Vocations

“What is it that you hope to accomplish as a deacon for the Archdiocese of Baltimore?” Deacon Miguel Sainz’s thoughtful answer to that question would have bombed in a job interview, but it helped secure a spot in one of the archdiocese’s early classes for the permanent diaconate.

Ned Conklin was 8 when he first considered becoming a priest. The notion returned every five years, but he repeatedly dismissed the idea.

Entering the seminary is not irrevocable, the archbishop said. It’s part of a discernment process to discover whether God is calling them to the priesthood.

“I’m so content it’s pathetic,” she said with a booming laugh. “A hermit is with the Lord the entire time. How could you not be happy?”

A spiritual journey that began seven years ago ended in the sanctuary of a Catonsville convent Sept. 3 when 10 Episcopal nuns and their priest chaplain were received into full communion with the Catholic Church.