|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Care for the soul in community |
 |
|
|
"I have to admit, I am one of the few Spiritans who hasn't worked as a missionary in Africa." So says Fr. Mike Grey, Vicar Provincial of the Western Province, as he considers his life and work as a Spiritan priest. Still, there is no doubt, Fr. Mike is a Spiritan through and through. He meets God in his day-to-day interactions with others seeking to expand the margin of God's hope and love through his work in the States and his dreams for the future.
Presently, Mike is a Chaplain and lecturer at Rice University and the Schools of the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Even with the acclaim of Texas university life, he finds he works cross-culturally. "I work with a lot of bright young people from diverse nationalities and cultures. I come alive with young people and have come to learn that they can tell very quickly if you are with them or not. I can be real with them."
While working with students who will go on to become medical healers, Fr. Grey, Ph.D., functions as a doctor of their souls. "I think that one of the most important things that I can do is help students to discern their own vocation. We are committed to making a difference. It is important to help these young healers get in touch with what God is calling them to." Teaching students in his Moral Theology: Virtue and Vice course at Rice raised issues that must be attended to in regular life. Indeed, it accentuates the fact that professional ethics is more about being attentive and connected with a broader moral community.
Prior to his work as a university chaplain, Fr. Grey served pastorates with multicultural parishes in California and also spent time as a professor in a Nigerian seminary that has partnered with Duquesne University to confer pastoral degrees. Such travels are nothing new for Fr. Grey. Growing up as the son of a Naval Officer, Mike spent time all over the world. "Raised as a Catholic, I looked to the Spiritans because I wanted to be a part of the Holy Ghost as "Marines" of the Church. They handled the tough jobs all over the world. Being a member of a global congregation fires me up. It is part of my personal mission too."
Fr. Grey is excited about the young men who share his enthusiasm for Spiritan ministry. "There is a lot of hope wrapped around our candidates as well as other guys who are in discernment. Being a Spiritan means being open to God. It means being open to God as a real person who also happens to be a priest. Finally, being a Spiritan means doing all of this in community."
Lets hear from you.
|
|
|
 |
|
