If students opt for a little less FaceTime (the app) and a little more face time with Fr. Joseph Bernardo, Pius X High School chaplain, it will be a sign the word is spreading:

“He’s here.”

Of course, ‘here’ requires a little defining, but safe to say if he’s not in his office in the high school basement he’s helping with sacramental and spiritual needs elsewhere in the school. He oversees key spiritual events, such as Mass, confession and adoration.

Students can even find a phone number to safely text him anytime to arrange a face-to-face conversation.

It’s Fr. Bernardo’s first year as a full-time school chaplain, though he has served as part-time chaplain in the past.

“Having me not teach, if a student needed to come see me, they don’t have to wait for an open period,” he said. “If they need me now, I’m here.”

Pius X has 13 priests and two sisters teach part- or full-time, and they also help with student spiritual needs.

For Fr. Bernardo, sometimes ‘here’ means at a sporting event.

Students notice, they thank him, he likes watching a game, and he has a chance to connect with another key audience: parents.

“Go where they are going, and meet them there, and chat with them, or at least they see me there,” he said. “So that sense of presence is huge for parents. Sometimes I get parents who come up and ask a question, so it gives them that outlet as well.”