My First Year as a Priest!

I entered seminary with little other expectations than pursuing a daily adventure into what I believed God was calling me. Now those six years of seminary have rapidly
receded into my past, and my transition to parish life has seemed quite natural.

After my final summer as a seminarian at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Columbus, coupled with a terrific diaconal assignment at Saint Louis de Marillac parish in Pittsburgh, I was gladly ready to leave seminary life and get into "parish life."

Admittedly, in one year I have only wet my feet in the parish life at Saint Anne in Columbus, but the experience thus far causes me to give thanks to God for so wonderfully blessing me, despite my stubbornness.

I can honestly say that many relations, situations, and simply good times in the ordained life leave me very grateful. How did I ever deserve such a good life?! I did not. I could not do what I do without a large, often unknown to me, network of prayer support. Not infrequently someone
will comment on my appearing joyful, or being something more than I was aware. Herein God reminds me that He works at times through me as His priest.

This still takes me back, that I am "His priest," not just a more socially adjusted me. God has given me the gift of priesthood, and yet this gift is not mainly for me,but for the great many people that God intends to love through His priest - me, amazingly enough in this case. Many times His gift of priesthood blesses people without my consciously doing anything other than showing up as "His priest." Showing up as His priest often happens even without my intention, as people recognize "Father Mark" at the store, the movies, and other places I formerly visited incognito. And yet this I find this new public identity good. God's humor must accompany His calling otherwise-reluctant people to do what they never dreamed possible!

-By Fr. Mark VanAlstine