On June 24, 2010  Bishop Michael Cote appointed Reverend Mark Leo Curesky, OFM. Conv. the 15th pastor of St. John Church, Cromwell CT. Fr. Mark previously served as the pastor of St. Paul Church, Kensington CT.  According to canonical procedures Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., Minister Provincial of the St. Anthony of Padua Province, presented Fr. Mark Curesky to Bishop Cote for the Cromwell appointment.  Fr. Mark succeeds Fr. Raymond Borkowski, OFM Conv., who has served as Pastor of St. John’s Church since 1995.  Fr. Raymond was the first Franciscan Pastor of St. John’s Church.  Fr. Raymond will take up residence at St. Paul Friary in Kensington CT. Born in Danbury, Conn., in 1947, Father Mark received a B.A. degree in philosophy in 1970 from St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby, Mass.  He then attended St. Anthony Theological Seminary in Rensselaer, N.Y., where he received his Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees.  Ordained in 1975, Father Mark studied religious education at Loyola University in Chicago, where he received another master's degree in 1976. 

 Father Mark served as a high school teacher and administrator, a seminary professor and administrator.  He served as Minister Provincial of the St. Anthony of Padua Province of the Franciscan Friars from 1991 - 2001 and he also served as secretary/treasurer of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men in the United States. In 2001 The Catholic University of America conferred its highest honor, the President’s Medal, on Fr. Mark Leo Curesky, in recognition of his support to the University especially his commitment to engage friars in the Campus Ministry of Catholic University of America.

 In 1997 Fr. Mark was awarded the Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice medal by Pope John Paul II.  The medal is the highest papal award given to religious or laymen or laywomen who have given zealous and outstanding service to the Church. The honor was instituted by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore recommended Fr. Mark for the papal award.

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