December 9, 2009

‘Maybe God is calling you to something more’

 Deacon Michael James Warren will be ordained a priest of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary order on Dec. 12 at Holy Ghost Church in Denver.

Name: Deacon Michael James Warren, O.M.V.
Age: 37
Born and reared: Binghamton, N.Y.

Q: Describe your educational and professional background.
A: Education: I attended Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., where I earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and Asian studies in 1995. I also attended St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass., where I earned a bachelor’s of philosophy in 2002, and later a master of divinity and a master of arts in theology in 2008. Career experience:  I worked for Prudential HealthCare in financial underwriting from 1995-1997, and for Towers Perrin Consulting as a health and welfare consultant for international corporations. I also served as director of youth ministry at Holy Trinity Church in Westfield, N.J. from 1997-2000.

Q: What first interested you in the priesthood and when did you first feel called to the priesthood?
A: My work with youth in New Jersey introduced me to the importance of early life formation and the witness of holy priests.  One afternoon my pastor said to me, “You know, Mike, maybe God is calling you to something more.”  Those words “something more” resonated with me.  I began an intense and intimate search for the “something more.”  Eventually, I came to the conclusion that searching for God had to be a full-time occupation.  My pastor’s veiled invitation was the first time I considered the priesthood.

Q: What ultimately led you to the seminary?
A: I discerned the priesthood for about a year and a half with the help of some very good priests and friends.  I had such an intense longing for God, a yearning for union with him, that at some point it became clear that no other option really presented itself to me.  Like any normal man I originally wanted to be married and have children but the grace of God moved me to find fulfillment in him alone, which is why I ultimately chose a more contemplative path toward priesthood.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about the priesthood?
A: First, that I will be configured to “Christ the Head.”  If I were fully conscious of this reality, I would most likely die of ecstasy.  The awareness of being able to celebrate the sacraments, those saving vehicles of grace, is also a great thrill.  Third, my responsibility for the Eucharist, not just its celebration but its protection, is very important to me.  There is nothing more vital for the development of faith in the world than the Eucharist and the priesthood.  Those two sacraments make the Church; that is an awesome reality to be participating in.  Finally, it is a great privilege to be an agent of healing for God’s people.

Q: What do you find most daunting about the priesthood?
A: Discovering the right balance between my distinct personality and being an icon of Christ.  When people look at the priest they want to see Christ, which is all grace; but the man doesn’t simply disappear.  Every priest is the icon according to his own particular characteristics, so he wants his personality to be a bridge to Christ, never an obstacle.  Integrating the personality and the iconic is quite the task; thanks be to Jesus Christ we are dependent upon grace.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of religious life?
A: When I first joined the Oblates of the Virgin Mary I was told that religious life lived well guarantees two things: a sure path to sanctity and the greatest penance in life.  They are both true.  Religious life is such an extraordinary freedom; we breathe by the breath of God every day.  Religious life is for men what the Hadron Collider is for physics: an ego smasher.  I did thoroughly enjoy my philosophical and theological courses of study, especially under the challenging and encouraging eye of Father Romanus Cessario, O.P., but nothing compares to the joyful celebration of the Christian life in common.  There is good reason that Pope John Paul II called religious life “the school of communion.”

Q: In today’s world, a call to celibacy is seen as radical, if not impossible. How have you reconciled the priesthood’s call to celibacy with this challenging cultural perspective?
A: The greatest force in the universe is love.  If you have it in you it seems to me all things are possible.  All priests, especially religious, love God above all things.  If we follow the love, celibacy becomes our most powerful ally.  Sure, the culture doesn’t support the effort of the celibate but that is all the more reason to embrace it.  Celibacy is not just a gift to the man, or virginity to the woman, but is truly a gift to the world.  The celibate’s witness to the kingdom makes it possible for the rest of the world to experience true eros.  In a very real sense the celibate is the sign of a purified eros, of the possibilities of eros, and hence a powerful image for those who have the vocation to marriage.  In this way, celibacy becomes the fulfillment of the law to love God and neighbor.  What greater motivation for a man could there be?