Hello, my name is Fr. Christian DeCarlo (Fr. DeCarlo for short). I was born in Indianapolis, and then grew up in Zionsville, so I am a Hoosier through and through! I was then baptized, received First Communion, and confirmed, all at St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish in Zionsville.

It was at St. Alphonsus I first was invited to discern the call to the priesthood. My sophomore year of high school was literally the first time that I considered the possibility of being a Catholic priest. Graduating from Zionsville High School in 2010, I chose to go to Purdue instead of entering seminary. I was not ready yet. Through good Catholic friends and the mentorship of a priest, I finally was given the courage to say yes to God’s
invitation to enter seminary and pursue becoming His priest.

The Diocese sent me to study at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, MN, with Fr. Coady, for three years, graduating in 2014 with a philosophy degree. I then attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD, also with Fr. Coady, for four years.  Needless to say, Fr. Coady and I know each other quite well from over six years in
seminary together! I graduated from the Mount in 2018 with a Masters of Divinity degree, the degree all priests receive from the seminary.

My first assignment was to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Carmel in June of 2018. Now as I move into the Muncie pastorate, I truly am excited and am looking forward to serving you with my brother priests, Father Eric Underwood and Father Coady Owens. I am very grateful to Fr. Andrew Dudzinski, Fr. Brian Doerr, and Fr. Dave Hellman for their dedication to you, the people of Muncie. They have set the bar high for us new guys!

One thing that I love about being a priest is being able to celebrate the sacraments for you, the families of the Muncie Pastorate. I found during my time at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the sacramental life was incredibly life giving. I look forward to being able to serve
you and the whole Muncie community!
One of my favorite ways to be rejuvenated is to spend time outdoors whether that be hiking, biking, running, kayaking, gardening, or just a rosary walk around campus. If it is outside, I will be there. One of my newer favorite saints is Bl. Fr. Stanley Rother, a diocesan priest who was martyred in Guatemala in 1981. He truly cared for his flock
and did not run away at the first sight of danger. He also learned Spanish and the local dialect to truly care for the people. I have been tasked with learning Spanish to help serve the people of Muncie and the surrounding area.

I will do my best!  Please know of my continued prayers for you and your
family as we begin Uniting in Heart. Let us all stay close to the Heart of Jesus Christ in this time. Our Good Father and the Holy Spirit will be there to guide us.