Newest priest recommended by discerning parishioners

That vocational call never went away; after a seven-year period of discernment and formation, Mr. Childs will be ordained a priest for the Albany Diocese on June 10. His time in the seminary was valuable, but he is ready to respond "yes" to his calling and begin his priestly ministry.

"Being a seminarian has been an unspeakably wonderful experience, one that no money could compensate or any job could duplicate," he said. "Now I'm looking for the fullest expectations that take place in priesthood."

Childs of Christ

He attended St. Pius X in Loudonville for nursery school but switched to St. Catherine of Siena School in Albany for kindergarten through grade 8 when his parents moved. There, the influence of vocational life was still around him, as the Holy Name Sisters and the Sisters of Mercy taught at the school.

While Tony was an altar server at St. Catherine's, he didn't consider a vocation at such a young age. In fact, when his mother died when he was in eighth grade, he stopped going to church for a few years because of his anger at God and the pressures of raising his younger siblings.

Coming back

"That was my re-entry into the Church, and from there I just got more involved," he said, noting that he began attending Mass again, and became a Eucharistic minister, lector and parish council member.

When Tony entered Hudson Valley Community College in North Greenbush, a part-time job prevented him from going to Sunday morning Mass, so he would go to 7:30 p.m. Mass at St. James Church in Albany. Once, he and Rev. Anthony Sidoti, then-pastor, were the only two people in the church. As they spoke, Tony pictured himself as a priest.

"I was subliminally discerning priesthood, but I wasn't aware of it," Tony said. "It wasn't a vocalized intention."

Called by Name

"There was a strong restlessness that had to be addressed," he said. "I just felt that wasn't where I was supposed to be. I wanted to do something more enriching."

Back at St. Catherine's, Tony was recommended as someone who should consider priesthood through the "Called by Name" program: During one weekend, priests told stories of their own vocational call and asked parishioners to provide the names of people who seemed interested in a vocation.

Getting a follow-up phone call from Rev. Louis Douglas, then-pastor of St. Catherine's, made Tony realize that priesthood was a vocation to which he was being called.

"I could finally do this officially, take the first big step, ask questions and be at peace about it. That phone call was the invitation," he said.

Getting interested

A meeting with Rev. John Molyn, diocesan director of vocations, also brought Tony closer to becoming a seminarian, but he still wanted to think about it.

"I came away with a lot of answers," he said. "I looked at the paperwork, but I put it away for a whole year."

First step

Three months later, Tony received a call from Father Molyn, who told him that he had been accepted to St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. It was news Tony had been waiting to hear, and his family and friends were pleased, even if they didn't exactly relate to his vocational calling.

"They couldn't put themselves in the same pair of shoes I was in," he said.

Seminary years

"Everyone was extraordinarily friendly and hospitable, and they answered my practical questions," he said. "I was ready to start a whole new adventure in my life. From the first hour, all the anxiety and uncertainty melted away, and I knew this would be great."

His first year in the seminary involved philosophy and theology courses that his business and computer background didn't prepare him for, but he grew personally and spiritually.

"It was a great deal of hard work, and doubts certainly arose during that year. But I looked at where I was and what I could be doing and said, 'I can do this,'" he said. "It wasn't college; it wasn't work. It was formation."

Some seminarians were younger than Tony, who wondered whether they had given themselves enough time to experience life before beginning their journey to priesthood.

"This is not something I rushed into," he said. "In the seminary, you meet guys who rushed into it. At least I can say that I lived on my own, had a job and paid bills before I entered the seminary."

Experience

"Every assignment I've had has exposed me to a different geographic location and different pastoral models," he said. "It's not just academics but a fundamental course in life."

The support Tony has received from family and friends helped him in his preparation, and parishioners he met through summer assignments and his pastoral year made him feel close to the Albany Diocese.

"It's very affirming and comforting to have that support," he said. "If anything, it's helped me to keep in touch with all of them. That's always been an anchor for me, and I've been able to maintain relationships that are only going to become stronger."

Ordination

"My face hurt for a week from smiling," he said. "All my brothers and sisters made it down, and I got a sense of the Body of Christ and vocation."

Tony knows his June 10 ordination to priesthood will replace that event as the happiest moment of his life, but he wishes he weren't the only priest being ordained for the Albany Diocese.

"It's great because I'm the only one, but it's bad because I'm the only one," he pointed out.

Promoting vocations will be part of his ministry, and he wishes all priests, families and parishioners would encourage men to consider priesthood.

More to come

"I've accepted my vocation, but I'll never fully appreciate the mystery of it," he said. "Just being able to see how small the world is and see what we're doing in the Diocese as Church -- in some small way my being a priest will have a positive effect on that."

(Father Childs has invited everyone to attend his ordination, June 10, 11 a.m., at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.)

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