Article 7 - Second Series - January 30th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

[Pompeii]

One Thing, Jesus Christ.
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Article 7 - Second Series - January 30th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Article:

I graduated from Elk County Catholic High School in 2011. Eleven years later, I was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood for the Diocese of Erie by Bishop Lawrence T. Persico on May 27, 2022. I have often asked myself, “Why am I on this path as opposed to another?” With that question in mind, I will now share part of my vocation story.

I do not have a Saint Paul type of story in which my whole world was instantly turned upside down and my worldview was radically changed. Instead, my vocation story is much more even keel and is filled with thousands of moments which gently directed me to the priesthood.

It took me a while to notice the trajectory of my life, but once I did - I never looked back. 

I grew up playing sports, hunting, fishing, and doing various other activities. I dated in high school and, as a result, had my eyes set on being a husband and a father as I walked out of Elk County Catholic High School and dreamed of the future. I then went to college and found myself interested in academics (such as the field of education, philosophy, theology, languages, and various other disciplines). Most importantly, I found myself talking with Christ in a very honest, real, and personal way. Sometimes, I thought about sainthood, especially the virtues of the saints. 

I also found myself incredibly happy as a single man which somewhat startled me once I realized the obvious. 

There is a spiritual principle that is worth sharing at this moment: the obvious is always most important. Most people, when discerning their respective vocations (or considering a serious life decision) look for the complex and even mysterious while trying to connect the dots that are not always visible. Instead, we should always state the obvious even if it startles us. 

Here was the obvious for me toward the end of my four years at Saint Vincent College: I was happy being a single man, I fell in love with the core disciplines which one finds in seminary, nothing interested me more than the field of education, I knew that I loved people, and I found myself actually thinking about the priesthood. I also was intellectually introduced to Pope St. John Paul II who helped to form my worldview. Again, these were “obvious things” that I had to recognize and accept. 

My whole life was pointing toward the priesthood which became even more obvious once I entered the seminary. I was able to reflect back and see the gentle and consistent call to be a priest throughout various aspects of my life: family, friendships, hobbies, experiences, passions, failures, setbacks, fears, academics, interests, goals, and much more. 

Of course, the journey has not been perfect. 

I am a sinner. My worldview needs to constantly be improved and renewed with the Gospel. I have often missed the obvious and even ignored it in my life (sin always seeks to have us confuse, ignore, and avoid the obvious). Also, the priesthood, although widely accepted in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, is not as enthusiastically received within other circles. As a result, there were several moments while on the journey to the priesthood in which I had to step back and pray, “God, please help me to come to know the Cross and to accept it.” 

I am also well aware of the mass exodus of individuals leaving the Catholic Church in our Pennsylvania region. While many people are walking away from the Church, I find myself walking into it as a priest. It occurred to me several years ago that I was heading in a direction that was (and still is) against the cultural grain. In many ways, my priesthood is oriented toward the obvious within our part of the world - people are leaving the Church and something must be done about it. 

The most important thing is that we need to connect with people in a profound, compelling, and authentic manner. I couldn’t think of a more challenging and obvious mission for our time. 

Again, the obvious is always the most important. 

Fr. Ben Daghir

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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.

 

[DRNeil]

Well there are many of us who consider ourselves Catholic and still try to live with the traditional teachings of the Church  but find ourselves troubled by somethings put out in recent years that seem to indicate he is saying that Jesus is not needed to gain heaven. Other recent doctrines put forth seem almost heretical to some when viewed with traditional and historic teachings and doctrine of the Church.