Father Francis J. Peffley was born March 16, 1963, in Norristown, Pennsylvania to William and Mary Peffley, who met in the Legion of Mary. He joined the Legion of Mary at the age of ten along with his sisters, Edel and Natia. He graduated from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology. Father Peffley attended Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland where he received his priestly formation and his Master of Divinity and Master of Arts Degrees. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia on May 19, 1990.
Father Peffley served as founding pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Gainesville, Virginia from 2001 to 2011 as Spiritual Director to eight praesidia and pastor to over 4,000 families in a vibrant and rapidly growing community, with 65 other ministries and organizations. Father then went to serve as parochial vicar at Saint John the Apostle in Leesburg, Virginia until 2016 and currently serves as parochial vicar at St Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax, Virginia.
In addition to his parish activities, Father Peffley is especially active with the parish young adult ministry, retreat work and pilgrimages, Catholic apologetics, and evangelization. He serves as the Spiritual Director of the Arlington Regia. For the past twenty years, he has also been a chaplain of the Knights of Columbus councils in each parish he has served. Father Peffley’s interests include juggling fire torches and machetes, golf, scuba diving, bowling, billiards, baseball card collecting, and traveling to pilgrimage sites and shrines.
