Eastern Oklahoma Catholic June 2012 : Page 11
wise, any man who would stand in persona Christi also must be detached from ego, pos-sessions and even certain relationships so they can fulfill the mission of the Church. What spiritual disciplines do you be-lieve will be most helpful for you in your ministry? In seminary, I have been taught the value of making a daily holy hour every morning. I think this will be a necessity for me as I enter the priesthood: Grounding my day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament so that I receive all that I need in order to be able to give to the people of God and, of course, fre-quent confession, daily Mass and Eucharist and recourse to all of the sacraments. I have also found great consolation and strength in having a spiritual director throughout my years in seminary. I pray that God will give me a new director when I return to Tulsa. And, finally, the annual silent retreat, which the Church, in her wisdom, requires of all priests, will hopefully be a constant source of spiritual renewal and continuing conversion through my priestly life. How do you plan to continue your theo-logical formation once you enter parish ministry? Primarily by my preparation for homilies, because the best way to learn something is by teaching it to someone else and, by get-ting on my knees before our eucharistic Lord every day. There are opportunities throughout the year for ongoing formation sponsored by our diocese that I will attend. Perhaps, his Excellency, the Bishop, will send me for further studies at some point in the future. After finishing seminary, I will be-come a parochial vicar under an experienced pastor so, perhaps, he will share some wis-dom about how to best fulfill this obligation. What advice would you have for young people who might be considering holy orders? If a man thinks he might be called, he needs to talk to Father Matt Gerlach or one of the other vocations directors and get to semi-nary! You can always leave if you discern that you’re not called, but, no matter what, it will be a beneficial experience and it is the only place where you can truly discern. If you try to do so in the midst of other worldly anxieties, it will be more difficult, if not im-possible. Spend as much time as possible in front of the Blessed Sacrament – every day if you can. I suggest the perpetual adoration chapel at St. John Hospital. I went there every day for a few months before I applied to go to seminary and I think that the ex-perience helped me to overcome the anxiety that I, an unworthy sinner, may still be called to become His priest. As you prepare for ordination, what do you think will be the most challenging aspect of being a priest? The demands of administrating a parish. We are frequently told that, in some ways, every pastor is a CEO of a small corporation. I can certainly say that while I always knew that administration would be part of this life, it was not what attracted me. Yet I know that since God has called me to this vocation, He will give me the necessary grace to fulfill my obligations. Still, that aspect of the munus regendi sounds most like the cross to me. YOUR STORIES cover story Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Mt. 28:19-20) What are some of the most pressing challenges for the Church right now? To heal the wounds of scandal and division that have hindered our proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church will always be made up of sinners, but we Chris-tians have lost our credibility with the skep-tical and the apathetic by failing ourselves to abide by the New Commandment of our Redeemer: “Love one another as I have loved you!” (Jn. 15:12) Orthodoxy and social justice are necessities, but neither is enough. They must be subjected to the chief virtue – char-ity! We must preach the Gospel at all times and, as St. Francis said, “use words if you must.” Therefore, we ought to love first. It is not enough to tolerate our enemies. We have to love them, even when they reject and per-secute us. When we can convince others that it is love that compels us to stand firm on pro-life issues, on marriage, on contracep-tion, on religious freedom and all the moral teachings of the Church, then we will gain a willing audience. On the 20th anniversary of your ordina-tion, how do you hope the faithful will describe your ministry? St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests, said that, “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” I hope that in 20 years, I will have proved that to be true to those who I’ve served. Love would be the one word I hope people associate with my ministry, “for if I have not loved, I am but a noisy gong, I am nothing, and I will have gained nothing.” (Cf. 1Cor. 13:1-3) What is your favorite Scripture and how has it inspired you? I have many favorites, but if I must choose one, I will choose the passage I have taken for my motto. From the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians: “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” (2Cor. 12:15) This passage reminds me that the goal of all of this is the salvation of souls! And the more I lay down my life for the ones I serve, the more I will be conformed to Christ and the greater I will be at conducting His grace and His love to those who are most in need of His mercy. What do you hope to emphasize in your ministry? Who knows how the Lord will guide my ministry? I have felt that teaching will probably be a strong part of my ministry. Primarily by preaching at Mass, but I also hope to offer adult faith formation courses at the parishes I’m blessed to serve and perhaps have a role in improving our re-ligious education for youth and teens. We need to know our faith so we can fulfill the evangelistic obligations of being confirmed Christians and share in the mission of the Church: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the 11
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