Conversion is at the Core of My Catholic Identity and Discernment of a Priestly Vocation

The story of my spiritual formation is a story of my conversion to the Roman Catholic Church. Although I was introduced to Christianity through the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church, I converted to Roman Catholicism, 36 years ago, in order to encounter Christ more deeply and more fully. I believe that the primary mission of the church is to show the world the face of Christ. Through my conversion to Catholicism I was able to encounter Christ through the sacraments and in communion with the universal church. My story of conversion is not a story of a one-shot and sudden revelation, but of a gradual unfolding over time that has involved ongoing instruction and spiritual formation. I have had moments that I might call “epiphanies” in this process, but they occurred in relation to a series of experiences that were much more subtle and much less dramatic. They were so subtle, in fact, that it has only been in retrospect that I have been able to see how the hand of God has been constantly at work in my life.

I believe that my conversion experience has been edifying for friends of mine, who were born into the Catholic Church but who did not appreciate the value of the tradition they were born into, and for non-Catholics who have had difficulty understanding how one would be drawn to the church. Over the past ten years I have frequently found myself in the unexpected position of re-evangelizing non-practicing Catholics, whose days have been so absorbed by their work and other activities that they had forgotten the essential role that the Mass once played in their lives.

I realize that the process of discernment about the priesthood does not rest with my thoughts and feelings alone; the Church discerns with me. I have been encouraged, in this process of discernment, by parishioners, clergy and the religious. Through them, I have learned to open myself to listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling me and to respond to God’s call if this is His will for my life. I do not enter this process of discerning the priesthood, at this late stage of my life, lightly, rashly or suddenly. This process of discernment has come through a great deal of prayer and through conversations with priests and members of my parish. I began to take seriously the possibility of a calling about ten years ago, when I began to serve as a lector and a Eucharistic minister in my parish, St Paul Cathedral. I have been a weekly nocturnal Eucharistic adorer at the Newman Center for the past seven years. I have been strengthened in this inquiry by praying the Liturgy of the Hours, intermittently, for the past seven years also.  

In broad outline, the process of my spiritual formation has involved becoming a Catholic not just once, but many times. As all men of faith must recommit themselves to Christ each day, and as a Church we repeat our Baptismal vows each Easter, so I have reaffirmed my commitment to living in communion with the Church after periods of uncertainty or dryness. Future blog posts on my spiritual autobiography will trace this process in greater detail.

(From my Spiritual Autobiography)