Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2008 / Deacon Clint William McDonell
Deacon Clint William McDonell
to be ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit
Published May 9, 2008
Age: 29
Parents' names and hometown: Ronald and Brigid McDonell; Westland
Education: Henry Ruff Elementary (Garden City); St. Raphael School (seventh and eighth grades); Detroit Catholic Central High School, class of 1996; Bowling Green State University; Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Parish(es) where you grew up and your current home parish: I was baptized (by now-Msgr. John Zenz) and grew up at St. Raphael Parish in Garden City, where I am still a parishioner.
Masses of Thanksgiving (both where and when):
• St. Raphael Church, Garden City
2 p.m. Sunday, May 11
• Our Lady of Good Counsel, Plymouth Township
noon Sunday, May 18
• St. Sebastian Church, Dearborn Heights
12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25
Briefly describe your route to the priesthood:
I felt the first inkling of a priestly vocation when I was about 11 and started serving as an altar boy. At first, I just wanted to have something to do during Mass to make it go by faster, but gradually I began to appreciate the Mass and serving for itself. Soon I was looking for more opportunities to serve at the altar.
During my junior high and high school years, our parish was blessed with Fr. Ed Prus as the pastor, who really inspired me to think about the priesthood. Fr. Prus is such a devoted servant of God and the Church, and loves the ministry ardently; it was hard for me not to catch on fire for the priesthood. Though college was a difficult time for me in regard to faith and vocation, it was the example of a good and happy priest that kept me focused on discerning the priesthood.
Having decided you had a vocation, did you ever have second thoughts about it? How did you resolve any doubts or fears?
I never really had second thoughts when I finally decided to enter the seminary. As best I could tell, God was calling me to the priesthood. I decided I needed to cooperate with that perceived calling, and give seminary my all. So I did, figuring that if I was wrong, it would become clear either to me, or to the formation faculty at SHMS, or to all of us. But as I went through seminary, it became clearer that God was calling me, and the clearer that call became, the more resolved I was to answer it. I never really had any doubts or fears: I figured that if I'm trying to do God's will, one way or another, He'll take care of me. What helped was the great support I received from my family, my parish and my pastor, Fr. Scott Thibodeau.
What are the greatest challenges you see facing the Church? Where do you see the greatest hope?
I think the greatest challenge the Church faces is the same challenge that she has always faced, and that is discerning how she is to be "in the world, but not of it." Throughout time, a continued challenge has been how we are to dialogue with a culture that is gradually diverging from Christian principles. Whether you find the center of gravity in life issues or social justice issues, it is clear that we must evangelize our culture and proclaim Jesus Christ. But then, how can we do that when our own hearts have not been converted? A great hope for the Church is what John Paul II called the "new evangelization." I really believe that there is a springtime in the Church right now: We are beginning to realize our identity and our vocation. People are finding a new enthusiasm for their faith and beginning to respond to the call to be a leaven in the world.
What are your hopes for your priestly ministry?
My simple hope is this: that I can always give my ministry my all and be a joyful servant. I know I have certain gifts and talents, and I have certain things that I really enjoy doing, but I really hope that I can always give my whole self even to those areas of ministry for which I am not especially gifted or which I do not especially enjoy. It is in those aspects of ministry, the ones we're not good at, or don't enjoy, that I think God's work really comes out. When you see God working in you, you cannot but rejoice! And joy is infectious. It catches others on fire and leads them to Jesus. That's what I want to do as a priest, essentially: lead people to Jesus.
What about your priestly ministry do you anticipate will be the most rewarding?
I enjoy teaching, and I know that will be a rewarding facet of ministry. As a priest, I know I'll have a lot of opportunities to teach, and I find teaching exciting. Passing on to another something that you are passionate about is nothing if not rewarding. I think, too, another rewarding part about the priesthood is the involvement we are privileged to have in the lives of others. A priest is blessed to be invited to take part in the most significant moments in people's lives: baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc. By being a willing and loving servant at those important times, a priest can show God's love in a very concrete way. That is a great gift and a great responsibility. But it is amazing to find how even the smallest sacrifice of self by a priest for the sake of another can open his or her eyes to God's work. The return we reap on our investments of time and presence are more than we ever deserve, but the Lord is never outdone in rewarding His servants!
Lee Acervo | Charles Altermatt | Clint McDonell | Sama Muma | Mark Prill
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