November 2017
St. Mark’s News Volume 21/Issue 10
The End is nigh . . . or is it just the beginning? By Brian Prall, Seminarian As I reflect back on a process that began officially in 2011 (this is not counting the previous years of personal discernment), I wonder sometimes, if I knew then what I know now about the journey to the priesthood, would I still embark? Could I even? Running through a mental, emotional, and spiritual gauntlet for that many years only to be told during various stages along the way that there may be nothing for me at the end takes its toll. The knee jerk reaction is to say, aw heck no! What was so bad about working in a library? But as look all the way back to 2007, when God really started whispering to my wayward 23-year-old self, devoid of plan or passion, and compare that to my now 33-year-old self, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I have been stretched, molded, broken down, built back up, and strengthened in ways I could not have even fathomed at the start, and I would not trade that for anything. The process gives credence to teleology, a fancy seminary word that basically means you have a goal, or telos, for which God created you, and come hell or high water (so long as you have ears to hear) God will drag you to that telos whether you thought it was a good idea or not. Just look at how well Moses argued his point for why he was the wrong fellow. As a senior seminarian with a few weeks plus a spring semester left, I now turn my attention to where God is pointing next. It is my hope, and not out of the realm of possibility, that my diocese (Chicago) will ordain me to the transitional diaconate in December, a status in which canonically I will remain for six months until ordination to the priesthood. In January I will be taking the GOEs, which if you’re a Harry Potter fan, is best described as the OWLS for the priesthood. These have no bearing on my status as a student at the seminary, but if I tank any of the five areas they test me on, my bishop may have a question or two.
In this Issue From Brian Prall ......................... 1 Rector Search ............................ 2 Outreach .................................... 3 From the Day School ................. 3 Outreach .................................... 4 From David Peters ..................... 4 Christian Formation.................... 5 Parish Life .................................. 7 Caffeine Ministry ........................ 8 Parishioner Highlights ................ 9 From Michele Bonner............... 10 Celebrations............................. 11 ROTA ....................................... 12
After graduation it is likely I will return to the Diocese of Chicago, which is really a misnomer as it is the northern half of Illinois. I am a bit of a rare specimen in that I would prefer to serve in small town, rural, blue collar parishes. Most priests sprint for the suburbs or Chicago proper. Why? There is money there. It is true, these rural parishes cannot afford a full-time priest, so the diocese would hopefully split me between two neighboring parishes. In my mind, they are the forgotten. Told time and again by the latest and greatest trend setters in the church that they are not viable, nor are they relevant. Well those folks are my roots, and they deserve youthful, energetic, fully trained clergy as much as any other church. That’s my starry-eyed rookie’s perspective anyway.
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