Priests Who Influenced Me – Good Role Models!

         Some kids have role models who are sports figures or athletes. Some have role models among their family members, and a few, like me, have had both plus role models in the clergy. Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, the clergy played an important part in my life. I always felt inspired by them, safe with them, and a desire to do what they did: to bring people closer to God. The priests of my parish were giving of themselves, available to people, and always there when they were expected to be there and beyond.

         But then I went to high school and two years of college at Cathedral Prep in Brooklyn, where the faculty were mostly Brooklyn Diocesan Priests. They were generally good teachers, sometimes a bit overly strict, but they were genuinely interested in our educational growth and spiritual development. You could always find one of them interested enough to talk with whenever a problem arose. Being pulled from parish work into the classroom was not their first choice. They accepted the wish of their bishop, and I think, for the most part, we benefited. They saw the potential we had as students and tried to develop that as much as possible.

         Moving on to the major seminary, I met extremely well-educated and holy priests who became very influential in my desire to say “Yes” to the vocation that God was giving me. One of the charisms of the Vincentian Fathers who staffed Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Albany was the formation of the clergy. Following the example of their founder, St. Vincent de Paul, they were engaged in “seminary work” and strove for excellence in creating a seminary program that kept pace with a post-Vatican II Church mentality.

         The one thing that made the Vincentian priests admirable and good examples was their humanness. They were definitely “men of the cloth,” but they all had human personalities which they shared with us. Their humanity was not hidden from us. They did not treat us as peers, and yet we saw them as our brothers. They were firm when they had to be but were not afraid to “lighten up” when the situation warranted that type of response. Priests are human beings with all their strengths and short comings – that was the way they projected themselves to us.

         It was easy to tell that these Vincentian priests loved the Priesthood and wanted us to love it too. A few of them did leave the active ministry, but we prayed for their happiness. Most of them persevered in their calling and demonstrated that it was a prayerful life that helped them to remain faithful.

         After Ordination, I was stationed with some wonderful priests, some of whom became my priest friends. The recent death of Father George Cowan made me reflect on our long-time friendship (51 years) and the good example and priestly dedication that he modeled for me. May he rest in peace!

         Priests not only help their flock, but they also influence their brother priests to be the best they can be. The shining example of many good and holy priests have been a great blessing in my life as a priest and a bishop. I am grateful for their fraternal care, their commitment to service, and their example of what a priest should be.