VOCATION STORY

Peter O’Donnell’s Vocation Story

            Do you know what the word ‘conform’ means?  It means to go along with the crowd.  Going along with the crowd isn’t always a bad thing, but being a good Catholic calls for going against the grain sometimes.  I take pride in being a non-conformist.  It explains how I could grow in my faith and stay away from bad influences in a high school with its share of sex, drugs, and alcohol.  It also explains why I ended up at a seminary in the middle of a corn field in northwest Missouri.

            I have felt called to be a priest since I was about 7 years old.  I went on a weekend visit to a seminary when I was 16 – the same one I ended up going to after high school.  I lived a very quiet and hidden life, one that was typical in many ways to other city kids.  I entered seminary because I really had the desire to be a parish priest and wanted to be one as soon as possible.  I remember being very restless in high school, restless about wanting to get out of town and into a new environment.  Being  a relief to make it to that point, entering seminary was still a great leap of faith for me, a leap that required a lot of courage and a lot of trust in God.

             My family is one of the biggest reasons for my decision to enter seminary after high school.  I had a very close relationship with my dad – we both are big basketball and football fans.  My mom is the most generous and kind person I know.  They both raised me with a great foundation which I am grateful for.  My sister and I used to fight but now we get along really well.  I like to give her a hard time.  For example, if I walk by her and she’s listening to music, I’d say “stop eating.” And when she had make-up on I’ll say “what’s wrong with your face?”  The foundation that my family provided is easy for me to see now; then it was the day-to-day support and encouragement that was the most important.

            What helped me in high school was my family and my faith.  As I grew up, my faith became important to me, a step beyond being something my parents inspired.  For example, I did a holy hour on Saturday night the last 2 years of high school.  Strengthened by Christ Himself, this faithfulness helped aspire me to the priesthood.  The way I see it is Christ brought about the decision to go to seminary and I cooperated.  Even though that decision meant leaving home and leaping into the unknown, I approached the transition with a pretty good outlook.  The time in prayer helped in that process.  In addition to personal prayer, I went to daily Mass with my dad before school.  It was in this context that I felt accepted and loved, a love that continues to be significant.

            In contrast, I didn’t feel accepted by my classmates.  My shyness was the main reason, but there was also the fact that I didn’t ever feel like I belonged in that environment, at least when I was at school.  The exceptions to this are marching band and my job at Taco Bell, both of which I enjoyed and got a lot out of.  On another level, I think my general habit of not doing what the crowd was doing meant that I wasn’t so easily swayed by peer pressure.  My interests and my values simply weren’t normally common to many of the other people at my school.  While someone was thinking about what movie they would see that weekend.  I was thinking of visiting a seminary and maybe becoming a priest.  Where did that inner drive come from?  It came from the Eucharist and from my family, both of whom were my main supports throughout high school.

            You may be surprised that I was thinking about going to a seminary and being a priest at such a young age.  Maintaining that goal in the public high school environment isn’t easy.  I sincerely desired to give my life to God and to be His servant.  I knew there had to be something more to life than what I had known, and the priesthood had always intrigued me.  What intrigued me was the life of service especially offering the sacraments.  That initial interest has blossomed into a love and a great desire to live as a parish priest the rest of my life.  Nevertheless, it took a lot of courage, a lot of human support, and a lot of grace from God to enter the seminary.  I firmly believe that, like Mary, I responded to God’s invitation with a “yes,” a choice made out of real humility and trust.

            Since then, I’ve grown in so many ways – now I enjoy being with people, I have a lot of friends who are both men and women of various ages.  The seminary, being such a small school, has forced me to break out of the shell I had formed in high school.  I’ve grown deeper in my relationship with God and am more active in my friendships.  I look forward to being an instrument of God as a priest if it’s God’s will.

            My advice to you is to stay close to your family, to your faith, and to good friends.  I know that you’re not all going to be priest and nuns and that’s fine, but I do ask you to focus on growing up in the person that God wants you to be.  Whatever you end up doing, realize that it will require being a non-conformist from time to time.  Like me, you may be a light in what may seem like darkness in your school and in your community.  Within your life of faith,  I suggest to take some time to pray everyday and occasionally with family member or friends if possible.  Try to go to Mass at least on Saturday nights or Sundays, and go to confession at least from time to time.  In doing so, you will be trying to keep Christ at the center of your life.

            Be strong in what you believe in and keep prayer and good friendships alive to maintain that vitality that’s so important.  It helps to have a strong sense of values to help guide you through the daily hardships and important decisions.  In addition to being  alight, you can be an image of God to your peers.  Your words and your example can be a beacon of moral excellence.  You can live that out right now.  It is my prayer that you be open to God working in your life and trust that He will be with you as life decisions come your way.