Joyful Witness / Kimberly Pohovey

A village of supporters stands behind each seminarian

A priest has been present for almost every pivotal moment of my life:

Baptism, first Communion, confirmation, marriage, family deaths and work experiences.

In both difficult and joyful times in my life, I have experienced the kindness, wisdom and faithfulness of a Catholic priest.

I have been greatly blessed to have known so many amazing priests throughout my life and career working for the Church. Some have been my teachers, some my pastors, others my bosses or co-workers, and a few I am fortunate enough to call friends.

In these priests, I have witnessed selflessness and their commitment to a life of faith and service. I have experienced empathy, love and compassion. I have benefited from their guidance and been inspired by their example. And I have enjoyed lots of good humor and laughs with my priest friends.

Good and holy priests don’t just happen. They are called, formed and then set forth to bring God’s love to his people. And while the onus is on the priest himself to heed God’s will for his life, it takes a community to support him through his education, formation and priestly vocation. We are that community. I believe we—all baptized Catholics—have a responsibility to help in the formation of a potential future priest.

Many of us encourage priestly vocations with our financial support. Were you aware that, on average, it costs $350,000 to educate and form each seminarian? That can only happen through the generosity of the Catholic community, devoting its resources to help foster more vocations. Some of us mentor or “adopt” young seminarians, sharing encouraging notes, meals and small gifts to let them know we are rooting for them. And I would hope most of us offer unending prayers for their ongoing priestly discernment.

I envision that, for every priest, there is an entire village of supporters enabling him to follow God’s will. In that respect, we should all celebrate when a seminarian is ordained a priest. We all share in his achievement.

As I write this column, an ordination Mass was to be celebrated on June 7 in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. I know two of the three transitional deacons who were to be ordained—Liam Hosty and Isaac Siefker. The third was transitional deacon Thomas Day. All three attended Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis, for which I raise funds as part of my job, at some point during their formation as a priest.

It has been nothing short of amazing to see these young men mature and flourish. In fact, Deacon Liam graduated from Roncalli with my son, and I first heard of his intention to pursue a priestly vocation while at their high school senior awards ceremony. The following year, I got to know him when he began his college studies at Bruté. This is my ninth year working at the archdiocese—the same length of time Deacon Liam has been preparing for the priesthood through undergraduate and graduate studies. I feel incredibly privileged not only to know him, but to have witnessed his priestly journey.

I just saw Deacon Liam last week, unexpectedly running into him at a local restaurant. Every time I see him, I am the recipient of his genuine smile and a huge hug. While I’m sure he isn’t looking for my affirmation, I can’t help but feel incredibly proud of him. And maybe I’m just a little proud of all of us for standing behind him and his fellow ordinands with our financial support, cheers and prayers.
 

(Kimberly Pohovey is a member of Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish in Indianapolis. She is the director of major and planned gifts for the archdiocese.) †