2018-07-06-eEdition

Volume 84, Number 14 Tඁൾ Official Publication of the Archdiocese of Mobile facebook.com/TheCatholicWeek twitter.com/TheCatholicWeek www.mobarch.org/catholicweek I NSIDE T HIS W EEK Pages 16-17 JULY 6, 2018 First Communion Archbishop Rodi looks back on 40 years as a priest, including 10 as archdiocese’s shepherd See ARCHBISHOP, Page 20 C ൺඍඁඈඅංർ W ൾൾ඄ Photo by Rob Herbst/The Catholic Week Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi delivers his homily at the Mass for Religious at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on May 3. Archbishop Rodi recently celebrated his 40th anniversary as a priest and 10th anniversary as Archbishop of Mobile. Editor’s note: This spring was a season of milestones for ArchbishopThomas J. Rodi. Not only did he celebrate his 40th anniversary as a priest on May 20, but Archbishop Rodi also celebrated the 10th anniversary of his installation as Archbishop of Mobile on June 6. ArchbishopRodi recently reflected on his anniversaries and looked toward the future of the Archdiocese of Mobile in an interviewwith Rob Herbst, editor of “The Catholic Week.” The following is an edited version of that interview. Q: Tell me about your vocation story and how did God call you to the priesthood? A: I had no thought of becoming a priest when I was in high school or college. In college I had decided to pur- sue a legal career. I had planned to be an attorney. After college I went to law school. I graduated and passed the bar.And at that time, I realized that there was something missing in my life. I set a goal for myself to become an attorney and I had achieved that goal. And although there was a great sense of satisfaction in doing so, I didn’t feel the joy that I had anticipated and I realized something was missing. Up to that point I had asked myself the question “What do I want to do with my life?” But at that point, by the grace of God, I began to ask “God, what do you want me to do with my life?” Both of those questions are very important and for whatever reason, I began thinking about being a priest. I cannot point to a moment or an event or a person that was the influence to me thinking about being a priest. It just came into my mind.The more I tried to ignore it, the more I kept thinking about it, until I finally decided I had to give it a try or I would not be at peace with myself. In retrospect, I think I had drifted into being an at- torney. It was an idea that I shared with people.They had encouraged me to do so, but I don’t know that I reflected deeply over whether this was what I wanted to do with my life. And I certainly didn’t reflect that this was what God wanted me to do with my life. My decision to go to seminary was a much more conscious and deliberate decision than my decision to go to law school. I did not think I would be a priest, but I knew I had to try the seminary or I would never be at peace.So I made a prom- ise that I would stay one year in the seminary and then I just presumed that I would leave.But the longer I was in the seminary, the more I decided this was something I ‘ALIVE IN YOU’ Page 8 Teens visitMobile for Catholic camp, conference