Two years ago this morning I was entering the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Savannah to be ordained. It was an amazing day, but not quite as amazing as the two years that have followed.
This morning I came across a short write up I wrote for the diocese in 2007 as I prepared for my diaconate ordination in Rome. After reading it I searched for an article the vocations office prepared after interviewing me a few months after my ordination. I hope you enjoy them.
Seven years ago, at the beginning of my sophomore year in college, I remembered a priest who visited my high school in Augusta. He came for the day and spoke to every 10th grade religion class about vocations and asked if anyone had thought of being a priest before. The room got tense, people looked around, no hands went up. I had briefly thought about the priesthood already at that point, but without any intention of perusing it.
I remembered Father Brett Brannen, my sophomore year in college because the thought of the priesthood would not leave my mind. Since he had spoken about vocations, I figured I should contact him. I went home one weekend and found the pamphlet he had passed out buried under a huge pile of papers.
This began an unexpected and surprising adventure with God. My plans for the future all of a sudden seemed irrelevant and unfulfilling. I wasn’t entirely sure of what I was doing, but I felt God’s gentle call giving me strength to respond. I decided to take the plunge, to dive into the mysterious call I felt, and to let God lead the way and surprise me. I left Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina and transferred to Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio to begin pre-theology studies.
After three years at Steubenville, this great adventure took me to places I never thought possible. In 2005 I found myself on an airplane headed east over the Atlantic Ocean to Rome. Chatting with a high school friend before leaving, I told him, “who would have thought that five years after graduation I would be heading to Rome to study at a seminary?”
It has been a blessing to live, study and pray in Rome. My passions for both the faith and history have been fed and increased. I have been able to familiarize myself with the city, walking the streets many saints and historical figures have walked, feeling its cliche eternity by encountering buildings ranging from early Christian catacombs to Saint Peter’s Basilica and to the modern Millennium Church in the suburbs.
What makes studying in Rome as a seminarian unique is the same thing that makes Rome itself unique, the Holy Father. Even though I can’t call him up for coffee, I’ve been able to attend Papal Masses, sing in the choir at Saint Peter’s and share in the excitement of the thousands of pilgrims that visit Rome. Living so close to the successor of Saint Peter has given me a keener understanding of Jesus’ words, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church.” The Holy Father stands as a living link to Jesus through centuries of Popes and Saint Peter. He maintains what we have received from the past and ensures its continuity. What I have learned and experienced by being so close to Pope Benedict at the heart of the Church will definitely remain with me forever.
The morning of this upcoming October 9th I will lie down before of the Altar of the Chair at Saint Peter’s Basilica and be ordained a deacon. I look forward to this day and to the future as a priest serving our Diocese of Savannah. I ask for your prayers on this day and throughout the upcoming year as I complete my seminary studies and prepare to come home.
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Of all the aspects of an ordination, says Fr. Pablo Migone, the most surprising is how suddenly the priesthood comes. Despite the years of study and preparation, the journey towards the priesthood is ultimately about walking into the cathedral a seminarian and coming out a priest.
“You go from being in the seminary, in a seminarian mind-set, and literally in the two hours of ordination, you become a full-fledged priest,” said Fr. Pablo. “It’s very awe-inspiring and humbling. All of the sudden you are ‘Father,’ the priest. You kind of have to get used to it.”
Fr. Pablo was ordained this past June at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. He has spent his first ten months as a priest at Sacred Heart in Warner Robins. The experience
so far has been eye-opening, a wonderful challenge and most of all, humbling. “One of the things that has impacted me is the great trust and respect people have for the priest—that it’s a trust and respect for the priesthood itself,” explained Fr. Pablo. “Going to the hospital, or wherever you go as the priest —people recognize and respect that.”
The day-to-day life of a priest has been especially rewarding. Even though Fr. Pablo had often heard of the demands of priestly ministry, he is amazed at all there is to do—and how quickly his calendar becomes full. “Every day is different,” says new priest Fr. Pablo Migone. “Some mornings you just have Mass on your schedule but the day fills up quickly.”
While he enjoys the challenge and recognizes a busy schedule as part of his vocation, Fr. Pablo also sees the wisdom in a healthy pace. “I’ve noticed that it’s important that in the same way I dive in and give myself, that I pull back and rest and pray and recharge.” One of his favorite aspects of the priesthood is hearing confession. “Reconciliation is a very concrete way you see the Lord at work, healing and forgiving,” he said. Being a brand-new priest involves what is sometimes called on-the-job training. “Seminary prepares you with knowledge and academics,
and it also helps you develop good spiritual habits,” said Fr. Pablo. “It gives you a lot of the tools, but nothing can really prepare you for the challenge and privilege of actually being a priest.”
Fr. Pablo especially appreciates the help of Msgr. Fred Nijem, his mentor at Sacred Heart. “It’s good to have another priest with a lot of experience to answer questions, give advice and guide me through it,” he said. Mostly, he said, it’s about being patient with himself, and being grateful for the incredible gift of the priesthood. “It’s a quick change,” he said, “and it’s taken a while for it to sink in. You realize it’s something you are given, that you receive. You as a person get inserted into the priesthood and you are now part of something much greater than you could ever be alone.”
-Taken from the Spring 2010 Vocations Newsletter of the Diocese of Savannah
All the pictures are mine, all rights reserved.
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