Walsh University is pleased to announce that the Diocese of Youngstown has assigned Reverend Ryan Furlong to serve as University Chaplain, effective July 1, 2025.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Father Furlong brings a rich background in education, parish ministry, and youth formation. Born and raised in Boardman, he graduated from Boardman High School in 2001 and earned a degree in Education from Youngstown State University in 2006. He went on to teach high school social studies in public schools from 2007 to 2012 before discerning a call to the priesthood. He entered seminary in 2013 and earned a Master of Divinity from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Youngstown on August 8, 2020.
Father Furlong’s first assignment was as Parochial Vicar at St. Charles, now known as St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Boardman. He currently serves as Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Vienna, as well as St. William Parish in Champion and St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Cortland. From 2021 to 2023, he served as Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he serves as Chaplain at John F. Kennedy Upper Campus in Warren and is a member of the College of Consultors for the Diocese of Youngstown.
In his new role at Walsh University, Father Furlong will provide spiritual leadership to the campus community, fostering a vibrant Catholic presence and supporting the faith development of students, faculty, and staff. He will oversee liturgical celebrations, sacramental ministry, and pastoral care, continuing Walsh’s tradition of integrating faith and learning in the spirit of its Catholic heritage.
President Tim Collins expressed enthusiasm for the appointment, stating, “We are truly blessed to welcome Father Furlong to the Walsh University family as our new University Chaplain. His deep pastoral experience and steadfast commitment to Catholic education will be a tremendous gift to our campus community. At Walsh, we are dedicated to nurturing the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—rooted firmly in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Father Furlong’s leadership will help us continue to foster a vibrant faith life, where students, faculty, and staff can grow in their relationship with Christ and be formed as servant leaders grounded in truth and charity. We look forward with great hope to the ways he will enrich our community and support our mission to integrate faith and learning in all that we do.”
Father Furlong succeeds Father Guy Albert Trudel, O.P., who will be departing at the end of the academic year to assume a faculty position at Providence College. Walsh University extends its gratitude to Father Albert Trudel, O.P., as well as the Dominican Fathers of Youngstown, Ohio, for their faith-filled, full-time service to Walsh University through the years.
