SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #11 - April 14th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

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SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #11 - April 14th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Editor's Note: Fr. Ben Daghir reflects on the positive influence of a priest, Fr. Eric Vogt, OSB. Fr. Eric was a parish priest in Saint Marys, Pennsylvania for many years and Fr. Ben's high school baseball coach at Elk County Catholic. 

Picture attached: Fr. Eric Vogt prays over Fr. Ben Daghir during the laying on of hands at St. Patrick's Church in Erie at the priesthood ordination on May 27, 2022. 

Article:
I would like to take a moment and reflect on the priestly influence of Fr. Eric Vogt, OSB. His passing has reminded me how much young men see priests and look up to priests. We must always remember these truths. 

Fr. Eric Vogt recently passed away on Saturday, April 8th. He was a longtime pastor in Saint Marys, Pennsylvania. He was also my baseball coach at Elk County Catholic High School. My teammates and I called him “Padre.” 

I remember it was July 2016. I received a letter in the mail that day from Bishop Lawrence T. Persico and I wanted to share it with Fr. Eric Vogt. Bishop Perisco’s letter indicated that he had accepted me into seminarian formation at Saint Mark’s Seminary in Erie. 

I walked into Fr. Eric Vogt’s office at Sacred Heart Parish in Saint Marys and handed him the letter. “Padre, I’d like for you to read this.”

Before finishing the letter, Fr. Eric Vogt began to cry. He was so happy, joyful, and proud. Fr. Eric then shared his love for the priesthood and his excitement for me. 

It’s not possible to fully explain how influential this type of priestly influence is on a young man. All I know is that a priest who genuinely loves being a priest radically changes those around him. 

There’s one more story that I would like to share. It is my brother Luke’s favorite story about Fr. Eric Vogt. As I had mentioned, Fr. Eric was our baseball coach at Elk County Catholic High School. Of course, my teammates and I always sat in the back of the bus and the coaches sat toward the front when we traveled to away games.  

Fr. Eric Vogt always read the Bible while we traveled to those away games. You could look down the bus aisle and see the Bible on his lap. He was immersed in Scripture. No one ever really talked about it, but we all noticed. 

This past Saturday, April 8th, we lost Fr. Eric Vogt. A week later, on Saturday, April 15th, my brother (Luke Daghir) will be ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Erie at St. Mark’s Seminary. Luke is quickly approaching the priesthood. 

These dates are not a coincidence, of course. It is from the witness of a priest who read the Bible on a high school bus traveling to away baseball games. It is from the influence of a priest who cried on separate occasions when two of his baseball players entered the seminary. 

It is ultimately the fruit of a priest who genuinely loved his priesthood. Young men see priests. Young men look up to priests. 

As a young man and a young priest, I say “Thank you, Padre.”

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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.