Father Luke and God’s ‘Jackpot’

After only a few weeks in the Raleigh area, Father Luke Rawicki flashed back to his Catholic high school experience as he drove into the Cardinal Gibbons High School parking lot for his first day as the new chaplain. He couldn’t help but feel intimidated — 1,600 is a lot of students. Gibbons was such a large school; he knew even Catholic high schools were not always exceptionally friendly to priests. He loved youth work but had no doubt he would need to strive to be accepted by the students. At 8 a.m. on August 1, he stepped from his car and was surprised to see a tunnel of students welcoming new faculty and staffwhat was this place?

The year before Fr. Luke’s ordination in May 2022, he was sent on his first assignment to Monterrey, Mexico. Typically, he would have been given a three-year term, as his friends ordained with him in Rome had been. However, the Superior told him he would be assigned for a year in Mexico and then sent to work in the United States.

It was unclear what that new assignment would be until God intervened. In March 2022, Cardinal Gibbons Head of School Jeff Bell, asked Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama for a priest to come to the campus full-time as the chaplain. When the Bishop reached out to the Legionaries of Christ, Fr. Luke’s order, the Superior thought of Fr. Luke.

Now here he was, walking towards the tunnel. Before he could even get to the crowd, a student separated from the tunnel and ran towards him. “Fr. Luke,” the student loudly called, “I’ve been waiting to meet you! Welcome to Gibbons!”

“Any intimidation dissipated and vanished at that moment,” Fr. Luke said. “Right away, I felt at home, and that gave me, I guess, the courage to discover how I could connect and to be faithful to what God is asking me to do here.”

After six months at the school, Fr. Luke has undoubtedly connected with the students, educators, and parents of Cardinal Gibbons.

“We are thrilled not just with Fr. Luke’s role but how he is living out his vocation in real-time here at Cardinal Gibbons,” said Gary Meyerl ‘82, the school’s assistant head of school for spiritual life. “As a newly ordained priest, you think he has so much to learn, but we have much to gain from him living out his vocation in front of us.

“It’s been a joy, not just for me but for our spiritual life team, the administration, our educators, and even our students, to accompany him on his journey.”

Fr. Luke emphasized he was not always called to the priesthood.

“I grew up Catholic as the third of six kids. I went through Catholic School and Catholic summer camps, but it didn’t become ‘my thing,’” he said. “I got far away from the faith during my last two years of high school and my first two years of college. I was not living it.”

A conversion experience during his sophomore year on Divine Mercy Sunday drew him back to the faith. He describes a compelling and tangible experience of God’s love and mercy that changed how he saw his faith and relationship with God.

It was then a speedy path to the seminary. Two months after that Divine Mercy Sunday, he was on retreat at a seminary, coinciding with about 30 young men discerning for the priesthood on the same retreat.

The priesthood kept popping up as he worked, played sports, ate, and prayed alongside them. Yet, he kept saying to himself, “I’m not that type of person; I’ve never wanted to be a priest. I’m too normal.” But the experience spurred the question in his mind, “why not me?” That led Luke to stay and participate in a twomonth discernment and maybe ‘give it a shot.’

Perhaps God was calling him to help people; maybe he should change to a psychology major to help others; he should possibly consider a Catholic college. But, questions arose during the discernment period, what was he being called to do in service to God?

As he learned more about the priesthood and the Legionaries of Christ, who ran the seminary and who he knew from his youth, over those two months, the more he heard the call. When he told his roommates at college and his family, they said, “I’m shocked; I had no idea you wanted to be a priest.” His retort always being, “I didn’t either!”

It is that discernment, that process of connecting with a community to hear God’s word in those relationships, which makes his ministry style so engaging. He throws himself into every aspect of life at Cardinal Gibbons.

“Fr. Luke has been a transformative presence on campus. He has been a humanizing force for the Catholic Church, someone who meets kids where they are in their lives,” said Head of School, Jeff Bell.

Gary Meyerl says about Fr. Luke’s first few months, “When we drew up a job description to give to the Bishop, it was strictly for a full-time chaplain. But he is teaching one class with seniors for vocations, and we have emphasized that we want him to be present for the students.” He makes himself present to hear confessions, especially during Advent, and will do the same during Lent. He celebrates Mass daily with parents, students, sometimes as clubs or teams, and faculty. He has been invited to the houses of Gibbons’ families as a way for them to ensure he feels connected, and all this has been uplifting and inspiring to Mr. Meyerl.

During the first semester, right off the bat, he made himself present at football and basketball games; attended plays and prayed with the cast before performances; traveled with the soccer team to participate in a day of service with them; and watched their game to be present and available for the students.

Meyerl says, “it’s been inspiring to watch. He has conversations with kids that I could never have because they are just drawn to him. He has found a unique way to be himself and allows students to find joy in his vocation. We feel like we hit the jackpot!”

Fr. Luke feels the same way about the connection with Gibbons.

“I continue to invite the students, very openly and casually without pressure, to daily Mass. To naturally show the Christian life doesn’t have to be secondary to everything else. Hopefully, by his presence in their lives, they’ll allow God more space amid their busy day.”

For Fr. Luke, connecting to the students is integral to his ministry.

“Not everyone has an openness to faith. We can all put up walls to God and our faith because of negative experiences; everyone has difficult moments. Yet, God will transform lives, and he asks us to be an instrument for his love.

“Being happy and caring enough to ask the students about their lives and showing an interest in them allows whatever walls or barriers they have to come down through the Holy Spirit.”

Based on his Catholic high school experience, he expected the students at Gibbons to be ‘checked out’ regarding their faith. Instead, he is excited to have found a hunger for faith.

“It is like they have been waiting for the availability to engage with their faith. I feel like I have hit the jackpot,” he says, imitating what Meyerl noted separately.

What are Fr. Luke’s plans for the future? “I already love it here, and I’m hoping for my three-year commitment to be extended, and it often is, but that’ll be for God to determine.“

“My goal this first year has been to learn and listen and see the best way to bring faith to these students. It will be determined by which way the Holy Spirit is blowing. We will offer what students need in their lives; I plan to support where these young men and women feel their faith is leading them.”

The shared appreciation and joy at Fr. Luke’s presence has impacted the Gibbons community and will hopefully continue for years; many are praying for God’s ‘jackpot’ to continue.

-Mike Watson

Fr. Luke Rawicki, LC uttered those words on Sunday, May 8, 2022 during the homily of his first Mass as an ordained Roman Catholic priest. He used those three words to describe his call to actually be ordained a priest.

And yet, I can say with certainty that accompanying a seminarian, novitiate, brother or deacon on their journey to be ordained a priest is in itself “an incredible grace.” Over the course of time, I have come to realize and appreciate the graces that come with accompanying people on these milestone moments.

To accompany a couple on their journey to become “one” in marriage, for example, is “an incredible grace.” To be asked to serve as a Godparent or Confirmation sponsor is an opportunity that also provides for us “an incredible grace.” And to accompany a loved one on their journey home to God – while often difficult and full of challenges – it, too, can be an experience of “incredible grace.”

I was unexpectedly graced with the opportunity to accompany Fr. Luke on the final leg of his journey to being ordained a priest as a result of our learning that Bishop Luis Zarama and the Legionaries of Christ had agreed to have the soon-to-be ordained Fr. Luke serve our Gibbons community as Chaplain beginning in August 2022. What a better way to welcome our new Chaplain and support his vocation as a priest than to be there on day one - the day of his ordination.

Pax in Christi.