Preaching to the converted
It’s not unusual to hear about someone converting to Catholicism. But converting and then becoming a priest, or converting when you’re a priest of another denomination? Now that is a little unusual.
Father Martin Nelson, pastor of Our Lady of Victory, Sour Lake, felt called to the priesthood during his time with the Episcopal Church.
“When I converted I had been an Episcopal priest for almost two decades. It’s not really that I lost faith in the teachings of that church but it’s more that this, Catholicism, is what I’ve come to believe is true,” Father Nelson said.
Father Nelson said that his interest in the Catholic Church only grew with time.
“I had always been interested in the Catholic Church from my studies in theology and from all the priests I had met over the years. I went to a retreat hosted by Benedictines, and they were so inspiring,” Father Nelson said.
Years later when he converted, his wife Sharon, who had converted a year earlier with his children, was his sponsor when he went through RCIA.
“I waited a year because our Episcopal bishop at the time was about to retire, and he asked me as a personal favor to wait till he retired. When I converted it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders,” Father Nelson said.
He submitted a request to Bishop Joseph Galante, then bishop of Beaumont. He attended seminary and then had to receive a rescript from the pope before being ordained.
Father Nelson isn’t the only Episcopal priest to do this. There are about 100 Episcopal priests in the United States that have converted to Catholicism.
Father Shane Baxter, director of campus ministry, converted when he was much younger, 19 years old, and before he heard the call to the priesthood. He grew up in Port Arthur and was raised Baptist.
“A lot of little things over the years drew me to the Catholic Church. I remember reading the book Les Misérables, and the bishop in that really spoke to me about true Christianity. Little things here and there pointed me toward the church. Looking back on it, I think it must have been the Holy Spirit,” Father Baxter said.
The first step toward becoming Catholic came out of nowhere for Father Baxter.
“One day I was driving past St. Elizabeth in Port Neches and something just told me to come inside,” Father Baxter said.
Unfortunately the door to the church was locked but he headed to the rectory and met Reverend Monsignor James Vanderholt, then pastor of St. Elizabeth. He told Reverend Monsignor James Vanderholt about his desire to become Catholic and received a book called A Catechism for Inquirers.
After being instructed he converted and a year later began thinking about the priesthood. He went into the Navy for a few years and served as a religious petty officer. Years later he felt the call again and entered the seminary.
“I think one thing that drew me to the church the most is that it appealed to the intellectual side of me in the way it related to science. The church also acknowledges our humanity by giving us grace through physical things like the Eucharist,” Father Baxter said.
Reverend Monsignor Bennie Patillo, pastor of St. Elizabeth, Port Neches, also converted at 19 when he was a pre-med student at Lamar State College of Technology, Beaumont, and working at St. Mary Hospital, Port Arthur.
“That’s what did it for me was working in that environment and getting to know the sisters there. I attended Mass whenever I could at the hospital, and it wasn’t long before I converted. I just felt drawn to it,” Reverend Monsignor Bennie Patillo said.
Reverend Monsignor Bennie Patillo was raised a Baptist and was on his way to becoming a doctor when he converted. He said he got the call to the priesthood a few years later. He had graduated from Lamar and taught for a year at Thomas Edison, Port Arthur, before deciding to go to St. Mary Seminary in 1959. He was ordained in 1967.
“I think it helps bring a fresh pair of eyes to some things. It’s always helpful to have different perspectives on things,” Reverend Monsignor Bennie Patillo said.
Father Baxter said that it’s easier to talk to people who are thinking about converting since he himself is a convert.
“I think it helps because I understand the questions they have because I had them too,” Father Baxter said.
International priests called to serve
It’s no secret that the United States has a shortage of Catholic priests. It’s also well known that international priests are more common throughout dioceses all across the country.
“Our international priests come from religious orders as opposed to diocesan priests. There are two ways this can work, either a bishop from the United States contacts a bishop from another country or the other way around,” Msgr. Michael Jamail, vicar general of the Diocese of Beaumont, said.
Because of the shortage of priests, many religious orders in other countries keep in close contact with dioceses in the United States, keeping them informed of priests who might be able to serve.
“One of the main issues is coming to an agreement on what kind of ministry the priest in question is best suited for be it parish ministry, hospital ministry or something else. We have to make sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to that,” Msgr. Jamail said.
The process of getting the priests from other countries to the United States is sometimes long and tedious. Background checks and letters exchanged between bishops are some of the first steps. The length of the immigration process also varies from country to country.
Missionary of St. Paul Father Charles Atuah, pastor of Sacred Heart-St. Mary, Port Arthur, experienced this firsthand when he came to the United States from Nigeria.
“My immigration process took a little over one year, but it’s different for everyone depending on how long it takes to get your visa and your passport. Getting through that process is more difficult than anything else you will do. It takes a lot of time and patience,” Father Atuah said.
Agreements also have to be made as to how long the priest in question will stay in the United States. The Diocese of Beaumont asks for a six-year agreement. Recorded submissions of homilies given in English have also become more commonplace during the interviewing process.
“For some of the priests, even though they speak English, their accent might be difficult to understand. For those cases we have them work with a speech therapist to alleviate their accent a little,” Msgr. Jamail said.
International priests are usually first assigned to parishes as parochial vicars in order to help them with their adjustment period.
“When I first came here I was an associate in Chicago, and it helped a great deal. You can’t become used to a new place without someone to help you,” Father Atuah said.
Father Atuah said that the adjustment to the United States wasn’t as jarring as he had anticipated.
“We are trained to move around by our order. We go from place to place, and we adapt. I was very pleased to find it easy to understand most people here, and I haven’t had too much trouble making myself understood,” Father Atuah said.
Not only must the priests adjust to a new language and a new culture, they must also make adjustments in how they worship.
“Sometimes in Mass, because of the population of the area (in Nigeria), we would have five Masses on Sunday and hundreds of people at every one. The whole church would be full and people would be outside. It was not unusual to have a thousand people at Mass,” Father Atuah said.
Father Atuah said that even when Mass is full of people here it still seems like a small crowd to him.
Recently Carmelite Father George Kidangen, parochial administrator at St. Helen, Orangefield, and Carmelite Father Joseph Kattakkara, parochial administrator of St. Mary, Fannett, received permanent residence status.
After eight months and two very complex immigration applications both priests have received notification that they are now permanent residents.
Good shepherds make good leaders
The priests in the Diocese of Beaumont have headed back to school, so to speak. A few months ago priests began attending a two-year long program called “Good Shepherds, Good Leaders” at Holy Family Retreat Center, Beaumont.
The program was designed by the Catholic Leadership Institute as a way to help priests grow spiritually and in the way that they serve their parish and execute administrational duties. The goal is to minimize the frustration and energy spent on administrative roles and to maximize the joy and time spent on pastoral duties.
Father Michael Strother, parochial vicar at St. Jude Thaddeus, Beaumont, said that the first part of the program has been eye opening.
“The whole thing is divided into six modules, and we’re in the middle of module two right now. We’re learning a lot about our personality types. That’s the first step to learning who we are as people and who we are as priests,” Father Strother said.
In the first module the priests focused on their personality as a whole and in the second module they moved on to their personality in relation to their job.
“We’re using the personality information to focus on our goals as leaders of the church. That teaches us that how we lead is how we will show others to lead,” Father Strother said.
Reverend Monsignor William Manger, pastor of St. Anne, Beaumont, said he’s glad to see the older priests and the younger priests going through the same challenges with the program.
“It’s not an easy class. It’s challenging and a bit of a struggle, but the young priests are struggling just as much as the rest of us. It’s good to see all of us together trying something new,” Father Manger said.
Some of the struggles the priests have been having to deal with include having a classroom mindset and learning more about administrative duties.
“We’ve been put through group exercises and it’s just a way of learning that we’re not accustomed too. We’re making progress though. We’re getting there,” Father Manger said.
Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, has also been attending the classes and going through the experience with his brother priests.
“It’s very supportive to see Bishop Guillory there with us. There’s a real feeling of support from all the priests for us to all get through this and come out better and better able to serve,” Father Strother said.
