Deacon Watson sees church as beacon of hope to world

Note: Archbishop William E. Lori will ordain six men to the priesthood June 22 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland. The following is a profile of one of those future priests. New profiles of the other new priests will be added to the Catholic Review site daily from June 16 to June 21. Click here to read them.

For Deacon Zachary Essex Watson, ministering as a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be an opportunity to serve a church he calls a beacon of hope to the world.  

“By proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the light still shines in the darkness,” said Deacon Watson, a 30-year-old native of Olathe, Kan., who is preparing for his June 22 priestly ordination. “That’s very important to me personally in my own faith, that amid the darkness – of the world, of my life, of the ways things are – there is light. There is light that comes from Jesus.” 

As a youth, the idea of becoming a priest crossed Deacon Watson’s mind on occasion. It wasn’t until attending the University of Kansas as a double major in history and political science, however, that he gave it serious consideration. With help from his mentors at the university’s Newman Center, Deacon Watson learned how to ask what God wanted him to do with his life and how to look for answers. 

 “Ultimately it was an awareness that I think this is what I’m made to do – how my entire life  points in this direction,” he said.   

Owing to his deliberative nature and a long germination process, few in his circle were surprised by his decision to become a priest.  

When asked what additional strengths he brings to his new role, he noted the importance of being easy to talk to. He said it “gives people the freedom to be themselves. … They don’t have to hide anything.”  

Along his path to the priesthood, Deacon Watson has appreciated building relationships with those around him and having shared opportunities for learning and growth.   

He entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Roland Park in the fall of 2018. In his pastoral assignments, he has enjoyed establishing connections with parishioners. 

“You work alongside them while also getting to know them,” he said. “It’s not strictly work – it’s something much more involved than just that.” 

While shadowing each pastor and learning to live a priestly life, he has worked with youth groups, supported confirmation preparations and helped provide pastoral care for the sick. At each assignment, he’s found people to be very welcoming and encouraging.  

He is currently serving at St. Clare and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Essex. His prior assignments have been at Our Lady of the Fields, Millersville; Immaculate Conception, Towson; St. John the Evangelist, Frederick, and St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor, Buckeystown; St. Joseph, Cockeysville; and Towson University Newman Center.  

While many see the priesthood as a life of sacrifice, he notes that “at some level, every life involves sacrifice – to do it right, anyway.” He sees the priesthood more as a different way of loving people. 

Deacon Watson said he looks forward to being with people in the sacraments and Mass, and building relationships within his parish community. Whether working with young people getting ready for confirmation, families getting ready for baptisms or couples getting ready for marriage, he notes, “Those are the moments when you have the chance to encounter people on the same journey of faith and help them grow and grow alongside them.”

As for hobbies, Deacon Watson started playing the piano when he was 10 and picked up the organ while in college. He also enjoys cycling, reading novels and running. 

He doesn’t see his vocation as setting him apart from others, but bringing him closer to them. “We are all just human beings with the same cares and concerns, hopes and dreams,” he said. “In my experience, people often think my life is far more different from theirs, and that often is not the case.”

Read More Local News

5 Things to Know about Turkey Bowl

Franciscan Father Vincent de Paul Cushing dies at 90

Observation of holy day of obligation for Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception moved to Dec. 9 this year 

Father Francis ‘Fritz’ Gollery welcomed back to priesthood after nearly 50 years

Archdiocesan priests mark milestone jubilees

Oblate Sister Lucia Quesada dies at 96

Copyright © 2024 Catholic Review Media

 Print