Casa

Living in the Casa Tension

REV. JONATHON MEYER ‘24, ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES

The 2022-2023 residents of the Casa Santa Maria come from various dioceses across the United States and Australia.

As I begin my fourth year at the Casa Santa Maria, a question keeps nagging my mind: “Am I losing touch with reality?” I admit, from all outward appearances, life here is undeservedly blessed: from the predictability of life with its few disruptions to the semi-luxurious accommodations in the heart of the Eternal City. Meanwhile, many of our brother priests back home struggle to “catch a breather” from complex pastoral situations, plans for evangelization, the demands of maintaining a parish (and maybe a school) – all in the face of a thinning presbyterate – while we benefit from the convenience of fraternal camaraderie. The Casa could be viewed by some as an ivory tower or an oasis, a place protected from the pressures of the world and so also the demands of Christ; but that has not been my experience.

While Academia might keep us at a cruising mental altitude of 35,000 feet, the 57 priests who live at the Casa this year, and who represent all parts of the U.S. and Australia, serve as effective barometers to keep each other grounded. What I mean is that our reality, although not filled with the same pressures of most diocesan priests, is nevertheless measured by the constant invitation to conform our lives to Jesus. For example, when I walk out of my room I encounter another priest, one who is a brother but still an individual quite unlike myself. Or, I open a book and encounter another mind, one who still seeks the Truth, and yet, perhaps, in a way foreign to my own. These encounters are not always easy, but to partake in the life of the Casa means to open oneself to both challenges and affirmations; challenged in our theological perspectives and personalities, but affirmed in a solidarity that we are not struggling alone in this mission.

The holiness of life, intelligence, and gifts I have witnessed in my brothers both impress and convince me to bring to fulfillment the good work God has begun in me. And when jealousy or insecurity set in, the Lord uses these same men to build me up and keep me accountable to the mission I have been given. Iron sharpens iron, and some of the efforts where I have experienced that most at the Casa include our daily holy hour, within various priest support groups, at a dogmatic reading group, through a Thomistic discussion group, at monthly colloquia for future seminary formators and canon lawyers, and especially through the communal celebration of Holy Mass. Even the occasional puzzle and pinochle game have their place. If anything, the fruit of growing in our vocation here is only impeded by isolating oneself.

While the reality at the Casa Santa Maria is, no doubt, different from home, and we look forward to returning, this time is far from being a break from the challenges of living out Christ’s priesthood. While we pray for our brother priests on the front lines I ask your prayers for us, that this time of ongoing formation does not blind us to reality, but rather sharpens our sight so we face it with fresh eyes, and always with the help of God. n