Mission. Ordination. to Translate. Patrick E. M c Grath, SJ, is Ordained. Ministry. by Jeremy Langford

Transcription

1 Ordination 2006 Mission to Translate Patrick E. M c Grath, SJ, is Ordained to Priestly Ministry PAT M c GRATh loves a good story. Born into an Irish- American family rooted in the stories told around the altar and the dinner table, he s been known to spin a tale or two himself. So naturally Pat s journey to the Jesuits is a rich story that begins with the fact that on the day he was ordained, he also made history... As a bigger-than-life statue of St. Patrick gazed down at him from the sanctuary on July 29, 2006, Patrick E. McGrath was ordained a Jesuit priest and became the first priest ever to be ordained in historic Old St. Patrick s Church. Built by Irish immigrants in 1856 and spared by the Great Chicago Fire by Jeremy Langford of 1871, the church is the oldest public building in Chicago. For an Irish kid who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, being ordained in Old St. Pat s is profoundly meaningful, especially as it celebrates its 150th anniversary, explains now-father McGrath. Since being ordained a deacon seven months ago, I ve been privileged to preach at St. Pat s nearly every weekend. It s a shining example of what the church is and can be; it s a home for me. To strains of the entrance hymn All Are Welcome, 50 Jesuits followed by Most Reverend Carlos Sevilla, SJ, the bishop of Yakima, Washington, and Fr. Provincial Edward W. Schmidt, SJ, led Pat in procession to the front of the church. Passing through the center of a congregation more than 400 people Partners

2 Pat McGrath and the Jesuits have been blessings to the people of Old St. Pat s, and we are honored to celebrate this ordination. Fr. Jack Wall, pastor of Old St. Patrick s and close friend of Pat s, welcoming the congregation to the ordination liturgy Led by music directors Bill Fraher (front, facing choir) and Laura Higgins (singing, lower left), the nationally recognized Old St. Patrick s choir and musicians shared their gifts with more than 400 people who attended Pat s ordination liturgy. At Pat s request, they performed a rendition of A.M.D.G. Ignatius Loyola s Song, which was composed by Matthew Ferraro for the Jesuit Jubilee year celebrating 450 years since the death of St. Ignatius Loyola and 500 years since the births of St. Francis Xavier and Bl. Peter Faber. Patrick McGrath is surrounded by friends, family, and fellow Jesuits during the ordination liturgy at Old St. Patrick s Church in Chicago. Here he stands in front of his family (left aisle, facing altar) as a statue of St. Patrick looks on from the sanctuary. strong, Pat took in the faces of his Jesuit brothers, Holy Cross and diocesan priests, friends, relatives, colleagues, and former students. Then, surrounded by the beautifully restored Celtic stained glass and wall stenciling created by Thomas O Shaughnessy in 1922, he took his seat directly in front of his own Irish clan his father Maurice and brothers Mo and Matt, sister Kathy, and their spouses and children. With them all in spirit was Pat s mother, Barbara, who passed away unexpectedly six months prior. I was blessed that my mom was with us to celebrate my diaconate ordination, says Pat, and while there is sadness now, my mom was, and is, such a part of my journey to the priesthood that she was right there with me throughout the ordination, as she will be always. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you In the first reading of Pat s ordination Mass (Jer 1:4 9), God tells Jeremiah that he was chosen before he was even in his mother s womb to be a prophet to all nations, to go out among the people without fear. I relate to this passage on several levels, says Pat. It s only recently that I m coming to see how God has guided my seemingly winding road to the Jesuits and the priesthood. I also appreciate more and more my parents deep faith and the gift they gave my siblings and me in raising us Catholic. Born on July 19, 1966, in Chicago s Mercy Hospital on the South Side, Pat was destined to be at least three things: a Catholic, a White Sox fan, and a story Partners

3 It s very humbling my family, the Church, and the Society and our benefactors have invested a lot in my training, in nurturing my vocation. Pat McGrath reflecting on his ordination to the priesthood teller. That he is the youngest of the four McGrath children by six years has just made life and the stories all the more interesting. My siblings were born close together, so they are Irish triplets explains Pat. My sister Kathy is the oldest, followed by my brothers Mo and Matt. Those three were raised together and by the time I came along I was the pet project of the house and was entertainment for my parents more than anything else. Like his siblings, Pat attended grade school at Holy Ghost Parish in the suburb of South Holland. Early on, he found it daunting to carve out his own identity in a school of 500 students and in light of being known as Kathy s, Mo s, or Matt s younger brother. I was a real nervous kid, and I had it so good at home that I hated making the transition to school, Pat recalls. Honest to God, throughout kindergarten and first grade I threw up every day before school. Barbara McGrath knew her son was going to be just fine, but she took him to the doctor anyway. I remember the doctor telling me that Gayle Sayers, the great Bears running back, threw up before every game, Pat recalls. I found that very consoling! Pat also found it consoling to attend morning Mass with his mom, most especially because it helped him avoid hanging out with the other kids before school started. As time went on, however, Pat says he settled into the life of his school and shaped his own identity: Holy Ghost was a big, vibrant community that was a safe place to grow up. It s why to this day I m such a big fan of Catholic education, in which learning and growing up, God and faith are all woven together. Pat s dad, Maurice Bud McGrath, is quick to point out, Pat was a great kid. He was a fast learner and got into everything especially sports and politics. Pat is even quicker to point out that the triumph of his political career was serving as president of the student council in eighth grade: It s been downhill ever since. The McGraths had already decided on sending Pat to Marist High School after his grammar school graduation in 1980 because their older boys had had such good experiences there. The Marist brothers were incredible, says Pat. Till that point in my life I d only known diocesan priests, so the brothers were the first models I had of religious life. The thing that was so attractive about them was that they had a lot of fun; they were normal, down-to-earth guys After declaring his intention to be ordained, Pat lay prostrate on the floor as a symbol of humility, obedience, and willingness to live according to the example of Christ. The People of God sang the Litany of the Saints to ask all holy men and women who have gone before to be with Pat this day forward. Partners

4 for whom faith was important. Pat admits that while he was not the best student in the school, he made the most of all it had to offer in terms of retreats, social events, sports, and other extracurricular activities. He also continued to distinguish himself from his siblings: Mo played quarterback for the football team and Matt was a wrestler, so I played golf. I figured we McGrath kids got more sophisticated as the years went on, he jokes. During his time at Marist, Pat thought about a religious vocation. While he did not think he d become a brother, he was so impressed with the ones he d met in school that he stayed in touch with them about vocation matters for a couple of years after graduation. When it came time to apply to college, the choice was clear: The University of Notre Dame. Even though my dad did not go there, he raised us to love the school, says Pat. As a student at Mt. Carmel High School during World War II, Bud McGrath dreamed of attending Notre Dame. He knew he d be drafted when he turned 18 midway through his senior year, so he attended summer school after his junior year to make sure he d graduate before his birthday and be ready to take advantage of the GI Bill when he returned. Just weeks after being drafted, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After his tour of duty, he was all set to go to Notre Dame on the GI Bill when his father died of leukemia; he decided to stay home and care for his mother and sister. He attended DePaul and built a good career at the Chicago Board of Trade, but he has always maintained a deep love for Notre Dame. Growing up, Pat and his family spent a lot of time on the campus for football games and to visit his brother Matt, who graduated from Notre Dame, and his sister Kathy, who graduated from St. Mary s College. To hedge his bets, Pat applied to four other Catholic schools besides Notre Dame Georgetown, St. John s, St. Norbert s, and Loyola University Chicago. When Georgetown turned me down, it was no big deal, he says. But when I was wait-listed at Notre Dame, I thought it was the end of the world. That s when the old Cook County political spirit kicked in at my house, Pat jokes. My dad sat me down and said I could either sit around and wait to see what happened or I could do everything in my power to get into Notre Dame. So Pat launched a campaign in which he wrote weekly letters to the admissions coordinator for Illinois, a Holy Cross priest, explaining what he d done that week to make it reasonable to assume he was the right kind of person for the school. Then he drove to campus and visited the admissions office five times in the course of a month. In the meantime, Pat had been accepted to Loyola and was all set to attend. Then, on the day a letter from Notre Dame arrived in the McGrath mailbox, Pat totaled his car in an accident on the way to his last high school exam and had to call his dad to come get him at a police station. His dad said nothing about the letter. When Pat got home and saw it, he assumed it was a Bishop Sevilla anoints Pat s hands with chrism as acolyte Ralph Cordero, SJ, looks on. Bishop Sevilla elevates the Host as Fr. Pat McGrath, SJ, concelebrates for the first time as a priest. Fr. Robert Thesing, SJ, director of formation for the Chicago Province, joins Pat at the altar. Partners

5 Fr. Paul Mueller, SJ, has known Pat for fifteen years and is a good friend. What are the ingredients that go into cooking Pat McGrath Stew? You have to start with Irish wit, charm, blarney, gab, a n d s o n g o n t h e model of Bing Crosby s Fr. O Malley in Going My Way. You have to stir in passionate care for those who are poor, forgotten, or oppressed think of Dorothy Day or St. Peter Claver. Pat exhibits a remarkable passion to share the gift of faith that he enjoys, so the flavor would be wrong if you forgot to mix in St. Francis Xavier s missionary zeal. You also have to include prayer and service, on the model of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez. The main ingredient that holds the stew together and makes it robust is leadership on the model of St. Ignatius himself. The final ingredient is a commitment both to the White Sox and to good beer; think of George Wendt, who played Norm on Cheers. What They re Saying Leslie Yatabe, a fine arts teacher, worked with Pat at Loyola Academy. In my second year at Loyola, I joined Pat s one-week workshop dedicated to prayer and spiritual direction. Prior to this time I had little experience with Jesuit spirituality. After the first workshop, I continued with the 8- week workshop, then a Jesuit pilgrimage to Spain, and became a member of the Jesuit Apostolic Seminar. I can honestly say that knowing Pat has dramatically changed my life. Pat is kind and intelligent, really listens to people, and has a great sense of humor. He has the unique gift of being able to listen and understand what a person needs and then lead them in the right direction. He let me discover the type of person I want to become. Pat will make a wonderful priest because he is knowledgeable, patient, committed to Jesuit spirituality and education, and is willing to spend the time to help people discover their true selves. Fr. Jack Wall, pastor of Old St. Patrick s Church in Chicago, is Pat s friend and mentor Pat comes from a wonderful family and is a real gift to the Jesuits and to Old St. Pat s. Since early this year he s served as a deacon at our church. He s a great preacher and a genius at shaping and communicating the mission and identity of the Jesuits and the Church in general. He truly believes in the vocation of the baptized Christian and finds creative ways to partner with religious, ordained, and lay people. We at St. Pat s feel very strongly about being a missioncentered church, and Pat gets it. He carries on the great tradition of St. Ignatius by preaching from the pulpit in the heart of the city. We are thrilled that following his priestly ordination he will continue to be part of the Old St. Pat s experience by helping us translate our mission at the church and St. Xavier Warde School, and by presiding with us on the weekends. rejection. But to his great surprise the letter was an acceptance. Fittingly, Pat studied American government and political science. When I graduated in 1988, I was not sure what I could do with my degree, Pat explains. My parents always supported us kids in whatever we wanted to study, but now I had to make some decisions about my next steps. While at Notre Dame he gave religious life more thought, talked with the vocations director for the Holy Cross Order, and got a feel for the seminary program. He d come to know several Holy Cross Fathers including then-president Edward Monk Malloy, CSC, and Dave Porterfield, CSC and found their example of priesthood attractive. But as graduation approached, he decided to apply to law schools and take a driving trip to the East Coast to visit friends from Notre Dame and do some thinking about his future. While on that trip, especially driving through the mountains in Vermont, he continued to pray and eventually decided to apply for acceptance into the Congregation of the Holy Cross. In fall of that year, I entered the prenovitiate program, Pat recounts, which happened to be the same year Notre Dame won its last national championship! After a great year for Pat and the school, he continued his formation in the Holy Cross novitiate in Colorado Springs for another year and took vows. He then proceeded on to theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley (JSTB), California. While he knew of the Jesuits, JSTB was his first experience of the Society of Jesus. In the three years I spent at JSTB earning my Masters of Divinity, many things were becoming clear to me, most especially that I was not ready to move forward with final vows and ordination, Pat explains. He was 26 at the time and felt like he needed to go out on his own for awhile. While leaving Holy Cross remains the hardest decision he s ever had to make, he remains close to the Order and to the men he studied with, many of whom attended his ordination. Fourteen years later I can say that the reason I left is because God had other designs for me, and I truly believe that, says Pat. Ultimately, I was meant to find my vocation in the Society of Jesus. During that spiritually and psychically trying time, Pat moved back to Chicago and took his first teach- 10 Partners

6 ing job at Cathedral High School in My first year there was the last year of the school s existence, Pat says with a smile, I don t think there s a causal relationship; the archdiocese simply decided to replace it with Francis Xavier Warde grade school, which is a terrific grade school run by Holy Name Cathedral and Old St. Pat s. The next year Pat took a job at St. Ignatius College Prep as director of community service and eventually taught religious studies and served as chair of the department. All the while, even when he was least aware of it, Pat was developing a vocation to become a Jesuit priest. In 2000 he entered the Society of Jesus and pronounced perpetual vows in That you may be filled with all the fullness of God In the second reading of the ordination liturgy, Paul, or more likely one of his disciples, offers a prayer that strikes deep into Pat s core: That you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God and thereby accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:14 21). For Pat, a pivotal moment in his discernment to become a Jesuit came in 2000 when he was enjoying a beer and conversation with two of his Jesuit friends, Fr. Jim Gartland and Fr. Paul Mueller, and realized that he wanted something they both had a deep relationship with Jesus: One night as Jim, Paul, and I were talking about the White Sox and solving the world s problems over a Harp, he recalls, I sort of tuned out of the conversation. There was a lot of noise in the bar that night and as I got lost in it, I started to notice this one word that kept jumping out of what Jim was saying, and that word was Jesus. Pat s initial reaction was embarrassment at talking about God in a bar. But then my second reaction was that he speaks so comfortably of Jesus, which really intrigued me. But more than that, as St. Paul tells us, there are times when we don t know how to pray and the spirit sort of prays for us. In that bar that night I had this experience of this deep prayer coming out of me, which was simply, I want that. I want what he s got, that sense of comfort and connection with Jesus. That same night Fr. Jim asked Pat when he was going to call the vocations director and join the Society. The three friends talked for a long time about the Jesuits and Pat s possible vocation. I d certainly been thinking and praying about it, he says, but that night I realized in a very explicit way my desire to know Jesus. Soon thereafter, Patrick McGrath entered the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus and began his formation process at the novitiate in Berkley, Michigan. Pat s mom and I thought it was wonderful for him and for the Jesuits, says Bud McGrath. Despite concerns over his age (he was 33 at the time) and the long Jesuit formation process, Pat took consolation in St. Ignatius s own story of having a late vocation, struggling to live it out, and eventually being called to found an Order whose service to the Church and world has been profound. During his novitiate, Pat s experience of the full 30-days of the Spiritual Exercises helped him solidify his calling to the Jesuits and was so rewarding that he frequently refers to his notes from that sacred time. Following the novitiate, a Jesuit undertakes studies in philosophy and theology in what is now called First Studies. Of the three First Studies programs offered at Fordham University, St. Louis University, and Loyola University Chicago, Pat was assigned to Loyola. Having completed philosophy studies prior to entering the Society, he was allowed to branch out and began a master s degree at Northwestern University in learning and organizational change. I really enjoyed being with Jesuits from across the country in the First Studies program and made a lot of friends, says Pat. It was great fun to bring the Jesuit perspective to Northwestern and in turn to import some of the things I was learning there back to Loyola. Pat continued working on his master s from Northwestern throughout his regency, where he served Loyola Academy as director of Jesuit identity from In the past year he completed both I played baseball until high school, says Pat, a life-long Chicago White Sox fan shown here as a 7th grade member of his neighborhood Little League team. Early on I had a size advantage, but the other kids caught up and learned how to throw curveballs, and my career ended! Newly baptized Pat McGrath with his godparents, Pat and Ade Ignowski, and brothers Mo (age 6) and Matt (age 7) at Holy Ghost Parish in South Holland, IL, on August 14, Even as a kid, Pat (in red) was making people laugh. Here at age 4 he entertains his siblings Kathy (age 12), Mo (age 10), and Matt (age 9) outside their home in South Holland, IL. Partners 11

7 Being a Jesuit allows me to use the gifts I have in creative ways that I never could have imagined. Pat McGrath his degree in organizational change and his theology studies (at Loyola University). By design of St. Ignatius, the Society of Jesus places great emphasis on formation. There is something about the Jesuit culture and Jesuit spirituality that since 1540 has cleverly, and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, formed individual Jesuits and the communities we live in to have a distinctive way of proceeding, of living the gospels in the world, explains Pat. The formatores responsible for forming us novice masters, superiors, deans, and rectors do such a tremendous service for the Church and the Society. In many ways they are unsung heroes because, if they do their jobs right, those of us in formation naturally grow as people and community members. I can remember learning so much from my novice master, Fr. Tim Shepard, SJ, of the Detroit Province, just by watching how he went about his day, organized his thoughts and priorities, prayed, interacted with other Jesuits. I could look at him and say, that s what it means to be a Jesuit. Jesuits by training are prepared to serve wherever the need is greatest and integrate into the various communities in which they live. They are formed to be unique while sharing in common their way of proceeding. When Pat traveled to Lima, Peru, to study Spanish during his novitiate training, for example, he remembers being apprehensive about going to a foreign country and living with a community of men he did not previously know. We were picked up under the cover of darkness at the airport by Fr. Kevin Flaherty, a Jesuit from Cincinnati working down there. As we rode in a big, beatup van I had all this anxiety bubbling up inside me. Then we walked into the house and were instantly welcomed by our Jesuit brothers there who threw an impromptu party to welcome us. And it was clear from the get-go that there was something about these guys that I knew, even though I had The McGrath clan posed for this photo in fall Seated on Floor: Ellie McGrath, Mary Kate Zagotta Seated: Colleen McGrath, Mary McGrath, Erin McGrath, Barbara McGrath, Sandra McGrath with Matty on lap, and Kathy Zagotta Standing: Emmett McGrath, Mo McGrath, Pat McGrath, Bud McGrath, Matt McGrath holding Sophia, Nick Zagotta, Nicko Zagotta, Peter Zagotta 12 Partners

8 never met one of them in my life. Throughout his six years of preparation for ordination, Pat, like all Jesuits, was involved in a wide range of ministerial and service work designed to challenge his ability to adapt, find his vocation in different contexts, and understand and articulate his relationship with God and Jesus with more clarity based on different encounters through lived experience. The novitiate process involves a short and a long experiment in which new members of the Society get real-life experience working in a Jesuit ministry and living with an affiliated Jesuit community. Pat spent his short experiment in New Orleans serving as staff chaplain of Covenant House, an international organization that helps runaway kids. He organized daily prayer services, but the primary work was walking with kids as a trustworthy companion on the journey to pull their lives together. For his long experiment, Pat served as an assistant to the secretary for secondary education at the Jesuit Conference in Washington, DC, examining the Society s relationship with Nativityand Cristo Rey model schools and exploring new ways of partnering with others to ensure the mission first imagined by Ignatius and his companions. Pat s enthusiasm, passion, and capacity for listening to the numerous voices at work in the lively apostolate of secondary education, along with his ability to offer new direction, were great gifts that he brought to the Jesuit Conference, says Fr. Brad Schaeffer, SJ, former president of the Jesuit Conference who is now rector of the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. For one so new to the Society, Pat built respect and trust quickly. His ability to name the issues and address the challenges helped create a structure that will be apostolically effective over the long haul. During First Studies, Pat worked at the AIDS Pastoral Care Network of Chicago, talking with patients and helping them with everyday tasks such as driving to doctor appointments and the store. Most recently he did an eight-week internship in spirituality and spiritual direction at St. Ignatius Retreat House on Long Island. There he studied the Spiritual Exercises, examined his own faith, and served as a spiritual director for retreatants. Pat is a skilled listener and a gifted, funny storyteller who is in his element in conversation with others, says John Mark, SJ, a good friend of Pat s and a regent at University of Detroit High School. The many late nights we ve spent with fellow Jesuits talking about our lives in the Society have shaped my life and ministry, especially now that I am a director of Jesuit identity. Over the past three years Pat has worked at Loyola Academy, teaching religious stud- I The Ordination of a Priest by Fr. John Baldovin, SJ ies and helping the lay faculty of the school to be more explicitly engaged in Jesuit history and Ignatian spirituality. Pat has an incredible gift of being able to connect with anyone, says Christina Antonopoulos, who had Pat for religion her senior year at Loyola and is now a junior at Northwestern. He has a wonderful sense of humor and helps you see God in ordinary life and The Pattern. Ordination to the priesthood, like every liturgy, follows the pattern of proclamation/response. First we hear the word of God and then we respond by baptizing, or celebrating the Eucharist, or invoking God s blessing upon certain individuals. Call. The candidate (ordinand) is called forward. He is then presented to the bishop by his major superior (provincial) who testifies to his readiness. The bishop elects the ordinand and we affirm his election with applause. Homily/Instruction. The bishop then gives a homily suitable to the occasion and to the scriptures. He may also read the Church s instruction which is printed in the rite or he may adapt part of it. Examination/Promise of Obedience. The ordinand responds to a series of questions that reflect his readiness and ability to serve God s people as a priest. He then promises obedience to the diocesan bishop and to his religious superiors. Prayer. The central part of the rite consists in three important moments of prayer: 1. The Litany of the Saints invoking a great cloud of witnesses upon our solemn action 2. The Imposition of hands first by the bishop alone and then by the presbyters (priests) who are present 3. The Prayer of Consecration which seals the ordination by praising God and invoking his blessing upon the candidate. Vesting. The newly ordained priest is vested in the stole (now worn over both shoulders) and the chasuble (a festive poncho-like garment) which symbolize his new ministry in the Church. Anointing. In an ancient symbol of consecration, the priest s hands are anointed with chrism, the same sacred oil that is used in baptism and confirmation. Reception of the Gifts for the Mass. The bishop gives the chalice and the paten holding wine and bread to the newly ordained as a kind of handing over of the tools of the trade. Greeting. The bishop greets the newly ordained and welcomes him to the priesthood. The other priests present do the same. Concelebration. The Mass continues as usual with the new priest concelebrating for the first time. Fr. John Baldovin, SJ, is director of the Master of Divinity program and professor of historical and liturgical theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology. Author of many articles and books, his most recent release is Bread of Life, Cup of Salvation: Understanding the Mass (Sheed & Ward, 2003). Partners 13

9 The word Eucharist means thanksgiving. When we gather for Mass we celebrate the Paschal Mystery, Christ s dying and rising for us, and express our thanks to God for all that we have and are and all that God continues to do for us. After hearing the Word of God, which reminds us of our shared story of salvation, we prepare the altar and bring forward our gifts in gratitude. Today, I consider God s gifts that have filled my life and I say Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness I have been loved and supported by parents and siblings who reflect your love and generosity. I was born into a family that lived their Catholic faith, and did so with great spirit and humor. Being Catholic was simply who we were. Along with my sister Kathy and brothers Mo and Matt, I was raised by Mom and Dad within a community of faith, and our Catholic worldview was formed daily through our lived experience. Life at home and at the parish grade school and church was part of a seamless whole. My parents infused us with hope and good humor, and challenged us to see the world with eyes of faith. The Catholic sacramental imagination was alive and well in the McGrath family as my parents modeled an optimistic and grateful faith anchored in the rituals and rhythms of our parish. Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness Your presence has been tangible in friends who support and challenge. Through times of celebration and struggle and in the moments of everyday life, their gift of friendship has made you more real for me. They keep me honest and challenge me to be better than I otherwise might be. We have such great fun together. Gratitude by Fr. Patrick McGrath, SJ Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness My life has been a pilgrimage of learning that has allowed me to grow into a deeper awareness of your abiding com- 14 Partners panionship. From grade school to graduate school, studies have challenged me to question, explore, and wonder about this world that is charged with your presence. You have blessed me with compassionate teachers whose vocation it has been to draw out my own gifts and talents and to challenge me to use them for your greater glory. Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness You led me to the Society of Jesus. At first, I came to know Jesuits as classmates in graduate school. Their intellect and wit were impressive but it was their accessible humanity and positive engagement of the world that caught my attention. Later, as a layman teaching at St. Ignatius College Prep, I became a part of the Jesuit project and was introduced to Ignatius Loyola and his story. His struggle and passion captured my imagination and I began to explore the spirituality born of his experience. The Spiritual Exercises prodded me to respond more generously to the invitation of Jesus to companion him. In time (yours, not mine) you made me aware of my own Jesuit vocation through friends and family members and my own lived experience. Entering the novitiate and becoming immersed in the Jesuit way of proceeding felt like a homecoming. The Jesuit way gave language, context and support for the Catholic worldview and imagination that I first learned at home with my sister and brothers. Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness You have provided companions for the journey and benefactors who make our shared Jesuit life and work possible. In Jesuit companions and our collaborators who support us with their prayer, time, talent, and treasure, your generosity is made visible daily. The great invitation of Jesus to serve him with all we have is answered in myriad ways through all the members of the Jesuit family. Blessed be God forever! realize what an exceptional gift life is. Pat is deeply rooted in his faith and passionate about his calling as a Jesuit, agrees Les Seitzinger, Loyola s director of admissions. Through our Jesuit Apostolic Seminar, he has helped our faculty and staff learn more about our great Jesuit heritage, explore our individual faith through an Ignatian lens, and educate our students and parents about the Jesuit way. Like St. Ignatius, Pat possesses a unique talent of sharing his knowledge, personal experiences, and faith journey in a very relatable and inspirational way no matter who he is speaking with. For Pat, the Jesuit motto ad majorem Dei gloriam (to the greater glory of God) is at the center of his vocation. Whenever I call these words to mind, I think of that great line of St. Irenaeus: The glory of God is a human being fully alive, he says. Being a Jesuit allows me to use whatever gifts I have in creative ways that I never could have imagined on my own. Being a Jesuit makes me a better person, because I m supported by my fellow Jesuits as together we try to enter more deeply into Ignatius s dream and come to know Jesus more intimately in the process. Living as a Jesuit challenges me to use my gifts in order to be as fully alive as possible and, in the process, to honor and glorify the giver of the gifts. Love one another as I have loved you As Patrick McGrath prepared to be called forth for ordination, he listened intently to the Gospel reading from John (15:11 17) as read by Fr. Robert Thesing, SJ, formation director for the Chicago Province: You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commandments so that you may love one another. Fr. Schmidt then formally requested that Bishop Sevilla ordain Pat. When the bishop consented, the congregation expressed their approval with loud, sustained applause. Pat has revealed himself to be one who takes God s call very seriously, says Fr. Schmidt. He brings great energy and talent to the mission of going out and bearing fruit, as evidenced by how many celebrated his ordination with him. He will be a vital

10 part of working through our traditions in vibrant new ways, and I trust that this is part of the reason why Jesus called him to this Jesuit vocation. He is a great community man and believes strongly in the Jesuit tradition. Not surprisingly, Fr. Pat s first assignment following ordination is to serve as provincial assistant for secondary education, allowing him to work with the five Jesuit high schools in the Chicago Province: St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati; Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis; St. Ignatius College Prep and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago; and Loyola Academy in Wilmette. He will also work with the province s new Nativity-model middle school, Chicago Jesuit Academy. When Pat was in grade school, recalls his father, the principal said he could run the school and she would not feel guilty turning things over to him! As God has called Fr. Pat to the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits have called him to serve students and their families. Catholic education is a huge part of my story, he says. In a time of fewer and fewer Jesuits, we need to ensure that our schools continue to be Jesuit in the way they do things, which means having the confidence that our lay colleagues who run the schools have a meaningful relationship with the Jesuit Way. For Pat two things are clear: First, collaboration with the laity is not a concept to be pondered, but a reality that the Jesuits have long embraced. Second, the primary charism of the Society of Jesus is to share the Spiritual Exercises with the Church and the society at large. If we accomplish our true mission, he explains, our lay leaders and partners in ministry will have firsthand experience with the Spiritual Exercises as well as a strong sense of the Jesuit lexicon and culture. Moreover, he continues, I think my vocation is to be a translator, somebody who helps bring people to the tradition and the tradition to people and to At the conclusion of the ordination liturgy, Bishop Sevilla and the congregation applaud the newly ordained Fr. Patrick McGrath, SJ. stand with them as they try to make sense of it all. We Jesuits owe it to the Church to continue to offer this gift and invite others into the evolving grace, which is a great privilege! While Pat is excited to begin his new role as assistant to the provincial for secondary education, he believes his primary responsibility as a Jesuit is to be a utility player who is ready to be of service to the Society and the Church wherever the need is greatest. My understanding of priesthood is, in the words of the liturgy of ordination, Pat says, to be ordained to serve, to be of service to the Church and to the communities to which you are sent. It s a very humbling thing my family, the Church, and the Society and our benefactors have invested a lot in my training, in nurturing my vocation. Now in a sense it s time to ante up and to put it to full-time use. In an act of great humility and a sign of utter dependence on God during the ordination rite, Pat prostrated himself on the floor of Old St. Pat s while the church sang the Litany of the Saints and asked all holy men and women who have gone before to pray for and with this new priest. Five months earlier, he lay prostrate on the floor of the Loyola Academy Chapel when he was ordained a deacon. His mom, Barbara, was present then, and Pat remembers being lifted up by the voices of his family and friends. Several days later, Pat preached at his mother s funeral at St. Alexander s in Palos Heights. Before that liturgy, Fr. Jack Wall explained to Pat and his father that when Old St. Pat s was being restored and they were filling the niches surrounding the nave with statues of saints from Ireland and the Americas, they decided to leave the niche on the north wall empty to signify the sainthood of all those who strive to do God s will. Fr. Wall then assured us that that s the spot where my mom would be, Pat explains. It s a great image; it s a great testimony to our faith, which assures us that those we love are always with us. My mom is a huge part of my vocation story, and she was right there with me during my ordination, and she will be with me in my ministry. It was Pat s mother who first taught him a theme that has run through his entire life and now animates his life as a Jesuit: gratitude. One day after Mass when he was in grade school, he asked his mom, Who is Peter God? She asked him what he was talking about, to which he replied, Well, at the end of Mass the priest says something and everyone responds, thanks, Peter God. She laughed for a second and then explained that the people were saying Thanks be to God. She then went on to explain that we re just trying to be thankful for all the ways God is going to be present in our day and for all the ways that we ve experienced God in our lives, recalls Pat. That to me is the heart of the Jesuit vocation: you experience God in all things and you celebrate that and ask what it means for you. For Fr. Patrick McGrath, SJ, it means a lifetime of translating and helping others interpret their everyday experiences of God. n Partners 15