I recall being very reluctant to answer God’s call to the priesthood. People have often asked me “why did you want to become a priest?” The truth is that I didn’t want to be a priest, but I sensed God wanted me to – so I did it. I figured that God who knows me better than I know myself, and who loves me and wants me to be happy probably has a better plan than I do so I placed my trust in him. It was the best decision of my life.

My first 25 years as a priest have not always been easy and sometimes it has been hard. But I recall my mother saying to me during my first year in the seminary that everybody’s life is hard. The great joy I have also experienced in my priestly life and ministry has taught me that perseverance through challenges is frequently the hard road we walk that leads to happiness and fulfilment.

At the 25-year mark of my priestly ministry I have found myself thinking a lot about three things:

First, priesthood is not something you do on your own. A priest exists in relationship with the rest of the faith community, especially those he serves. I am conscious of and filled with gratitude for the many people who have been my companions and collaborators along the way. My parents and family, relatives, parishioners, other priests and bishops, religious sisters, teachers, volunteers, office workers. So many people have helped to form me as a priest and have worked with me to help spread the Gospel of Our Lord. As Saint Paul liked to emphasise, there are many gifts but always the same Spirit; we are many parts, one body, one mission.

Second, the effectiveness of a priest boils down to his humanity: to his patience and kindness, to his love of God and neighbour. People can tell if their priest stops praying or stops loving them; there is something not quite right about him – he will lose his joy, and the people will notice.

Pope Saint John Paul II said, “in order that a priest’s ministry be credible and acceptable he must mould his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of humanity” (Pastores Dabo Vobis 43).

Third, I need faith without fear. Some may think that the opposite of faith is atheism, but it’s really fear that holds us back from having a completely trusting faith in God. The fear that can hold me back is the fear that God might ask too much of me – more than I’m prepared to give. This is where the example of the Virgin Mary and so many of the saints give me encouragement that God will never ask more than he knows I can give with the help of his grace.

I have been so fortunate to have encountered and experienced God in my life in the person of Jesus Christ. I hope that my life and ministry as a priest helps others to also know the tremendous joy and hope that comes from an encounter and enduring relationship with our Lord Jesus in the community of his Church.