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By Sharmane Adams | The Catholic Compass | May/June 2023
Looking back at his youth, Peter Rodgers, principal, husband and father of three, said his love of Catholic education and faith was very much part of his upbringing.
“We had three priests in the family — two Jesuits and one diocesan priest. With 27 cousins, the priests were busy celebrating the sacraments: baptism, first holy communion, wedding and funerals,” Peter said.
Peter, the third of five children, was raised in Connecticut. While in high school, Peter started to think about a vocation to the priesthood. His family attended a Franciscan parish where he became fond of the pastor, who placed it on his mind that he might be called to the priesthood.
After high school, Peter enlisted in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and attended the University of Connecticut. He served in the Air Force for six years, including Operation Iraqi Freedom.
At age 24, Peter was free from his commitments to the military and school. He decided to pursue his discernment to the priesthood and sought out the vocations director at the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut. He spent six years at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary before discerning out.
After leaving the seminary, Peter decided to get into Catholic education. He became a teacher of New Testament, morality and world religions, and coached baseball and women’s cross-country at Saint Joseph High School in Trumbull, Connecticut.
“I loved it because seminary prepared me for it,” Peter said. “Coaching was a great way to build relationships and reach the students. My best lessons happened on the field.”
After his fourth year of teaching, Peter felt God was calling him to expand his role in Catholic education. He accepted the call and served as principal of Saint Catherine of Siena School in Trumbull.
Life was going great for Peter, but he felt something was missing. While he was at a wedding with a friend, a 5’8” blonde sitting nearby caught his eye. He noticed her again at the reception.
“She was laughing and having a good time with her family. I wanted to meet her but didn’t get a chance that night,” Peter said. “I thought I would never see her again.”
While exploring the dating scene, Peter thought he might have misread his vocation. Despite his reluctance, a friend encouraged him to sign up for CatholicMatch, an online dating site. Peter decided to give it a shot but soon canceled his account. A few months later, he recalls having a conversation with the Lord and felt the urge to try CatholicMatch one more time.
“While exploring the website, I saw an image of this girl that looked familiar. She had a big smile that was striking. When I clicked on the second image of her, I saw a picture of the two of us sitting near each other from the wedding three years prior. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, my picture is in her profile!’ “I sent her a message and we ended up messaging back and forth with banter — she’s quick and witty like that,” Peter laughed. “I asked her out, and seven months later, I proposed and a year later, we were married.”
Soon after Peter and his wife, Micki, married, they had their first child. They moved to Tennessee to be closer to Micki’s family, where he served as principal at Holy Rosary Academy in Nashville.
When Peter discerned moving his family to Fort Walton Beach eight months ago to become the principal at St. Mary Catholic School, he knew he wanted to be closely involved in his own children’s education and Christian formation.
The first thing he did when he arrived at the school was to meet with the teachers and staff individually. “I asked them to tell me one thing they enjoy about working at the school. The common theme was family,” Peter said. “When my third child was born a few months ago, I was very moved by how much we sensed that notion of family here. And not having any family nearby, my wife and I felt embraced by this community and loved by them.
“Ever since my youth, I knew that everything comes from God, and being part of St. Mary’s family does not fall short.”