Bio

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT — Father Benjamin Bralove is the Parochial Vicar of St. Mary of the Mills Catholic Church in Laurel, MD.

HIS BACKGROUND — He is a native of Washington, D.C. who grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He was baptized and confirmed as a member of the Episcopal Church while he was an undergraduate student majoring in chemistry at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.  “As my knowledge and practice of Christianity grew, I felt called to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the faith, especially in relationship to Scripture, Tradition and science,” he wrote in a reflection on his vocation, adding that search inspired him to become Catholic during his senior year of college.

HIS CALLING — Later while attending medical school at Boston University and then during his residency, he started to feel called to the priesthood, but he decided to complete his medical training and work in that field. Working as an emergency room physician for six years in Manhattan and the Bronx, Dr. Benjamin Bralove treated people needing physical healing.  Explaining his journey to the priesthood, Father Bralove wrote, “I was growing in my Eucharistic faith. Love for the Eucharist drew me closer to the mystery of the priesthood. Also, the ER is filled with people who are physically sick, but also many who are also spiritually sick people. I began to see my life as a progression from addressing physical illness to including spiritual sickness as well.”   “While medicine can address physical ailments, it is not equipped to address the profound spiritual problems people are facing,” he said. “The more I practiced [medicine], the more I felt called to heal people in a different way.”

HIS FORMATION — In 2018, he became a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington, studying first at the Saint John Paul II Seminary in the nation’s capital, and since 2020 at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained by Cardinal Wilton Gregory as one of 16 new priests for the Archdiocese of Washington on June 15, 2024 at the National Shrine.  “He completed a License in Sacred Theology at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome, specializing in Moral Theology.”

HIS MINISTRY / MISSION — Fr. Bralove brings his love of God, Scripture, Tradition and the Sacraments to those he comes in contact with.  His experience as a doctor helps in his ministry as he brings Communion to those who are ill and administers the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to the dying, which continue the healing ministry of Jesus to people today. He enjoys reading and writing about bioethical issues confronting medicine today.  Finally, his experience as both a doctor and priest helps him to be a good listener, keenly understand the situation, show empathy, and effectively guide people on their spiritual journey.

PERSONAL — His interests include skiing, kite surfing, CrossFit, traveling and cooking.