Peter Vaghi
Encyclopedia
Peter Vaghi is an American
Roman Catholic
priest
of the Archdiocese of Washington
and former lawyer
associated with several noted American jurist
s. He is pastor of the Little Flower Parish in Bethesda
, Maryland
. He was previously pastor of the historic St. Patrick's Church in Washington, D.C.
Msgr. Vaghi was born in Washington, D.C., in 1948. After attending the College of the Holy Cross
, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the University of Salzburg
in Austria
. Back in America, he attended the University of Virginia
Law School
and worked as an attorney
and staffer to Senator Pete Domenici
in Washington, D.C., before attending the Gregorian University in Rome
, Italy
to become a priest. He was ordained in 1985, and designated a "Prelate
of Honor" (entitling him to be addressed and referred to as "monsignor") by Pope John Paul II
in 1995.
Described as "thoughtful, worldly and cultured" by Newsweek
editor Evan Thomas, Msgr. Vaghi has drawn attention because of his association with a number of highly influential American jurists. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8683401/site/newsweek/page/0/ He participated in the baptism
and conversion to Catholicism of both Robert Bork
, the unsuccessful conservative Supreme Court
nominee, and columnist Robert Novak
. He is also said to have a close relationship with Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas
, his college classmate, with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
and U.S. Chief Justice
John Roberts, whose family belongs to his parish
.
In March 2003, Msgr. Vaghi presided over the funeral of legendary Democratic New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
. "Pat Moynihan was a man of quiet faith," Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi told the mourners. "For him, this found expression in his long commitment to the body politic, the pursuit of the common good and his special care for the poor, the family structure and the most needy in our midst."
Msgr. Vaghi is also active in the John Carroll Society
, "an old-time Catholic service organization favored by Washington's large Catholic legal and political establishment," as whose chaplain
he serves as of 1987. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8683401/site/newsweek/page/0/
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of the Archdiocese of Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
and former lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
associated with several noted American jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
s. He is pastor of the Little Flower Parish in Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He was previously pastor of the historic St. Patrick's Church in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Msgr. Vaghi was born in Washington, D.C., in 1948. After attending the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the University of Salzburg
University of Salzburg
The University of Salzburg, or Paris Lodron University after its founder, the Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron, is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, Salzburgerland, home of Mozart. It is divided into 4 faculties: catholic theology, law, humanities and natural science.Founded in 1622, it...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Back in America, he attended the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
Law School
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
and worked as an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and staffer to Senator Pete Domenici
Pete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history....
in Washington, D.C., before attending the Gregorian University in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to become a priest. He was ordained in 1985, and designated a "Prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of Honor" (entitling him to be addressed and referred to as "monsignor") by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1995.
Described as "thoughtful, worldly and cultured" by Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
editor Evan Thomas, Msgr. Vaghi has drawn attention because of his association with a number of highly influential American jurists. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8683401/site/newsweek/page/0/ He participated in the baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and conversion to Catholicism of both Robert Bork
Robert Bork
Robert Heron Bork is an American legal scholar who has advocated the judicial philosophy of originalism. Bork formerly served as Solicitor General, Acting Attorney General, and judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit...
, the unsuccessful conservative Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
nominee, and columnist Robert Novak
Robert Novak
Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for...
. He is also said to have a close relationship with Supreme Court Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
, his college classmate, with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
and U.S. Chief Justice
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
John Roberts, whose family belongs to his parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
.
In March 2003, Msgr. Vaghi presided over the funeral of legendary Democratic New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick "Pat" Moynihan was an American politician and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the United States Senate for New York in 1976, and was re-elected three times . He declined to run for re-election in 2000...
. "Pat Moynihan was a man of quiet faith," Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi told the mourners. "For him, this found expression in his long commitment to the body politic, the pursuit of the common good and his special care for the poor, the family structure and the most needy in our midst."
Msgr. Vaghi is also active in the John Carroll Society
John Carroll Society
The John Carroll Society was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1951 as a spiritual and beneficent organization for Catholic professional laypersons in the service of the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington. The founders of the society were Secretary of the Navy John L...
, "an old-time Catholic service organization favored by Washington's large Catholic legal and political establishment," as whose chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
he serves as of 1987. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8683401/site/newsweek/page/0/
Sources
- Introduction of Msgr. Vaghi to the U.S. House of Representatives (from where some biographical text was adapted)
- Newsweek article on Judge Roberts' nomination prospects, August 2005
- " Is Judge Roberts Opus Dei?" by Mark Crispin Miller, 2005
- John Carroll Society Leadership Register 2005-2007