was ordained a deacon in May of 2025 and he’s scheduled to be ordained a priest at age 48 on June 13 at St. Paul Cathedral.

“I don’t feel any holier than anybody else,” he said. “It just took me a while. Late bloomer, I guess you could say.”

Deacon Aubrey graduated from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg in 1995 and then he worked on and off as a master mechanic until 2022. He also worked as a carpenter and in building maintenance from 2015-2018 and owned his own trucking business from 2018-2022.

That may not sound like the typical resume for a priest, but, as Deacon Aubrey knows, Jesus was a carpenter.

“It’s humbling to know that the Lord who created the universe came down to work with the material by the sweat of his brow,” Deacon Aubrey said. “Work is not easy, but God actually subjected himself to it. He didn’t have to do that.”

Deacon Aubrey also spent a fair amount of time attending school. He attended Mass Bay Community College and Thomas More College.

He began thinking about entering the priesthood as far back as the late 1990s, and in 2005 he began taking those thoughts more seriously. The Diocese of Worcester urged him to finish college first and he did, earning a theology degree in 2007 from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

Then he attended St. John’s Seminary in Brighton from 2008-2011, but after that he went back to work.

“I took like a 12-year hiatus,” he said. 
For his trucking business, he hauled asphalt and plowed snow. He also repaired cars and trucks.

“I always had to make my own living so that’s what I did,” he said. “Even at the seminary, I was always fixing people’s vehicles.”

Deacon Aubrey came close to getting married during that hiatus, but he eventually felt the calling to return to seminary. He enrolled in Pope St John XXIII National Seminary in Weston in 2022 and graduated in May. He’s looking forward to answering God’s call to become a priest.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s challenging. You have to be prepared for the unexpected. Right now, I’m just soaking it up that I don’t have to go back to school.”

Over the years, he has dealt with mild to moderate dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, difficulty reading and staying focused.

“I still struggle, but I get through it,” he said.

Deacon Aubrey hopes working as a mechanic and experiencing the difficulties of life will help him as a priest to relate to his parishioners.

Deacon Aubrey said he considered himself to be a good auto mechanic. Asked if he thought he’d be even better as a  priest, he replied, “I hope so.”

 Asked where he grew up, Deacon Aubrey joked, “I’m not done growing up yet.”

He actually grew up in Sterling before moving to Templeton about 20 years ago.

Deacon Aubrey said the need to earn money to pay off his debts delayed his entry into the priesthood.

“I felt called to take care of that on my own,” he said, “because I felt if God had given me these talents to work, then I should work. Was that the most prudent thing to do or should I have asked for help? I don’t know the answer to that.”

Father Patrick Ssekyole, pastor at Deacon Aubrey’s home parish of Holy Cross in Templeton, will vest him at the ordination. His mother, Mary Beth Rochon, and aunt, Janis Diamond, will be the gift bearers.

Deacon Aubrey will celebrate his first Mass as a priest at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, at Holy Cross. His Mass of Thanksgiving will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 21, at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Westborough where he served as a deacon last summer and on weekends since then.

Deacon Aubrey also served ministry assignments at St. Vincent Hospital, St. Roch Parish in Oxford and St. John Paul II Parish in Southbridge.

There was no one defining moment when Deacon Aubrey made his final decision to become a priest.

“It was just kind of a slow, organic process so to speak,” he said. “I don’t know why it took so long. Obviously, you get to the point where you’re like, ‘I’m getting older,’ and if I could do it over again I probably would have tried to ask for some help. I could have been a priest sooner.”

Nevertheless, he’s glad he eventually answered God’s call.

“It’s the greatest adventure you’ll ever embark on,” he said. “The best I can do is help people know Jesus and pray for them and intercede for them. It’s helped me grow and develop as a human being.”