BROTHERS CONVERTS PRIESTS Siblings Father Edward and Father Henry Share Paths of Conversion and Vocations to the Priesthood BY KARY ELLEN BERGER
For many, practicing the Catholic faith is a given. Their families were Catholic, they were baptized Catholics and they continued living out their faith as they grew up and established their own families. Others, however, choose to become Catholic and embrace what it means to be a member of this religion. Fathers Edward and Henry Hoffmann not only chose Catholicism as their religion, they also chose to take up the Word of God daily by becoming priests. Father Henry first moved towards conversion while at college in Michigan. “I was received into the Catholic Church at the parish near my college, St. Anthony’s in Hillsdale, Michigan, in the Easter Vigil of 2013,” Father Henry said. “I studied history at Hillsdale College, and, as St. John Henry Newman would put it, ‘To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.’ I don’t think that one can honestly and sincerely study the history of Christianity and not be led to the truth of the Catholic faith. But it was the incarnational and sacramental beauty of the Church that most attracted me. I wanted to be Catholic long before my intellect accepted its doctrinal truth, because of the Church’s beauty and the wonderful tradition that she embodies.” Father Edward followed in his brother’s footsteps shortly after Father Henry’s journey to Catholicism began. “Father Henry’s conversion was a big influence
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on me,” Father Edward said. “In addition, providence put a few authors in my life that brought me to the Church: First, C.S. Lewis, who moved me much closer to the faith, and Ignatius of Antioch, who brought me in the door. Ignatius, a martyr from the early Church, wrote letters to various churches in which a careful reader can discern all the essential elements of Catholic doctrine and discipline present in the late first century — an incredible witness to the apostolic origin of the Catholic faith.” He continued, “When I became convinced that the Catholic Church was the Church that our Lord founded, I was left with nothing but to convert. Lastly, learning about the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima was another big influence on my decision to convert — the Mother of God told us to pray the Rosary and be Catholic — why not do it?” The brothers followed different paths to the priesthood, but both wanted to serve the Church. “As a Protestant, I thought if I ever became Catholic, I would want to be a priest, and then, I did become Catholic, so I started thinking about a vocation right away,” Father Henry said. “Initially, I was attracted to religious life, but after visiting several religious communities, I felt a call to serve as a diocesan priest and entered the seminary for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. “After two years of Pre-Theology studies, I left the
