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I know it may sound strange but there never was a time when I first learned about the SCJS. It would be like asking me when did you first meet your family because, like my family, the Priests of the Sacred Heart were always there, just another familiar face I would find around the house every day. My brother, 15 years older, was already in an SCJ high school seminary when I was born, so things SCJ were a normal topic of dinner conversation. Since we lived close to New York City SCJs were frequent house guests on their way back and forth to Europe and, of course, we often visited my brother and got to know many of the community members quite well. Despite my long term friendships with dozens of priests and seminarians I never even remotely considered becoming one of them. I went to Catholic school and served regularly as an altar boy, but priesthood and religious life never showed up on my radar screen.
Then about the time I was just entering high school I had a conversation with Father Pete Miller, S.C.J., who spoke to me about his life and ministry. His genuine happiness about who he was and what he was doing was so real I could feel it. He asked me to think about this as my way of life too. I didn't have to think about it. Before he was even finished speaking I felt my inner self whisper a silent spontaneous "yes." This wasn't a deduction or conclusion that I reached and I wasn't won over by the logic of an argument, it was an inner sense of harmony and truth: yes, this was right for me. Of course, at the time I didn't tell any of this to him. A year later, with that inner conviction still intact, I applied to the seminary.
I adjusted fairly easily to life in the seminary. I was an ordinary student who had to face the ordinary challenges of growing up, like adolescent rebellion against authority and hyperactive male hormones. Later on as my friends back home were finding good paying jobs, getting married, and starting families, I sometimes had a gnawing feeling that I was missing out on something. I gradually came to terms with the fact that I was missing out on all that, but in exchange I was discovering the joys of a life centered on the loving experience of God's presence and the opportunity to awaken this sense of awareness in others by my care and concern for them. Yes, this was right for me.
After ordination I was asked to continue my education at Fordham University in New York. That was not only intellectually stimulating and challenging, but the personal friendships I forged there and the diverse cultural richness I experienced has an enduring influence on my life. I also came to find out why they call New York "the city that never sleeps." An added bonus of living there was the proximity of my family whom I visited regularly. In the years since I completed my studies my ministry has principally been in educational settings as a teacher and campus minister, but I also served as pastor for six years at one of our suburban parishes. For the past nine years I have been the director of the Dehon Study Center where I alternate my time between reading and translating the writings of our Founder, Leo Dehon, and then writing and speaking about his life, his works, and his spirit. This has led me to travel to all the SCJ communities in the United States as well as Canada, England, Poland, the Philippines, India, and Rome.
Some of the most gratifying moments I have experienced in ministry have come from accompanying young people as they try to sort things out and find their place in life. It's not a question of giving them answers or telling them what to do, but more a matter of listening, posing questions, suggesting various alternatives and, above all, of trying to convey to them that they are not alone, that God cares for them and his Spirit lives within them, so that with patience, honesty, and perseverance they can come to the light and they will know it when they see it. That, I believe, is the drama of every human story. The first lesson we learned in catechism is that we are all equally created in the image and likeness of God, but since God is infinite we are each called to be a unique reflection of his perfection. When we discover this distinctive presence of God in our life, we simultaneously discover who we are and what we are to do. It's very satisfying to be there when a young person discovers this.
Without being consciously aware of it I believe I was attracted to priesthood as a religious because of the reality of community life. As a young boy visiting my brother I saw priests and seminarians who seemed to be normal, were fun to be with, and apparently enjoyed what they were doing. Of course, as we all learn, there is more to community life than this. But what I experienced with them as a child were signs of something deeper -- sincere concern, true friendship, heart-felt feeling -- which are difficult to fake because they are the qualities of a life that is spontaneous and genuine. An aspect of community that I particularly treasure is our meals together, it's our continuation of the Eucharist. Over the years I have been sharpening my skills in the kitchen and I like nothing more that planning and preparing a meal for the community, especially on weekends when the regular cook is off. When we share a meal together we share more than food, we share ourselves, and we celebrate more than a holiday or special occasion, we celebrate the great blessing of being gathered together by Christ to carry on his mission as brothers.
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