After living the Marian charism across the Americas from Steubenville, Ohio, to Argentina, Father Patrick Lynch, MIC, ordained last May, is now in place full-time at our new Marian Centre for Catholic Life. Julia Rose learns more about our newest Marian priest.
Please tell us your vocation story.
When I was young, I didn’t really have a personal connection to my faith besides going to church with my family. But when I was 13 or 14, I had a very powerful experience of God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Confession. I started praying for the first time from my heart.
As I started to learn more about the faith, what really captured me was reading the lives of the saints: St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Dominic Savio, the North American Martyrs, and so many more. Reading about the lives of these heroic men and women made me realize, “Wow, a life consecrated to God can be so beautiful.” This was the first time I ever considered a vocation to religious life.
In my later teen years, I got in contact with Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, and then in 2016, I went to visit the Marians in Steubenville, Ohio. The spirit of the community and their apostolic work resonated with me. I had visited some other communities, but being with the Marians was the first time that I felt at home.
I made the decision to apply, and after being accepted, I entered postulancy in 2017.
What have your first few months been like as a priest?
My Marian brother, Deacon Christopher Orante, and I just talked about our experience of being newly ordained, myself as a priest and him as a deacon. We agreed that it really does feel like nothing is different and that everything is different. I’m still me, and in many ways my life looks the same as it did before ordination, but at the same time there’s a grace and an obligation present that’s totally new, especially in celebrating the Mass and hearing Confessions.
I’ve marveled at what a gift the priesthood is because it truly is Christ with us. Being a Catholic priest has been one of the greatest, if not the greatest, gift of my entire life.
I’ve also found an unexpected source of joy in preaching more regularly. I preached during my time as a transitional deacon, but as a priest I do so much more frequently. I find that having to prepare homilies helps me to continue to learn and grow in my own faith.
Tell us more about what you’ll be doing here in London.
Our mission in England consists of several different aspects. We have a public chapel that’s open during the week with Masses, Confession, and Adoration, and we have a wonderful community of people here.
Another fundamental aspect of what we do is the missionary work. We’ll be going all over the UK doing parish missions and retreats. We’ve got some wonderful things planned, but we’re just getting started, so ask me this question again in a year!
I’m really looking forward to helping build up the Marian Centre for Catholic Life. There’s a real need to be creative and not be afraid to take chances and start something new, which is a challenge. But it’s also a blessing. It’s a unique opportunity as a young priest to be involved in something that’s in its foundational stages and be able to help launch it, so that’s very exciting to me.
It’s also a tremendous blessing to work with Fr. Alex Pumphrey, MIC, because he was my novice brother. We’ve been together in formation all through the years and have a friendship that’s been forged in the fire. I am very grateful to be able to work with him in developing this new Marian apostolate.
Pray for him though, because he also has to put up with me!
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Please send us your prayer intentions! (click here). We will place them at the foot of our altar in our Chapel here in West Ealing, London, and will remember them in our daily Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
