Father Michael Froidurot was born and raised in France. In 1961, at 11 years of age, he entered the minor seminary in Flavigny. After completing his baccalaureate in philosophy, he entered the major seminary in Dijon, France. Following the accidental death of his mother, he was sent to the American College of Louvain, Belgium to complete his studies in English earning both a BA and MA in theology.

He received a STB (Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus) and a STL (Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus), both canonical and pontifical degrees, at the KUL (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and UCL (Universite Catholique de Louvain). Fr. Michael was ordained a deacon along with 25 of his classmates in the church of St. Damian of Molokai (Louvain) in June, 1976 by Cardinal Sugnens, archbishop of Brussels and Mechelen. He was ordained a priest by Cardinal DeCourtay, Archbishop of Dijon, Reims, and Lyon, on May 13, 1978. Young Fr. Michael was then assigned to a parish in Nuits St Georges and in 1981 became the principal of a Catholic High School in Dijon, France.

In 1986, he arrived in San Diego where he served as associate pastor in various parishes. He was appointed pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Point Loma in 1994. On July 1, 1999, he became the pastor of St. Gabriel’s Church in Poway. He was elected to serve on the Priests Personnel Board in 2015 and appointed Dean of the Escondido Deanery by Bishop McElroy in 2016.