Vocations

After his engagement was broken off, Deacon Jeremy Smith had a life-changing conversation with Father Charles Canterna that put him on the path to the priesthood.

While Deacon Ponton said that he “lived life, got kicked around a little,” the pastor who gave him his first holy Communion said that it is that background which will make him a “great” priest when he is ordained for the Archdiocese of Baltimore Aug. 22

“He’s not one of those guys who thinks he’s got it all figured out,” said Monsignor Michael Heintz, academic dean and director of intellectual formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg. “He’s intelligent, and smart enough to know that he doesn’t know everything.”

“You need to be kind to people,” Deacon Crowley said. “A priest has to come off as relatable. The days are gone where people will listen to a priest and view him as someone with authority just because he is a priest. If you come off as cruel, judgmental, harsh, legalistic or unrelatable, people today will just write you off.”