As I write this, I have been a priest for less than a month. In many ways I am still learning what it is to be a priest — what it really means to act in the person of Christ, to be the minister of forgiveness, and by saying a few words to turn bread into the Eucharist.

I look back during my years of seminary formation and I see how God, through his providence shaped things to bring me to this point, has formed me into a priest. 

When I first entered seminary, there was no “Aha!” moment, no super spiritual experience that informed me that I was to enter the seminary and become a priest. Rather, when I was in high school, there were times when I thought it would be rather “neat” to be a priest. I thought that it was a great job. 

When I became a junior in high school the time was nearing when I had to choose where to go to college. It was around that moment, after talking with my parish priest and the vocation director, that I decided to enter into the seminary. My mentality was that it is easier to enter now and give it a shot than to enter in 15 years or so. I figured if I did not like the seminary I could leave and it would not be that hard to get a degree in a field with which I could teach.

It was not until six years of seminary formation, and half way through my pastoral year, that I finally had an “Aha!” moment. 

During the year I spent doing pastoral work in a parish, I spent much time during the week teaching and being present to the kids in the classrooms of the parish school. When I first started the kids were just “those kids.” Slowly I started to learn their names. One day the kids ceased being “those kids” and became “my kids.”

It was at that moment that I realized that if I could understand and experience this type of relationship — which in a real way participates with spiritual fatherhood, as a seminarian — how much more so could I do as a priest? That was the moment in which I was as certain as I could be that I was called to be a priest.

One of the moments in which I have been closest to Christ, as a priest, was the day after my first Mass. It was in the morning and the pastor of the parish asked if I wanted to celebrate the daily Mass since he had a later Mass for a school graduation. I said yes. The Mass was going well. I made it through the introductory rites by reading the Sacramentary. The readings were proclaimed. I was even in the right mind-set to give a brief homily.

I made it through the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayers of consecration and even the Lamb of God. When I was distributing Communion, however, and raised the host to say, “The Body of Christ,” it hit me. I just stopped and stared at the Eucharist. It was as though at that moment I understood what it meant to be a priest and what it meant to be a minister of the Eucharist. 

Though the moment seems to have lasted for almost a lifetime, it probably only occurred for about 30 seconds in real life. In my brief priesthood, it was the closest I’ve been aware of being to Christ in my priestly ministry. I knew that I was in the right place.

In my first few weeks as a priest, I have experienced many things that I never imagined I would actually ever do. I remember within the first week of my parish assignment I went to do a vigil service for a parishioner who had passed away. On the way back to the parish afterward, there was a drenching downpour.

As I approached an intersection, I saw that there was what appeared to have been a mild accident. Turning to the right, I saw that there was an SUV whose front end was totally crushed. I thought about it for a minute and I pulled over and walked a little way to find the police officer. I asked if there was anyone injured or if anyone needed the sacraments. 

“No, no one is injured,” he said. I said OK, and started to leave, but the officer called out, “Hey Father, thanks for stopping, though.” 

So on that little trip I got soaking wet, did not distribute a sacrament, but I was there and was ready: ready to be present and ready to be a minister of Christ’s sacraments.

Father Fournier was ordained on June 13 and is parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis.