A Priest Forever

Kim Long, Saint Mary of the Pines DRE of my scripture teachers) and tearfully told him I became an official orphan (my biological parents already in heaven by this point), that Fr. Greeley was dead. That is how impactful he was on my life. I thank God for him. He was a wonderful introduction to priests and possibilities of this Catholic life.

WHEN I REFLECT ON MY LIFE AS A CATHOLIC, I AM BLESSED TO HAVE HAD MANY GOOD EXPERIENCES WITH PRIESTS I HAVE KNOWN, HOWEVER BRIEFLY. First, I want to tell you about the priest who brought me to Catholicism-one Fr. Andrew Greeley, a priest I never met in person but felt as though I knew him - and in a way I did. He wrote so many novels with Catholic characters and themes which were my first introduction to many of the beautiful customs and traditions our faith offers. In “Lord of the Dance” I read of the Easter Vigil and the plunging of the candle in the baptismal waters where the newly baptized (usually adults) would be a new creation in Christ. It was in ”The Angels of September” that I learned about the feast of the archangels and how powerful memory can be, that evil can taint the way we view everything, and then how our view can be changed by God’s grace.

Years later when I had a tiny crisis of faith, I spoke with a spiritual director. She asked how I became Catholic, and I told her of my Greeley-inspired journey, that I realized he used fictional stories as vehicles for theological truths. She very quietly chuckled as she leaned back in her chair and gently sent me home with the following sentence - you will be fine; you are closer to the kingdom than you know. I must tell you, gentle reader, I don’t know if that statement was true, but I left feeling much better than when I arrived.

In an interview for PBS with Judy Valente (May 10, 2022), Fr. Greeley managed to sum up, quite elegantly, the message I had drawn from years of reading and rereading (before I came into full communion with the Catholic Church, I might add) his many novels; “The kernel is the belief that God is love, and in Catholicism, God’s love is present in the world. It is in the sacraments, in the Eucharist, in our neighborhood, and forgiveness in the touch of a friendly hand, in a rediscovered love God is there.”

Fr. Greeley’s writings and insights have continued to steer me and the day I read that he died I telephoned Jim McGill (one

He was in a sense my “first priest” but there have been many others. I have learned much, been tested, discovered I have much to learn and much to teach, and then the cycle repeats. Liz Gilbert wrote that every experience can be a lesson. I agree and would add that it is not always immediately recognizable.

I would like to share with you some other teachers and lessons:

• Msgr. LaCaze, who confirmed me and gave me my first holy communion and who taught me through his homilies, my first taste of Catholic expectations.

• Fr. Larry, who taught me that details truly are important.

• Fr. Antony, who ate at our family table on many Easter Sundays and taught me that hospitality is a holy endeavor.

• Fr. Pike, who taught me to think beyond my preconceived notions.

• Msgr. Provenza, who taught me that showing concern is truly Christlike.

• Fr. Mike who taught me that cleanliness is really close to Godliness.

• Fr. John Paul who taught me to see Jesus in children.

• Msgr. Price, who taught me that no job is too big or small in service to the Church.

• Fr. Francis, who taught me that drawing a line in the sand can sometimes just be bad art.

• Fr. David Richter, who taught me to believe, really believe, in God’s forgiveness.

• Fr. Phil, who taught me when I read something that impacts me to let the author know.

• Fr. Pat Madden, who taught me that learning is a form of prayer.

• Fr. George, who came to support me when the news of my husband’s death was delivered, and taught me being vulnerable has its place, that it is not a weakness.

• Fr. Mark Watson who taught me the value of collaboration.

• Fr. Raney, who taught me that wisdom is not just the province of age.

• Fr John Scanlon, the closest I ever came to Fr. Greeley’s fictional Irish priests, who taught me that all of life is contained in the Psalms and to go to them when prayer seems arid and lifeless.

For these and all priests everywhere, my prayer is that you continue to have knowledge of God’s will for your lives and the desire to carry it out.

AMEN AMEN

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Discerning My Vocation

Clayton Cobb, Principal, St. Joseph Catholic School - Shreveport

DISCERNING MYVOCATIONWAS SOMETHING MY FAMILY ENCOURAGED WHEN I WAS QUITE YOUNG. Being one of five children in a Catholic family, it was something that seemed natural. I did not give it any serious thought until I was Confirmed (back in Alexandria, that happened later in high school). Bishop Jacobs was very encouraging, reminding me that this is something that must be thought, so I discerned, and communicated with God.

When I was 19 and in the middle of my first year of college, I made the decision to discern the vocation to the priesthood and entered St. Joseph Seminary College near Covington. I spent three years there discerning the vocation to the priesthood. I went through a school of hard knocks. There, I learned a lot about life.

Admittedly, I was not a great student, but I became one. I was not the most disciplined person when it came to life balance, but I became one. I did not have a rational understanding of faith, but it became a part of who I am. The discernment process changed my life. I concluded after three years, that this was not my calling- much to my own disappointment. I had no idea where I was headed, but I knew I was leaving changed and leaving better than I entered.

Praise the Lord it was for my calling. My spiritual director recommended waiting six months before getting into dating since it was a change of focus. Not keeping track of time, it was six months and a week after I left seminary that I met a young lady and we went on our first date. Sixteen years of marriage and four children later, I have a life filled with more joy than I would’ve realized had I never gone to seminary.This vocation was well-discerned as a result of the good habits that St. Joseph Seminary College taught me.

I believe it is no coincidence that two of the most important schools in my life were named for this amazing man- St. Joseph. Had I never begun the discernment process then, I would not be where I am today. I am living the fruit of a well-discerned vocation and studying for the priesthood was part of that very important process.