To the Band of Brothers: December 1, 2023

Good morning!

By the time you read this, I will be 3,000 miles away. Not metaphorically but literally. It is the reason you didn’t see me this morning when you got out of your car. I am in Brazil! In Belo Horizonte to be exact. I came here for a very special reason. On Saturday morning, one of our Belen brothers from the class of 2009, will be ordained a deacon.

For the last three years, Br. Mike has been studying theology in the Jesuit seminary here in Minas Gerais. After doing his novitiate in Santiago, Dominican Republic, his philosophy studies at Loyola Chicago, and his regency at Belen Jesuit, he made his way down to the land of samba and fútbol to complete his formal studies as a Jesuit seminarian. He is now much closer to his priestly ordination, but before that, he is ordained a transitional deacon.

Transitional diaconate is the term given to those who will soon after take the next step to priestly ordination. It is different from the permanent diaconate like Deacon Rob O’Malley and Deacon Jorge Prieto ’70. These six months of diaconate will give Brother Mike the opportunity to exercise his apostolic muscles. He will be able to serve at Mass, read the gospel, prepare the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist, baptize, and even witness at the sacrament of marriage. It is a great opportunity to take what he has learned in philosophy and theology class and apply it pastorally. One thing is what you learn from a book, another is having to deal with what happens in the trenches. It’s not always easy, but always satisfying.

For me in particular this is an amazing occasion. When Br. Mike was a student at Belen, he was my student. He sat in my Honors Philosophy and Honors Ignatian Spirituality classes. I was also his spiritual director. Many were the times he sat in my office and spoke about his relationship with Jesus, his prayer life, and the challenges he found in being a Catholic teenager. I still remember the day, while still a student at Belen, he expressed his interest in the priesthood. You can just imagine how my heart beat faster and ears perked up when he told me he experienced this inner longing to follow Jesus more deeply as a priest. Because he was still young, we agreed he would continue on the track he was on. He should graduate from Belen, go to college, and see where the Holy Spirit led him.

Sure enough, as a student at Fordham University in New York, God kept prodding and pulling at his heart. His discernment was a thing of beauty, not without its challenges and moments of doubt and concern. But I have to tell you, when God wants something, He can be very persistent. Some of you might know Br. Mike has a special talent. He’s a rapper and songwriter. He was a DJ for a long time and loves music. It was amazing to see how he took his talents and used them for the greater glory of God. He has produced his own album of Christian rap that you can find on YouTube. That’s one of the beauties of religious life and, especially, a vocation to the Jesuits. We refer to it as a second vocation. First, it’s the priesthood. Second, can be medicine, law, history, education, coaching, you name it. For Br. Mike, it’s music.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us that in a school like Belen, with over 1,300 young men, God is also calling some of you to a life dedicated to service of the Church and God’s kingdom as a priest. As a matter of fact, I can tell you there are some guys, some you may even be in class with right now, who God is encouraging with His grace to become a priest. There are currently Belen alumni, who while in college, are discerning a vocation to the priesthood and the Society of Jesus. We need to pray for these men. The Church needs them; we need them.

I ask you to pray for Br. Mike as he prepares for this grace-filled moment. Pray for his parents, his family, and for his vocation. Pray he always remains faithful to the call he has received. One that he knows, like all priests know, he is not worthy of, but is willing to undertake for God’s glory. Our excitement is real and I have been brushing up on my Portuguese so I can give Br. Mike a big hug and offer him a great parabéns.

Auspice Maria,

Fr. Willie ‘87