Pastor and Staff

Fr. Waldman has served as pastor of St. Martin of Tours parish in St. Louis, Missouri since July of 2017.  Previously, he served as associate pastor at Sts. Joachim and Ann Catholic Church, St. Joseph Parish in Cottleville, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and Queen of All Saints.  Currently he is also the Catholic Chaplain at the Newman  Center of Maryville University.

Fr. Waldman was born in 1969 in Silver Spring, Maryland, and raised in Rydal and Abington, Pennsylvania, suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Princeton in 1991 where he concentrated his studies in architecture, archaeology and philosophy, he became a Catholic at the age of 23.  While pursuing an MA in architecture from the University of Notre Dame (M.Arch. 1995) he decided to enter the seminary.  However, his decision was delayed for a number of years due to the death of his father in 1997 and the necessity of attending to other family matters. In fact, there were so many delays that he was not ordained until May of 2008. 

As for this long delay, Waldman says it was essential to his vocation.  “It was as if God said to me, ‘Well, do you really want to be a priest?  Let’s see how badly you desire it!’”  From start to finish the process of his seminary formation took almost ten years.  “My family wasn’t exactly on my side,” he remarked, “and, also when you’re an Ivy-League East-Coast guy coming from a non-Catholic upbringing – let’s face it – you don’t exactly fit into the mold of the usual Catholic seminarian.  I was often something of a lightening rod to some of my formators at seminary.  I was, and probably still am, a square trying to fit himself into a round hole.”

Now that he is pastor and chaplain, however, he feels at home.  “I love being pastor of St. Martin of Tours, and I love my work at Maryville.  At times I feel a bit overworked, but that’s alright.  I’ve probably never been happier!”

As hobbies, Waldman has a passion for music, especially that of J.S. Bach, and for poetry and literature, especially Dante’s Divine Comedy.  He remains involved with the Princeton Club of St. Louis, interviewing eager applicants from the St. Louis area.  However, more often than not, his free time is spent playing with his buddy, his dog Dash.