Edward F. Jost, Jr. was born in Kansas City, Kansas on February 15, 1961. Only one short year later he would be hospitalized for "osteomyelitis," a disease of the bone, and would spend the next several years in and out of the hospital. At three years old, Ted's family moved to Buffalo in the winter of 1964 and thankfully his condition was corrected. Since his father was an English professor at Canisius College, Ted's family moved nearby. He grew up playing baseball in Delaware Park and in high school he served as a waiter at the priests' residence at Canisius. At the age of eight, Ted began talking about a vocation to the priesthood. Most people did not seem very supportive of the idea and it took a "back seat" to a new love; the arts. Because of his bone condition, he had to be careful about contact sports. He began drawing and painting and found that he had artistic talent. When his brothers joined a local drama club, Ted discovered that, after the initial shock of standing in front of people, he really liked drama and he participated in several high school productions. Still, the idea of being a priest continued to present itself in his thoughts and prayers. He tried to put it out of his mind and after graduation from high school was determined to attend Niagara University which feature wonderful Theatre and Religious Education Departments.
During college, Ted worked as a carpenter for his first three years and helped to build the sets on which he performed many memorable roles, from Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" to Don Quixote in "The Man of La Mancha" to Hamlet in "Hamlet." After his third year at NU, he earned his membership in the Actors Equity Association (the stage actors' union) while performing as St. Peter in the 1982 Artpark production of "Jesus Christ Superstar." At the start of his final year at NU, Ted took a work study job as a Sacristan at the chapel and attended daily Mass, retreats and missionary trips to the inner city of Philadelphia with his priestly mentor, Rev. Stephen Macher. Even though thoughts of the priesthood were still with him he decided to pursue a scholarship at USC in Los Angeles. He would spend four years there and four more in New York City, attending discernment retreats with the Vincentian priests and others while pursuing his acting career.
Finally, in the spring of 1990, he decided that the lifestyle of an actor was simply not what he was looking for. As much as he loved the "art," his life became a "business" and one that was not always in keeping with his values as a Catholic person. So he returned home to Buffalo and entered Christ the King Seminary in an effort to join the priests of the diocese and hopefully help others find their vocation in life. As he likes to put it, his experience "playing heroes" on stage helped him to actually want to become one in reality!
Fr. Ted was ordained a priest in 1996 and served his first few months of priesthood at St. Vincent DePaul in Springbrook. The Vincent de Paul was the same parish he spent time in as a seminarian and a transitional deacon. From 1997 to 2000 he was assigned as a parochial vicar at St. Christopher in Tonawanda. He then served at Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lackawanna from 2000 to 2003 and after that at Fourteen Holy Helpers, West Seneca until 2006. He was made pastor of the former Ascension Church in North Tonawanda and then administrator and pastor at the former St. Albert the Great. In 2007 the two churches merged to form St. Jude the Apostle where Fr. Ted is currently pastor.
It was during his time at St. Christopher's in 1998 that he created "The Parable Players," a group of teens who perform high energy, humorous adaptations of bible stories. These teens are from all over the diocese and they perform during the summer months in the green space outside of St. Joseph's Cathedral, at lawn fetes, parish picnics, nursing homes, and other events. Fr. Ted is still going strong with the Parable Players and enjoys the opportunity to combine his love of the priesthood with his love of the arts. The 2010 season for the Parable Players is fast approaching. Auditions are on Monday, April 19 at 7pm at St. Jude the Apostle Parish (Msgr. Kreuzer Hall - 800 Niagara Falls Blvd., North Tonawanda) Young people who are interested can contact Fr. Ted for more information at 694-0540.
To any man considering a vocation to the priesthood, Fr. Ted advises them to ask themselves if the feeling of wanting to be a priest is something that keeps coming back. If it does, then he suggests talking with people who support the idea. Too often people who are well meaning may try to steer men away from the idea of becoming a priest. It is a good idea to find people who support vocations to the priesthood such as the Diocesan Vocation Director or the local Serra Club. It's also not a bad idea to look into entering the seminary to really see if it is for you, keeping in mind that you are free to leave at any time if it does not seem to be working out.
Most importantly, spend time in prayer asking God what it is He wants you to do. Fr. Ted spent several years pursuing other interests before seriously thinking about the priesthood. In some ways, he feels like he lost those years that he could have spent as a priest but in other ways, he feels that the time was not wasted. He had a lot of life experiences which have made him a better priest in the long run. Living on his own taught him to budget his money which helps him as a pastor to budget the parish expenses.
Fr. Ted is very happy in his vocation as a priest. He finds it a privilege to be Christ to others. People think that the priesthood is such a solitary life but Fr. Ted feels just the opposite. "The priest is at the center of the parish family," exclaims Fr. Ted who talks about his priesthood as, "a life lived with and for others." Occasionally he finds it challenging to carve out time for himself. Another thing he finds somewhat difficult is maintaining friendships in an atmosphere where people's opinions vary about what a priest should be and who he should befriend. While negotiating boundaries within friendships is something we all deal with, it seems sometimes harder for priests because they are supposed to be there for everyone and not show favorites.
The call to priesthood was always there for Fr. Ted although he had other interests and talents. For Father Ted, being ordained to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ in his beloved Roman Catholic tradition was a lifelong dream and he is very happy with his decision. Like the late Pope John Paul II, a profound inspiration to Fr. Ted and many young men during his pontificate, Fr. Ted feels that spirituality and the arts are a perfect match. At their best, both search the depths of the human heart, seeking meaning and purpose in life.