This past week I had the privilege of having a visit from Santonio Hill, a former parishioner and captain altar boy from St Peter Claver. You might remember that he was one of our early vocations that entered the seminary about seven years ago. He went to Great Mills High School and was a skilled football athlete. Many colleges expressed interest in him when he graduated, yet he discerned that God was calling him to test his vocation in the seminary. To the surprise of many in his high school (but not to parishioners in either parish), he applied and entered the seminary. He spent four years learning how to study theology, how to pray deeper and how to grow into a man of God. At the end of those four years he discerned that the Lord was calling him out of the seminary and started to teach at a local D.C. Catholic school in a rough neighborhood, in the very parish Father Dameon became pastor after he left the county.

He prayed and discerned a call to become a lay missionary on college campuses. A number of parishioners from both parishes support him financially in his mission. He now serves at Temple University. The leader of the program that assigns the missionaries told him recently that his team is having the most success they have ever seen at Temple among the men. His missionary partner, Seth, is a young man who had a powerful conversion story of his own. He went from abusing drugs and living a life far from God to having a powerful encounter with the Lord which led him to become a missionary. Seth is now an applicant for the priesthood in the Capusian Order.

Santonio will remain a missionary for another year and then will discern where the Lord will lead him next. I wanted to tell you about Santonio because he is such an inspiration to so many, having lead many men back to the Lord. I want you to pray for Santonio, Seth and all our missionaries at home or abroad.

Please pray also for our own Michael Carrol from St Cecilia who was a missionary with the same group and who remains very active in his parish in Ohio. We are blessed to see so many young men from our own county and parishes giving their lives to Christ as priests, married men, and missionaries to our youth and young adults.

– Fr. Scott