George Gabet

George Gabet FSSP, is an American Catholic priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), and previously served as the North American District Superior of the fraternity. He is currently the pastor for the fraternity's apostolate in Dayton, Ohio, Holy Family Catholic Church.

Born into a family of nine in Fort Wayne, Indiana,^[1][2] George Gabet attended St. Charles Borromeo and Bishop Dwenger High School in his hometown.^[1]

After high school he studied at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana earning a Bachelor of Science degree, where he double-majored in medical technology and microbiology.^[2] After graduating, Gabet worked as a medical technologist for the American Red Cross for five years.^[1][2] During this time, he also pursued a master's degree at Indiana University-Purdue University.^[2]

Father Gabet initially did not plan to become a priest, envisioning a life with a wife and many children, however, several what he would call coincidences led him toward the priesthood.^[1] One of these incidences was a significant moment that occurred at the 20th anniversary Mass for Monsignor Edward Hession, where Hession expressed a wish for a priestly vocation from his time at the parish. An elderly woman then "turned around, she turned back to the front and then very slowly, turned around and faced me" before she would point at Gabet and declared she thought he was that vocation.^[1] This left a notable impression on Gabet leaving him "floored."^[1]

Around the same time, his parents became involved with the League of St. Anthony, which advocated for the Traditional Latin Mass.^[1] Gabet attended a Latin Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Fort Wayne and was impressed by its beauty, even though he did not know the verbal responses.^[3][1] He found that his prayer life improved "immensely" through the reverence of the Latin Mass, noting that he could participate better interiorly and sing along with certain parts without knowing all the words.^[1]

His involvement in the pro-life movement and a Saturday evening men's prayer group also influenced his faith.^[2][1] Already devoted to Mary, he was introduced to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), a religious order formed in 1988 in response to Pope John Paul II's Ecclesia Dei, specifically dedicated to the Latin Mass.^[1] When a friend planned to host an FSSP priest to encourage vocations, Gabet was the only one who showed up, despite his prior intentions for marriage and a family.^[1]

Another pivotal experience for him was the Summer of Mercy in Wichita, Kansas, a large pro-life movement, where he realized he needed to dedicate himself to "God's work full-time".^[1]

In 1991, he entered St. Peter’s Seminary, the FSSP’s international seminary in Wigratzbad, Germany.^[3][2][1] He only had a basic understanding of French, one of the seminary's languages of instruction, and was advised to perform a daily Way of the Cross to aid his studies.^[1] Wigratzbad is also a pilgrimage site to Mary, aligning with his existing devotion.^[1]

Gabet was ordained a deacon in 1996 by Bishop Wolfgang Haas, then Bishop of Chur-Zurich, Switzerland.

Gabet requested to be ordained in him home diocese, rather than in Bavaria, to allow his large extended family to attend.^[1] In 1997 he was ordained priest by Bishop John M. Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.^[2][3][1]

After his ordination, Father Gabet was initially assigned to the Community of St. Peter in the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma.^[1][2] In 1998, he was transferred to St. Patrick’s Parish in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, where he served for two years.^[2] He was the predecessor of Father Eric Flood at St. Patrick's in Omaha.^[4] Following his time in Omaha, he returned to the Diocese of Tulsa, serving as pastor of the Parish of St. Peter for three years.^[2]

After seven years as a priest, Father Gabet was appointed North American District Superior of the FSSP by the Superior General, Father Arnaud Devillers.^[2][1] In this role, he oversaw FSSP communities in the United States and Canada. During his four-year tenure, the FSSP rapidly grew, opening 11 new apostolates across the United States.^[1][3]

He also helped establish the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska.^[2][1] Father Gabet attributes his accomplishments during this time to placing "everything in the hands of the Blessed Mother".^[1]

In February 2008, Father Gabet requested to step down from his role as District Superior, a request accepted by the Superior General, Very Reverend Fr. John Berg, with the consent of the General Council.^[4] He was succeeded by Father Eric Flood.^[4]

After stepping down as District Superior, Father Gabet returned to parish life, seeking a less demanding ministry with less travel.^[1][3] Bishop D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend invited him to lead the small but growing Latin Mass community there, a role Father Gabet described as "every priest's dream come true".^[1][3]

He became the chaplain of the St. Mother Theodore Guérin Latin Mass Community, serving Sacred Heart Parish in Fort Wayne and St. John the Baptist in South Bend, both of which had offered the Tridentine Rite Mass since 1990.^[1][3][5] This community was established by Bishop D'Arcy on March 1, 2008, to meet the needs of Catholics wishing to worship in the traditional rite following Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum.^[3] Father Gabet would celebrate daily Latin Mass at Sacred Heart in Fort Wayne and travel to South Bend almost every Sunday to celebrate Mass at St. John the Baptist.^[3]

In October 2011, Bishop Kevin Rhoades elevated Sacred Heart Parish to a personal parish dedicated to the extraordinary form, and Father Gabet became its pastor while continuing to serve the South Bend community.^[5] He served at Sacred Heart Parish for eight years.^[1] He also administered sacraments according to the earlier rituals as a chaplain.^[3]

Father George Gabet is currently serves as the Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Dayton, Ohio.^[6][7][8][1] He is joined by Father Joseph Orlowski FSSP, who serves as Parochial Vicar.^[7][6]

Gabet was appointed the pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Dayton, Ohio, of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on July 1 2016.^[9]

• Ritual in the age of authenticity: An ethnography of Latin Mass Catholics. Marx, Nathaniel. University of Notre Dame ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  2013. A text that features a prominent vignette into Father Gabet, including his "exuberant personality" and distinct pastoral and homiletic style.

• FSSP
• Holy Family Catholic Church (Dayton, Ohio)
• Sacred Heart Parish
• Summer of Mercy
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
• Traditional Catholicism