FAQs
Feb 28th, 2007 by Father Schnippel
Living the priesthood during Internship
Matt Lee
As I continue through my Internship year at Our Lord Christ the King parish in Cincinnati, I’m constantly reminded that this is “where the rubber meets the road”, so to speak. To study theology is one thing, to translate it into everyday life is something else. One of the primary purposes of the internship year is to see if we can apply in an everyday, sensible fashion the things we learn in the seminary. Our Church is not simply an organization of people and a lot of rules; it is people growing closer to Christ every day. One thing that really hits home during the internship year is the reality that the parish is filled with people at every stage of faith imaginable.
During the internship year people ask questions of the seminarian which they would normally ask a priest. This is where the Pastoral Counseling courses pay off, but it also points to a more important reality: when people see the intern, they see the Church. When people want an answer from the Church, they often seek it from the seminarian. People know that I am studying to be a priest, and they expect me to have the answer for them. The reality is that I don’t always have that answer, and that’s humbling in itself. A little humility never hurt anyone. A professor once said that, “the world already has a Savior, and it’s not me.’ I couldn’t agree more. Internship is about spreading your wings and learning your limitations – both important for one discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Internship is a great opportunity to see what the day-to-day priesthood really is and ask myself, “Do I want to do this for the rest of my life? Can I do this for the rest of my life?” Halfway through the year I find that the more I do it, the more I love it, so the answer is a resounding, “Yes” for me.
How do you deal with doubts about your worthiness to be a priest or whether you can live up to the challenges?
Tim Ralston
Ever since I first began discerning a call to the priesthood, I have understood that I am completely unworthy of such a calling. And since entering the seminary, this understanding of my own unworthiness has continued to increase. Rather than allowing this to worry me, though, I see it as a reason for great hope. I know that I am completely dependent upon God, and that God will take care of everything, if only I cooperate.
Regular prayer is vital in making sure that this hope triumphs over the doubts and fears. Also, the support that I receive from the priests and my brother seminarians at the seminary adds to my confidence in God and His plan for me. I always know that there are people I can talk with if my sense of unworthiness starts to become overwhelming. And, of course, the lives of the saints show us all the great things that God has accomplished and continues to accomplish through His creatures, when they are obedient to His will. So, even though I know how unworthy I am, I also know how powerful God is, and this gives me incredible comfort and peace.
How are your interactions with women? Is it awkward? How do you deal with feelings of attraction when they come, or don’t you have such feelings anymore?
Dan Hess
I think that it is essential that good, healthy, happy relationships with women be maintained. That said, the reality is that I do not have as frequent interactions with women my age now that I am in seminary. I do try to maintain a number of good friendships nonetheless. Since entering seminary, the only somewhat-awkward moments with women have been when someone I don’t know starts to make a fuss about why I would give up marriage and choose celibacy. You can’t control people’s perceptions and I have simply tried to emphasize that I am very happy; this can also be an occasion for sharing the joyful and profound nature of a priest’s commitment and ministry.
Feelings of attraction toward women don’t disappear when you enter seminary. The “feelings” there are good and healthy, as we are rightly oriented toward marriage and having a family. The challenge can be to see how good and helpful these feelings are for your growth as a celibate man. The fact is, though, that priests are called to be espoused to the Church and spiritual fathers for the people of God. It may sound a little abstract, but the attraction and joy that continues to arise with and because of women really can be directed toward the excitement, commitment, and self-giving that is at the heart of priestly life. For example, I am a “spiritual infant” when it comes to understanding and appreciating the profundity of the priest offering Mass—or other Sacraments—yet I really appreciate the imagery presented by Pope John Paul II that through the Eucharist the priest really gives of himself to the gathered community. There are resources out there that help explain all of that much better…. My point is that priests are fundamentally dynamic, giving, and fruitful. The desires for sharing, self-giving, and love at the heart of marriage are fully satisfied in the life of a faithful priest; I have been fortunate to see this in the lives of others and fully trust that it will apply in my life.