Father Vannicola, originally from Wilmington, is grateful to be serving as Pastor in the area where he grew up and came to love being Catholic. “In my youth, the priests in my parishes were holy, approachable, and kind. They inspired me to want to be involved in the life of the Church and I knew from a very young age that I was being called to the priesthood.”

After attending Saint Helena’s School in Bellefonte through Fourth Grade, Father Vannicola graduated from Holy Angels School in Newark in 1991 and Salesianum School in Wilmington in 1995. In 1999, he graduated from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and was certified as a Secondary School teacher in Social Studies that same year. At SJU, Father Vannicola was Head Resident of the Central Campus and chaired the university’s disciplinary board. At the same time, he served as the Chair of the National Advisory Panel on Student Concerns to The College Board.

In 2006, Father Vannicola earned a Master of Divinity Degree from the Washington Theological Union and was ordained a priest that same year by Bishop Michael Saltarelli. Father taught history, government and theology at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, DC and at Salesianum. He then served as Assistant Principal/Dean of Faculty and Director of Activities at Salesianum before arriving in Naples, Florida in 2009. In 2010, Father was installed as Pastor of Saint Ann in Naples after serving a year and a half as the parish’s Administrator. Four years later, he was also appointed as a Chaplain of the Naples Police Department. After serving briefly as Pastor of Saint Thomas More Oratory at the University of Delaware (2019-2020), Father Vannicola ministered at Saint John Neumann Parish in Reston, Virginia.

Father served on the Board of Trustees of Salesianum School and on the Board of Directors of Georgetown Visitation. He also was previously a member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors for the Diocese of Venice in Florida, is a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and a Fourth Degree member in the Knights of Columbus.

For almost 24 years, Father Vannicola was a member of the religious community the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales, during which, in addition to his ministry in schools and parishes, also served in leadership for the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province, both as a Provincial Councilor and most recently as Assistant Provincial Superior.

After lengthy discernment, Father Michael requested to transfer from religious life to the diocesan priesthood and was warmly welcomed by Bishop Koenig. Offering some insight into this, Father Vannicola said: “I have discerned that God is calling me to a new chapter in my priestly life and I have begun the transition to life as a diocesan priest, specifically to the presbyterate of the Diocese of Wilmington. I am so grateful for my time as an Oblate and to those Oblates who have been wonderful collaborators and friends. I am also so very grateful for the gift of Salesian spirituality that has shaped me and will continue to guide me. Saint Francis de Sales, who himself was a diocesan priest and then bishop, serves as a model and intercessor in my ministry. What my priesthood has taught me is that I have the heart of a parish priest. It is where I belong and where I am called to serve the people of God, the place Pope Francis calls ‘... the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God's word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.’ As a diocesan priest, ministering to the people in the parish will always be at the forefront of my life.”

Father Vannicola is “humbled and grateful” to be appointed Pastor of Saint John the Beloved. “Throughout my whole life, I have known what a wonderful, vibrant parish Saint John the Beloved is, fully alive in the Holy Spirit, where the Eucharist is central and where the People of God are active in good works. Now, I have the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful community! I cannot express enough my appreciation to Father Piekarski for his excellent pastoral leadership of this parish over the past eight years. He is a wonderful priest and I know the people of Saint Mary of the Assumption will be just as blessed to have him as Pastor.”