With the upcoming priestly ordination of Deacon Richard Conlin, it occurred to me that with him working so closely with Fr. Bruce-John Hamilton recently it is possible that this might be the most athletic prowess of any priest tandem in history. One represented Canada in golf while the other is in the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame for basketball.

I am always fascinated by the journey that men have taken before their call to a priestly vocation. In fact Deacon Conlin (he will be Father Conlin Dec. 11) has posted online a wonderful video about his personal journey. While there are many different routes to the priesthood, he mentions a few things that I find are often part of a future priest’s story, namely: 1) a college social life that takes them way off track from their Catholic upbringing, 2) the role their mothers and angel/friends played, 3) the role prayer played and 4) the importance of going to confession.

In many priestly journeys, the future priest went through some tough times along the way and Deacon Conlin was no exception. When fame comes your way, you often move further from God believing that you are self-made. In society in general, when we think that we have all the answers, when we have the “I’ve got this” mentality, things go south. Humility and prayer must be our constant companions. These next individuals followed God’s will as Deacon Conlin did.

I find it ironic that so often football produces a significant number of priests and Chad Chermaie Jr. was a college football lineman in Louisiana when he got the call. Despite his athletic success his partying and immoral lifestyle led him to a dark place. Things off the field got so dark for Chermaie at one point that he considered taking his own life. He was angry with God and ultimately gave God one more chance in the form of a prayer.

The Lord answered his prayer. Now as a seminarian at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Covington, Louisiana, he sees the importance of prayer for us all. “If you pray, you can know and do God’s will which is the only route to abiding happiness.”

At this time a classmate noticed his situation and encouraged a Catholic mentorship program and confession. His move towards the priesthood happened as a result of a mission trip. “It’s paradoxical but the less you think about yourself the more content you will be. My last name is French for ‘dear friend’ and the dearest friend one can have is Jesus, whose love for us is so great that he hid his divinity in his incarnation and he hides his humanity in transubstantiation.”

Deacon Richard Conlin on a golf course.

Thomas Haan was a standout high school quarterback in Indiana who set many records. He was headed to Purdue University, which has a historical Big 10 football powerhouse. Not long after his arrival, Haan heard God’s call. He finished his undergrad at Notre Dame before attending Mt. St. Mary’s seminary in Maryland.

He was ordained a priest seven years ago. He ultimately decided to step down as a player at Purdue and coach high school football which, ironically, is where and why he started thinking about becoming a priest. “Sure I wanted to help them with their football skills but more I wanted them to be great men and to spend eternity in heaven,” he said. 

Father Haan also emphasized prayer in discernment. “The top thing I would recommend when thinking of a vocation is to deepen your prayer life.” Even when referring to his current priestly role, Father Haan emphasizes prayer. “In a parish we must be an authentic school of prayer. We must encourage the faithful to hold a continual conversation with God. As Christians we must live our faith in the midst of the world, at work, and in sports, but this is only possible if we are praying.”

Father Haan shares a philosophy that I so much agree with in relation to sports.

“Sports are so much fun to play and they can help develop virtues like temperance, perseverance, and courage, but sports are not ends but means. There is much confusion about this today since it is a multi-billion dollar industry. Sports should be given there proper due and no more.”

He tells the story of his first retreat in which there was a ban on technology use. It was held at the same time as the college football championship game. Haan wasn’t sure he could handle it but as the weekend went on he so appreciated the silent meditation and distance from daily distractions. “At the end of five days I realized that the game meant nothing and Christ meant everything to me.”

So priestly journeys can differ and they can appear to be unlikely at times. I suggest that parents of highly talented athletes, especially those in college, keep their prayer life up (especially for their child’s vocation) while encouraging them to do the same. Gently remind them about the sacraments and believe a priestly vocation may still be possible.