Hello, I am Father Yvon Royer.  I am the pastor of St. Benedict's in West Charleston, St. Edward's in Derby Line, and St. Mary's in Newport.  I am a native son of the area.  I was born on a farm in Holland, Vermont and moved when I was 4 to another farm in Newport Center.  I attended Newport Center School through 7th grade, and then Sacred Heart in Newport from 8th grade through 12th.

From there, I went on to graduate from Saint Michael's College in Winooski, and then from St. Paul's Seminary in Ottawa, Canada.

I was ordained in 1990 for the Diocese of Burlington.  My assignments thus far have been as an associate pastor at Immaculate Heart parish in Rutland and St. Joseph's in Burlington.  I was then chaplain at UVM for 2 years, before becoming pastor of St. Edward's and St. Benedict's in 2000.  I became pastor of St. Mary's in October of 2003.

I was baptized at St. Edwards and received my First Communion and Confirmation at St. Mary's, as well as celebrating my first mass here.  I am truly home.

I enjoy ministering to and with people of all ages because people of all ages have something to offer to me.  It is my hope to offer something to them.

Some of my hobbies include riding my motorcycle, sailing and playing most sports.

Father Dallas St. Peter is our associate pastor.

Hello! I introduce myself to anyone I have not yet met and send my regards to those I have already had the pleasure to meet.

Since I am the new priest and many of you do not know too much about me, I take this space to let you know who I am. I grew up in St. Albans, VT for most of childhood, but I lived the first 3 years of my life in Georgia, VT. My home parishes are Holy Angels in St. Albans and Ascension Parish in Georgia. I attended public school in St. Albans and went to BFA St. Albans for high school.

After high school I went to UVM and received a bachelor of science in Mathematics. Following college I worked various jobs including: teacher’s assistant at Winooski Middle School, Frederick Tuttle Middle School (South Burlington), and Essex Town Elementary Schools, Camp Holy Cross Counselor, Domino’s Pizza Delivery boy, and for two years as an Actuarial Assistant for Johnson & Higgins Marsh & McLennan Insurance Company.

Before attending the seminary I taught for three years at St. Francis Xavier School in Winooski, VT. I taught 6th, 7th & 8th grade religion and social studies for one year and then taught 4th grade (all subjects) for two years. I enjoyed my time teaching, yet I felt God calling me to give my life to him in a different way. In the fall of 2000 I met with our vocation director, Fr. Michael DeForge, and discussed being a priest. The following year I joined the seminary at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. I continued my discernment to the priesthood throughout my time at the seminary, which finished up in May 2007. I had my struggles and challenges as I sought the Lord’s will, but He brought me through everything and I was overjoyed to be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ on June 9, 2007. It is a great gift to serve you all as a priest.

In closing, some personal information: I am and have always been a serious Red Sox fan and I thank God for the 2004 World Series Victory! I enjoy sports: basketball, baseball, tennis, golf and skiing most notably. I look forward to getting to know you all and ask for your patience and understanding as I begin learning names. God bless!